Kerry Glazer | Wedding and Funeral Celebrant

Hello my name is Kerry and I am your Family, Wedding and Funeral Celebrant in East Sussex, Kent, and London, dedicated to helping you find the right words to mark or celebrate the important moments in life.

I specialise in writing and conducting Funeral and Memorial ceremonies following the death of a loved one, but I can also help you with the most joyful moments in life too: celebrating your child’s arrival in your family with a Naming Ceremony, or when making a profound commitment to the love of your life at your Wedding Ceremony.  Whatever your needs, I will work closely with you to create a ceremony that is exactly as you would wish it to be.

Rituals and ceremonies give meaning to our years, creating lasting memories for you and the people you most care for.  Knowing you are in expert hands when important words need to be said ensures that those memories are good ones, even when they are wreathed in sadness.

Who am I?

A Londoner for most of my life, my career background in the NHS as a registered nurse, and  in senior leadership roles in the marketing industry, a helpful combination of experiences and skills needed to be a good celebrant.  My love of the sea and the countryside has led me to work mainly in the beautiful county of East Sussex.

I’m married to Alex, with a grown-up daughter and son (still working on persuading my husband that we need a dog!).  When I’m not thinking about the families I work with, I love to be with my own family.  Spending time together, cooking Sunday lunch for them, having a good old natter on a long, muddy walk, or arguing about our respective football team alliances, is the stuff of life for me.

I came to celebrancy by way of having spoken informally at life event ceremonies for my family and friends on numerous occasions, and from having MC’d many work events that required a good communicator.  Being a celebrant is the perfect way to combine the capabilities I have with the things I most enjoy - people, their life stories, and being of service when meaningful words need to be said.

What I do?

My specialty is helping families and friends to celebrate the life of someone who has died.  This can be done in different ways.  You may want to have a traditional Funeral ceremony for the person you have lost.  Or you might prefer to organise a direct cremation for them, followed by a Memorial service to celebrate their life: something that can take place anywhere that is meaningful to you, and at time that is right for you and your family.

The most important thing is that the wishes of the person who is gone, and those who loved them most in the world, are heard.  You may have some very clear ideas on how you would like the ceremony to be.  Or you may be at a complete loss as to how to begin to even think about it. My job is to listen to you with care, compassion, and kindness, to make sure that this important moment is right and will bring you comfort when you think about it in the future.

We’ll meet and talk together.  I’ll learn about your person and how you would like to celebrate their life, taking on board everything that matters to you.  I’ll create the ceremony for you, making suggestions for readings, poems, music, ways to include everyone who wants to be part of the ceremony, and any special element that will make the ceremony more meaningful for you, if you need me to.   Everything is tailored to meet your needs, bespoke to you and your loved one.

When it comes to Weddings, a Vow Renewal, or a Naming Ceremony, I take a very similar approach.

Why me?

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of being human.  We hear - or tell - stories about our adventures, our loves, and our lives from our very earliest days.  Celebrating the life of someone who has gone is one of the most important stories you can tell.  A huge part of being a good speaker when it comes to telling those important stories is learning to listen.

I’m told that I’m very easy to talk to, that I put people at their ease, make them feel heard, and am always kind.  Most significantly, if I’m creating a funeral or memorial ceremony, that my words capture the essence of their loved one as if I had known them personally.   That’s probably the best advertisement I have.

If you would like to have an informal chat about how I can help you, please do get in touch.