Find an IoCF Celebrant

When you choose a funeral celebrant who is a member of the IoCF, you are choosing someone who will help you create the most beautiful ceremony possible for the person you have lost.

Why choose an IoCF celebrant?

Each of our members:

understands that the funeral is your final gift to your loved one - a special day to remember and mourn;
will work with you to make the ceremony unique and memorable - a true reflection of how important that person is to you;
has achieved the highest celebrancy qualification and undergoes continuous professional development to ensure they are always working towards the standards of excellence;
is regularly reviewed to ensure that they are working with you and with all families professionally and compassionately.

We are confident that all of our members give you the best possible caring and professional service. We have a rigorous complaints process if you have any concerns.

This is what you can expect from an institute member

Prompt response to your enquiries.
Meetings at your convenience, including evenings and weekends where necessary (for your safety, all meetings for the duration of the pandemic are by phone or video call).
an open and understanding discussion about how the funeral ceremony should best remember your loved one.
Suggestions, if needed, on tributes, music, readings, ritual and symbolic actions.
A full draft of a ceremony, completely unique to your loved one, submitted for your approval or amendments before the funeral.
A printed keepsake copy after the ceremony.
Guidance throughout on all aspects of funeral procedures and information about the crematorium, cemetery or chapel chosen for the ceremony.

All members adhere to the Institute’s Code of Practice

*We welcome your feedback at any time. Please use the button at the top of page to provide comments on your chosen celebrant.

Maria Holman

Brackley, Banbury, Bicester, Buckingham, Towcester and surrounding areas 07494 231755 maria@mariaholman.co.uk www.mariaholman.co.uk

Every funeral should be a unique and individual occasion which truly reflects the personality and spirit of your loved one. I will work with you to uncover the details of their life and explore what they meant to those around them. If desired, I will then write a memorable and meaningful tribute which is a true expression and celebration of the person they were. I can assist you in your choice of music, poetry and readings and the rest of the ceremony will be carefully crafted to achieve the tone and sentiments that you wish to reflect. Religious or spiritual elements from any faith can be included, or the service can be entirely “life-centred”. Contributions from friends and family can be arranged and they can participate on the day if they would like to. You will have the opportunity to approve the ceremony script prior to the funeral, so you can be sure that it is completely accurate and exactly what you had in mind. My greatest aim is that the occasion will be personal and heart-felt providing a great source of comfort to you – both now and in the future.

Dear Maria
Thank you so very, very much for the tribute you have written about Dad. I think you have captured him most beautifully and your mixture of tenderness and humour is exquisite.

I really appreciate the time and thoroughness you have taken in reading his memoir and the excerpts you have taken are well chosen and appropriate (my favourites too! and some I missed!) and you have woven them together so beautifully.

J
(email January 2023)

I just wanted to pop you a message to say thank you to you from myself and L, for all of your help and support over the past few weeks. The service you gave yesterday was wonderful, you captured B so well and we are really grateful that you could be part of his farewell. I think he would be very proud of how it turned out.

Thank you for everything,

N
(email February 2023)

Dear Maria,
We just wanted to say again, Thank you so much for today, and the lovely way in which you conducted Dad’s service.
I must just pass on to you the many comments people made on the service, and how very well you conducted it. They thought you did a superb job and gauged everything perfectly – Dad would have approved!!
So, Thank you again – with all our very best wishes. It was lovely meeting you, sadly in these circumstances, but we were so pleased with how the day has gone.
With kindest regards
W and family xxx
(email February 2023)

I just wanted to say on behalf of all of us a huge thank you, you gave R such a lovely service, we couldn’t have wished for any better and everyone commented to us on how lovely it was, and how great you were.

Thank you again,

E
(email March 2023)

Thank you again for this wonderful eulogy of G which we have all loved reading – you have given him life again. We will feel he is amongst us on Thursday, which is a treat.

(email March 2023)

Thank you very much Maria and for making yesterday such a wonderful fitting tribute to our beautiful mum. Everyone I spoke to yesterday at the wake said the same.

(email March 2023)

Thank you so much, the day couldn’t have been more beautiful, the service was just perfect.

(card March 2023)

We just wanted to thank you for the lovely send off you gave D yesterday. A lot of guests commented on how the ceremony had really captured the D they knew but had lost way too early, whether they were family, colleagues or friends who all had different relationships with him.

Thank you for taking the time to really get things right and your kindness in dealing with us all at such a difficult time …
It was lovely to meet you despite the circumstances and we will never forget your kindness at the very worst of times.

(email June 2023)

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the service yesterday for our precious mom. You couldn’t have interpreted it any better, it was perfect.

(email June 2023)

Many thanks for forwarding the ceremony draft which is beautifully put together and K and I are more than pleased for you to go ahead with it.

We both wish to thank you for all the hard work you`ve put into it and the sensitivity you have shown.

