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Different types of Funerals in Sydney

What are the different types of Funerals in Sydney

It’s challenging to plan a funeral ceremony for a loved one. It can be exhausting both physically and emotionally. The pressure of having to do everything required to honor their memory along with managing your personal capacity to cope might make things even more difficult.

That is why it is worth taking the time to find the right Funeral Service provider to suit your needs and to guide you through the process, making it as stress-free for the family as possible.

Here at Picaluna, Sydney, every funeral is handled with the utmost care, respect, and dignity. All of our funeral arrangers and celebrants are trained to meet the unique needs of your loved ones. Our Funeral directors in Sydney are skilled, flexible, and compassionate. When it comes to planning a funeral for a loved one, we are conscious of varied cultures, rites, rituals, personality and style.

We respect that each funeral is unique, and we take pride in providing care and services that are tailored to each family we serve. We will assist you in making decisions as well as designing a service that best reflects your loved one’s life.

There are numerous types of funeral services to choose from. These are some of them:

Traditional Funerals

A full-service funeral in a Chapel or Church can sometimes be known as a traditional funeral, which involves a funeral ceremony followed by cremation or burial. These traditional services include the ceremony as well as ‘body disposal’, as it is known.

The ceremony is held in a church or chapel first, followed by cremation or burial in a pre-booked location. In most circumstances, a viewing can be held either immediately before the service begins or a few days prior the funeral ceremony day. You may also like to consider a time of vigil with the body of your loved-one, whether in your own home or a funeral home setting. A member of the church clergy or a professional funeral celebrant usually conducts traditional Funeral services Sydney.

Picaluna is staffed by experienced funeral directors and funeral celebrants who provide professional, personal service and transparent pricing of all funeral costs to make saying goodbye to your loved one easier.

Direct Burial Services

Another option is a direct burial or committal. Meaning that burial of the body occurs without a funeral service. You may not desire to have any mourners in attendance during the burial itself and this might be a simple, cost-effective and reasonable solution. In this Direct Burial, the body is buried generally without a viewing or a full service taking place and is generally with only the funeral staff present. If there are mourners in attendance for the burial, we usually call this a Graveside Service because the burial itself will be witnessed by those who knew the deceased.

Sometimes the deceased’s family and friends are unable to attend the burial or a ceremony has taken place beforehand and the mourners have decided not to attend the burial. When the burial has already occurred and the ceremony then takes place, this is often known as a memorial service as the body is not present.

We recommend you contact us for plans and services available at Picaluna to gain a greater understanding of the best and most affordable option.

Cremation Services

Cremation is a method of disposing of a deceased person’s body within a cremator, burned at very high temperature, ultimately reducing the body to a combination of bones and ashes. In Sydney, it is the most popular form of body disposal. After the cremation service, you can either keep the deceased’s ashes in an urn or spread them in a location of your choice.

Depending on your preferences, cremation would usually take place immediately after the funeral ceremony. It can also occur without a service. This is known as a Direct Cremation or No Service/No Attendance Cremation. This service appeals to a large number of people because the process is relatively simple. It is said that Cremation is now chosen by 70% of people in urban areas and 56% of people in non-urban areas. The cremation might be incorporated within the funeral service or held as a separate event. It is the more common service as cremation is a more affordable form of body disposal, particularly in the Sydney Metropolitan Area, where the cost of purchasing a burial plot is often high.
Graveside Service Although most burials include graveside services, some people prefer to go to the graveside only. You can have the funeral ceremony performed graveside at the burial plot, or you can have a chapel or church service, prior to moving to a graveside service. This is sometimes reserved for only the closest family members as part of a committal service.

While many people favor traditional funeral rituals, some are now opting for more environmentally friendly and green options.We assure you that the entire burial service is done with sensitivity from start to finish. Your religious or non-religious preferences will be treated with the greatest respect.To learn more about Graveside Funeral Services, contact Picaluna.

Memorial Services

Memorial ceremonies are a common style of funeral ceremony, held to honour the deceased’s life. It can take place either before or after the cremation or burial, but most commonly done after disposal of the body. This service is held by a family or a community to commemorate a person’s death in public. It’s essentially a memorial service where everyone can remember the deceased and the wonderful relationships they built throughout their lives.

In this service you can choose the type of memorial venue that suits your needs and those of the bereaved. There is usually a lot more flexibility in the type of venue available as the coffin is not present, which can sometimes be restrictive.

A memorial venue could be a chapel or a place of worship, but it could also be a garden, a beach, a club, special location or even a restaurant that means something to the family. There is often more flexibility for families in choosing a date that works best for the memorial service to take place. It might even be on a significant date such as a birthday, anniversary, or other meaningful date. Because a memorial ceremony differs from a funeral service in that the deceased person’s body is not present. This means that the memorial service can be planned at any day whether a few days after the death or any other day of your choice.

What are the next trending Green Options?

