Non-Religious Funerals

A ‘celebration of life’ funeral

What is a non-religious funeral?

A non-religious funeral is a ceremony that celebrates the life of a loved one without incorporating religious elements or rituals. Instead of focusing on spiritual beliefs, it centres on personal memories, the individual’s achievements, and the impact they had on those around them. These funerals can be highly personalised, often featuring music, poems, and tributes that reflect the person’s interests, values, and personality.

They are sometimes referred to as humanist or ‘celebration of life’ funerals, and are usually officiated by either humanist or civil celebrants. There is no mention of religion, faith or god at a non-religious funeral and they take place at secular venues, including crematoriums and cemetery chapels, hotels, community spaces or someone’s house. Both burial and cremation can be non-religious.

Types of non-religious funeral

As a family-run funeral business, we are committed to providing affordable funerals. We work in a flexible way, going the extra mile to support you as funeral arrangements are made. We offer three main types of funerals for you to choose from…

Bespoke Burial or Cremation

A customisable, full-service funeral

A bespoke burial or cremation is our most flexible option and is best suited to families who want to arrange a more personalised, full-service funeral. We’ll listen carefully to your wishes and take care of every last detail to ensure your loved one receives a memorable and heartfelt goodbye.

Limited Service Burial or Cremation

A simpler, low fuss funeral

A limited-service burial or cremation includes everything you need to give your loved one a dignified and uncomplicated funeral. This option includes a service but takes a more simplified and streamlined approach. It is perfect for families who want a funeral service without the fuss, and would take place at a local crematorium or cemetery.

Direct Burial or Cremation

Our lowest cost funeral

A direct burial or cremation is a funeral without a service and is the most affordable type of funeral we offer. Your loved one will be taken straight from our premises to the local cemetery for burial or a local crematorium for a cremation. You only pay for the essentials, such as the coffin, the funeral director’s fees and burial/cremation costs

How it works

We’ll collect your loved one and bring them in to our care

Our team will arrange a suitable time to discuss your funeral wishes

We’ll manage the funeral arrangements, taking care of all the finer details

A time and date will be agreed with your funeral director

For cremations, we can collect your loved one’s ashes and bring them back to our premises

You can organise a memorial or headstone, or choose a final resting place for the ashes

What are the benefits of choosing a non-religious funeral at Dillamore?

You aren’t bound by religious traditions and can personalise the funeral in any way you wish (if choosing the limited service or bespoke funeral options).
They can be ‘celebration of life’ funerals that honour the life a person lived, remembering their personality, important milestones and the legacy left behind
You can incorporate important cultural traditions, rituals and spiritual elements that were important to the person who has died

Dillamore will provide a caring, smooth and flexible experience
We go out of our way to support the families we work with, and are here for as long as you need us

Non-Religious Funeral Pricing

A bespoke funeral service is tailored to a family’s individual wishes. Rather than adhering to a prescribed format, a bespoke funeral allows for individual preferences, and can include personal touches to create a meaningful and memorable tribute to a loved one.

There are three main elements to planning a bespoke funeral...

Our professional services fee - £2,300 Angle Down

Our professional services fee is a fixed fee that covers the arrangement and administration of the funeral. It includes;

Our professional services – £1,250 (included)
Care of the deceased – £275 (included)
Receiving your loved one into our care within a 15-mile radius – £295 (included)
Hearse – £480 (included)
Personal supervision of all the funeral arrangements before, during and after the funeral service
Preparation, collection and distribution of all necessary documentation, including liaising with externals parties on your behalf (such as doctors, ministers, crematoriums, cemeteries etc)
A funeral director and necessary personnel to carry out the funeral in accordance with your instructions
A suitable vehicle, equipment and staff necessary to bring your loved one in to our care
Preparing the deceased according to your instructions
Laying the deceased to rest in their coffin
Providing quality care for your loved one until the day of the funeral
The use of our Chapel of Rest to visit your loved one

A coffin - from £490 Angle Down

Below are prices of some of our most commonly used coffins in order to give you an idea of the price range…

• Traditional veneer coffin in oak or mahogany – £490
• Traditional solid oak coffin – £965
• Natural English willow coffin – £790

To discover our full range of coffins, along with their prices, speak to a member of our team.

Additional Chargeable Services Angle Down

Each limousine – £175
Dressing your loved one in their own clothes or gown, including embalming (if required) – £190
Purchasing a burial plot – £TBA
Notices – £TBA
Order of service – £TBA

Funeral Packages

For families who want a simple low-fuss funeral, or would like a more affordable option,
our funeral packages may be the best choice.

	Limited Service Cremation/Burial	Direct Cremation/Burial
	From £1,785 + third party disbursements*	Cremation From £850 Burial From £1,000 + third party disbursements*
Our professional fees
A funeral service
Collection of your loved one (not exceeding 30 running miles) during normal working hours
A choice of date for the burial
A basic coffin
A hearse / funeral vehicle
Up to 4 pall bearers
An officiant
Collection of charitable donations online
Newspaper notices
Order of service sheets
Collection of the ashes back to our premises, if required
Interment of the ashes
Chapel of rest visits		At an extra cost

Chargeable optional extras:
Dressing your loved in their own clothes
Visiting your loved one in our Chapel of Rest

*Payments made to third parties that sit outside our funeral director fees, such as venue costs, cremation/burial fees, a celebrant, flowers.

FAQs

Where will my loved one be kept before the funeral takes place? Angle Down

Unlike many funeral directors, your loved one will stay with us at our premises on Old Road throughout their time with us. This allows us to provide the very best care for your loved one and means you can visit them in our Chapel of Rest whenever you wish.

What is the difference between a humanist celebrant and a civil celebrant? Angle Down

Humanism is a philosophy that believes humans evolved naturally instead of being created by a god, and centres on the belief that humans give life its own meaning. A humanist celebrant will focus the funeral on the life and legacy of the person who has died and is entirely non-religious.

A civil celebrant, on the other hand, doesn’t have a specific belief system for the funeral. Instead, a civil celebrant will work with the family to create a service that feels personal and reflects the person who has died. A civil celebrant can include religious elements, such as hymns, prayers or religious readings, if a family requests it.

Can a family member officiate a non-religious funeral? Angle Down

Yes. Anyone can officiate a non-religious funeral. Family-led funerals are when the friends or family of the deceased lead the proceedings, with one or several family members or friends conducting the funeral. Family-led funerals can be a much more personal way to say goodbye and offer everyone a chance to be involved.

Can I include hymns or religious readings in a non-religious funeral? Angle Down

This depends on who is officiating the service. Humanist funerals are strictly non-religious, whilst civil celebrants can conduct both non-religious and semi-religious funerals. Likewise, family-led funerals (where family members officiate the service) can be as religious as a family would like.

Do non-religious funerals have to follow a traditional funeral format? Angle Down

No. Whilst many families stick to a more traditional funeral format, there is no reason why you must. One of the main benefits of a non-religious funeral is that you are free to create a service that feels totally unique to the person who has died. There is nothing that should or shouldn’t be included in a non-religious funeral.

Ready to find out more?

We hope this has answered some of your questions regarding non-religious funerals. If you would like to find out more, please complete the form or give us a call, our team will be happy to help.