(email November 2023)

Just a quick email to say thank you so much for putting together, and delivering, what was a beautiful service to remember the life of my mother …. Everyone who attended the funeral commented on how beautiful it was, and how well it was organised and delivered …. Thank You.

(email November 2023)

Thank you so much for the lovely service that you took great care in preparing for J …..

You have been so patient ….. and delivered such a personalised and meaningful service – we couldn’t have asked for more.

So many people that attended have commented on the lovely manner in which you spoke about J and have asked me to pass on their gratitude.

(email December 2023)

I’d like to thank you wholeheartedly on behalf of all the family for conducting such a beautiful, calm and special service for Dad.
Your attention to detail and the way you encapsulated Dad and what he meant to us all was perfect and we felt in very safe hands.
Being able to trust someone when you’re feeling vulnerable and disoriented is so special and we will be forever grateful.

(email December 2023)

I wanted to say thank you so much for yesterday. Everyone loved the service, and they all said it had been delivered so beautifully by you, and you captured Dad so perfectly.

(email February 2024)

Just wanted to say thank you for yesterday, it was a beautiful service and P would have definitely loved it.

(email February 2024)

Thank you for this, and also for helping to put together such a wonderful tribute to our dear Dad. I am in awe of how you managed to capture him so completely in just a couple of hours of chatting with us.
We’ve had so many compliments about how lovely the ceremony was, and the family are very much in agreement that it really couldn’t have been better. Even the weather was with us!
Many, many thanks Maria for helping us to navigate such a difficult and unknown pathway, you really made the whole experience so much easier.

(email February 2024)

Maria was very professional but also very sensitive towards the family, she took her time and I felt like the service was not rushed, such a calm and lovely lady on one of the worst days of my life

(IOCF feedback January 2024)

I just wanted to thank you once more for helping us give D such a beautiful goodbye. Everyone said how lovely the service was and appreciated your calm and thoughtful manner and words.

(email February 2024)

Just to say thank you for your thoughtful and moving service for A, everyone commented on how nice, for want of a better word, the service was, you made us all feel that you knew him, so thank you again.

(email May 2024)

I just wanted to reiterate how lovely you delivered mum’s eulogy yesterday.. I really appreciate your efforts to make it so perfect and everyone commented on how great it was. I think between us we captured the essence of D 🙂

I’m so pleased you were part of it.

(email July 2024)

Difficult days are so much easier when you know you’ve got someone there for you and you, Maria, were that someone for us. Thank you for a beautiful service for our lovely Mum and all your support.

(card July 2024)

Thank you so very much for, again, conducting the perfect ceremony for Mum, I am sure if she was looking down she would have been very pleased (if there is such a thing at such a time). I hope so.

(email August 2024)

I just wanted to pass on our thanks for the beautiful way you carried out the service for my Uncle. There were many positive comments on how your tone was very calm and full of feeling while you resided over the service.

(email October 2024)

Thank you Maria, I think you’ve found your vocation. I have watched the service since and it was a lovely send off for dad.

(email October 2024)

I just wanted to send you my heart felt thanks for today, as well as the last few weeks. The service you delivered was absolutely perfect. Friends and family complimented your delivery of the memories and were able to relate with the expected sadness, but also love and happiness. We can’t thank you enough.

(email November 2024)

Thank you very much for the lovely celebration of E’s life. You made it personal and gentle, much appreciated.

(email November 2024)

A great big thank you for taking P’s service on Monday. It was “beautiful”, so many family and friends came up to me and said lovely things about the service. It was one of the saddest days I’ve had, but your words and support helped me through it. Thank you Maria.

(Thank You card November 2024)

I just wanted to drop you a message to say a big thank you from myself and the rest of the family, for the wonderful service you led for mum yesterday. You helped us to give her the beautiful send off that we so wanted.

Your help and advice over the last few weeks has been invaluable and it is with your guidance that we were able to achieve what we did yesterday. We have received only wonderful comments on what a lovely service it was, and how it seemed you knew her so well, and so we will be forever grateful for all that you did.

(email January 2025)

We really appreciate the kind, caring and professional way you helped us over the last few weeks. You helped us to give mum a perfect send-off, for which we will be forever grateful.

(email January 2025)

Thank you so much for leading what was a very lovely service to say goodbye to my mum.
It went absolutely perfectly from start to finish and there really is no way I can ever thank you enough.

(email February 2025)

We wanted to send you a quick note to thank you so much for delivering a wonderful celebration service for Dad, today. We had many, many complimentary remarks from those attending regarding the service and wanted to let you know.

We are grateful for all your hard work in preparing the service and delivering it on the day.

(email February 2025)

A little note to say a huge thank you for the wonderful service you conducted in respect of C. Your help and support in putting it all together was much appreciated. Everyone there complimented you for the way the service went. It successfully became a celebration of his life and was a great comfort. Thank you again.

(thank you card, February 2025)