24/10/2025
💬 “I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY ENOUGH.”
Yesterday, I led a funeral for a gentleman who had chosen me himself before he passed away. Today, his wife called me to say thank you.
She said she’d seen the fee for the ceremony – a double slot at the crematorium – was £350. I said yes, a little cautiously, worried that she might feel it was too high.
Instead, she said, “Well I don’t think that’s really enough. I want to give you £500.”
That moment meant more to me than she probably realised.
Because, truthfully, funeral celebrant fees have been kept far too low for far too long – not by families, but by an industry that quietly discourages us from valuing our time and skill properly.
Here’s why £250 for a single slot, or £350 for a double (my current prices for funerals), is actually below what I think the work is worth:
🕰 Time: A “30-minute” funeral is usually 8–12 hours of work – meetings, writing, liaising, travel, and emotional labour.
✍️ Skill: It’s not just reading a script – it’s crafting a one-off story about a real life, from scratch, with empathy and rhythm and heart.
🎭 Performance: On the day, you’re the calm in the storm – storyteller, stage manager, host, and emotional anchor all at once.
💔 Emotional weight: You hold a family’s grief in your hands, helping them navigate one of the hardest hours of their lives.
💼 Professional costs: Insurance, training, travel, marketing, stationery, admin – all quietly nibble away at that fee.
Add that all up, and £250–£350 isn’t generous. It’s just about sustainable.
Since raising my fees at the start of this year, I’ve already had funeral directors raise eyebrows, or quietly drop me from their 'go-to' lists for being “too expensive.” And that’s fine.
Because I believe the work I do – the time, care, and craft I put into every ceremony – is worth it. And today, one family proved that they not only agreed, but valued the service I provided more highly than the industry does.
I don’t want to do as many services as possible for the lowest possible rate. I want to do fewer, and do them properly, and for families who choose me because they value what I bring, not just because I’m available.
What do you think?