There are methods to arranging an eco-friendly burial, particularly if your loved one was nature-friendly and environmentally conscious. So, here is a little bit of good news for nature lovers that many places are doing their best to accommodate more nature-friendly options. This is with an aim to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. In this kind of burial, the body is placed in a biodegradable coffin and without a large gravestone, in an area that is close to nature. And as technology advances, more and more new options will become available soon. The goal behind this is to promote natural looking burial area in a location connected to nature. Knowing what types of funeral services are available in your area will help you make a more informed decision.

When you understand the process, you can make better decisions for honoring your loved one. Picaluna Funeral Services will guide you through the steps and will be able to guide you in making a decision about the type of funeral service that best suits your needs.

Things to Consider

The sort of funeral ceremony you choose for your loved one should be one that feels like the best one for you and your family and who understands your needs best.

Whether you are arranging a traditional service with burial or a direct cremation for your loved one you should always ask for a quote and look for overall price transparency. If you are needing to save money on funeral costs, talk with your Picaluna funeral arranger about the most cost effective options available. Picaluna Funeral Services has served hundreds of local families and is a trusted brand in the business for all types of funerals. Call us at any time, day or night, and discuss your requirements.

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Yi Klavs
5 October 2025

I’m so grateful to Candice and Archie for their kindness and support during an incredibly difficult time. They were warm, respectful, and truly listened, making the process feel personal and gentle. I felt cared for every step of the way. Thank you for your compassion—it meant more than I can say.

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Sarah Judd-Lam
5 October 2025

Affordable, sensitive and compassionate care

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Sarah Skinner
4 October 2025

Dear Shelly,I want to sincerely thank you for the incredible care, kindness, and support you gave our family during one of the most difficult times in our lives. From the very beginning, you were understanding, gentle, and deeply respectful — nothing was ever too much, and every one of our wishes was met with grace and care.You guided us so effortlessly through the entire process, and we always felt held and supported. You took charge in such a calm and reassuring way — which, I must admit, was a challenge for me as someone who is usually the organiser. But your leadership was exactly what we needed, and I truly trusted you every step of the way.What meant the most was how you treated mum — with such dignity, tenderness, and respect. Her farewell was everything we hoped it would be, and more. It was clear that you weren’t just doing your job, but speaking and acting from the heart.Thank you, Shelly, for going above and beyond. We will never forget your warmth, your strength, and your humanity.With heartfelt gratitude, Sarah, Beck & our families. (Funeral Direct Shelly Bennett)

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Steve Macrae
4 October 2025

Olivia is exceptional! No one could have done more than she did in visiting my mother before she died and for making all the funeral arrangements for me. She has a special place in my heart.

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Leroy Lobo
3 October 2025

Thanks Jacqui. Very professional and easy to deal with. Have already recommended to others

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Mick Starrett
30 September 2025

Amy was very helpful thorough and caring.

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Jonathan Neufeld
30 September 2025

They made the experience very personal and came along side us to make our farewell a beautiful send off. The amount of work to detail was amazing, and the extra mile they went to accommodate our requests was not forgotten. They made our difficult loss a time of wonderful reflection. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and support throughout our grieving process.

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Nic Mendo
29 September 2025

I’m so grateful to Jaqcueline and the team at Picaluna for their incredible care and compassion during such a difficult time. Every detail of my husband’s funeral was handled with thoughtfulness — right down to the sunflower blouse, which meant so much to me. Thank you for creating a beautiful, respectful service that truly honoured his memory. Your kindness will never be forgotten.

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Mark Hill-Webber
24 September 2025

We found Raine compassionate, helpful, and understanding of each individual person's needs Also, she listened and was patient, knowing that each person grieves differently Do highly recommend Raine and the Picaluna team As they do their best to fulfil each person's wishes Thankyou for giving our mother a dignified send off

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Felicity Hedger
23 September 2025

Just a big thank you to Amy your help, support and guidance was much appreciated especially with these hard and overwhelming situations, all though we never met you are so sweet and kind, your guidance through email, text or call gave me comfort in knowing that my baby boy (22+2) was in good hands and his urn is beautiful. For those who were also involved in his process I thank you as well

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Sarah Clark
16 September 2025

I feel so grateful to have had Deana by our side throughout this entire journey. Her care, compassion, and wisdom made such a difference—not only in planning and celebrating my mum’s life but also in guiding us through such a delicate and emotional time.Deana was an absolute joy to collaborate with, and I couldn’t have imagined this day turning out so beautifully without her. Her kindness, creativity, and dedication made everything feel so personal and heartfelt. From the lead-up to the day itself, she was diligent, calm, caring, and full of wonderful ideas. It truly felt as if she knew my mum.The day of the memorial exceeded all expectations. The location, the lightness, the celebration, and all the small touches were perfect. I received so much wonderful feedback, and I personally felt mum and dad’s presence with me—they let me know they are okay and here for me. It was a day I will remember for the rest of my life as one of my favorites, a true celebration of mum.From the bottom of my heart, thank you again for everything, Deana. You are absolute GOLD, and you were born to do this job. You have left a lasting mark on our lives, and we will always remember the incredible way you helped us honour mum.

