A funeral done in a way you want it to be

There are no laws in the United Kingdom relating to funerals. The law states ‘Next of kin must dispose of the body of the person who has died by burial, cremation or other means.’

The only other requirement is that the death is registered appropriately.

Therefore, a funeral should be anything that you want it to be. Our role as undertakers is to support you rather than direct you and we are here to help you navigate your way to creating a funeral ceremony that is both meaningful and transformative. At Wells Funeral Services we believe in asking our clients what they want to happen at a funeral for their family member or friend rather than tell them what must happen. If they want to be involved in the lead up to the funeral we actively encourage this.

The funerals we have assisted with so far this year have all varied.

One included the husband and sons of the lady who had died visiting Musgrove Willow to assist with weaving her willow coffin. Guided through the whole process by one of their skilled weavers they spent four hours carefully crafting her coffin. An experience that brought them together as a family and one they all found to be healing and therapeutic. They asked if on the day of the funeral they could use cars from the car club they belonged to rather than our limousines. Their cortège was made up of beautiful classic E-Type Jaguars, with Wells High Street and market pausing for just a moment as they passed through. The ceremony that took place in the crematorium followed a format requested by the family, with a sing along to some of her favourite songs and rather than a committal the words of goodbye came from a favourite book.

Another was a burial, the family of the young lady who had died wished to have the funeral service in a church in Wells, despite not being particularly religious. They needed a venue big enough to accommodate the hundreds of family and friends that were attending. The associated vicar and celebrant worked side by side to deliver exactly what the family wanted, a ceremony with just a touch of religion that perfectly reflected the young lady it was for, with her favourite music played rather than hymns and quotes from series such as Prison Break and Wentworth. The brief ceremony of goodbye followed at the graveyard for her close family and friends.

Then there was the lady who wanted everything completely stripped back for her husband. She requested a direct cremation but wanted to be completely involved with the preparation of her husband’s body in light of their beliefs relating to their heritage. Assisted by two of our team she washed and dressed her husband, while doing so we played his favourite songs. Once he was ready and placed in his coffin she spent some time alone with him in our chapel of rest. On the day of the cremation, she rode in the hearse to accompany him on his final journey.

Every life is unique, therefore every funeral we deliver is unique. We will do our utmost to accommodate your requests, we will guide you if you need help, but we will never tell you what you must do.