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Ellis Mitchell
14 September 2025

Naomi was everything you could hope for in a funeral director. Kind, caring, compassionate & organised. Responded at 9.30pm & on weekends. Made a stressful situation seamless. Highly recommend.

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Julie Solberg
13 September 2025

Our family feels such gratitude for Olivia Andrews, for her expert help, her thoughtful insight and advice which resulted in a beautiful farewell. Thank you.

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Manly Parish
12 September 2025

Raine and her team were very well organised, discreet and was able to deal with the hiccups that often happen at funerals when family emotions are running high. The whole team ere respectful and showed care to the family members and parish staff.

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Jennifer Blau
10 September 2025

Sarah was the celebrant for our father's Celebration of Life and helped us create a beautiful service. She worked closely with us to get to know things about Dad, even reading his memoir to understand him. We really appreciated her time and care in all our dealings with her. Many people commented on how lovely the ceremony was and her role as the celebrant.

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Sharon
5 September 2025

Annie was truly amazing. She guided our family with such care and understanding, helping us create a farewell that was deeply personal and perfectly fitting for the matriarch of our family. The memorial was heartfelt and emotional capturing both the sadness of our loss and the joy of celebrating her life. It was everything she would have loved, and we are so grateful to Annie for making our final goodbye so beautiful.

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Gail Pierce
5 September 2025

I couldn’t have been happier with the care and service I received with Rachel at Picaluna. Her warmth, empathy, attention to detail and support helped us navigate this difficult journey smoothly and helped us create the perfect farewell for our loved one.

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Sarah Williams
3 September 2025

At the most vulnerable time of life when I lost my best friend and husband, Sarah took my hand and guided me gently and lovingly through the shock and wilderness of grief, helping me get the funeral service and wake organised to perfection. She did all the heavy lifting of the arrangements, from church and flowers, creamatorium and venue for the wake and held such loving space at the wake / celebration of life afterwards, encouraging those who had stories to share to do so, framing beatiuful photos of Pete for the service and afterwards. Not only was there a perfect orchestration of logistics, including somehow arranging for a swift release of the death certificate and ashes, as family were travelling back to the UK, but with so much love held my through the toughest of times. I am forever grateful. I cannot recommend this beautiful soul hightly enough.

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Les Battyanyi
28 August 2025

I don't normally share reviews but I have to on this occasion. During a stressful time, Wendy and Candice were so helpful and took the time to understand what we wanted to do and made it happen. The fact that Picaluna is so flexible meant that I could make sure my mum was taken care of until the plans were finalised and they accommodated last minute details with ease.

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Aruna Lobo
28 August 2025

Jaqui Coan and her team were excellent and helped our grieving family feel at ease with such good advice and service during preparations for the funeral and on the day of the funeral.

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Bobbie-Joe Hopkins
27 August 2025

As heartbreaking as organising a funeral for a loved one is, without Deana I would have been beyond lost. Her commitment and compassion for supporting myself and my family during this time was unmatched. She did it all with grace and the upmost respect for me, my family and my beautiful dad, Bradley. I’m so deeply thankful to her.

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Sally Martin
27 August 2025
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Michael Bell
25 August 2025

With my sister's sudden passing and being in a different state we were concerned how we could make arrangements for her cremation. I contacted Picaluna and we were fortunate to have Alex there to listen and guide us through the process and also provide us with other relevant information and contacts. She has great empathy and communications were easy.

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Lindsey Lobo
24 August 2025
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Barbra Joyner
24 August 2025

Our family has appreciated Jaqi's graciousness, kindness and professionalism in helping us organise our dad's viewing and cremation. She supported us all the way through and constantly kept in touch to see how we were doing. On the day of the viewing, the team were wonderful and the event was memorable and meaningful for all of us. We highly recommend Jaqi and Picaluna for that soft and personal touch.

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Riley Diesta
21 August 2025

My mum had a beautiful send-off thanks to the help of Jaqi and her team from Picaluna.

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Ofir Kuberman
21 August 2025

If you’re looking for a funeral director on the Mornington Peninsula, I can’t recommend Naomi Korolew and Vivid Funerals highly enough. We live in Frankston, and I was really impressed by how knowledgeable Naomi is about funerals and how thoughtful and creative her approach is. She’s very friendly, creative in finding affordable options and is truly dedicated to helping the local community. We feel really lucky to have found her.

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Richard
20 August 2025

Highly recommended and very professional. Planning with us and keeping us all in the loop step by step. Would like to thank Jaqi for helping us to see mum off.

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Wendy Patrick
20 August 2025

Hi would like to leave a recommendation for Beth Armstrong … she was absolutely beautiful n was there for us the whole time during our sad time for passing of Paul Patrick … nothing was a bother to Beth n appreciated everything she did from the start … Beth is a real asset to your company and would like to Thankyou all for the wonderful service you provided to us kind regards Wendy n Gary Patrick x

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Steve M
19 August 2025

Amy and her team were fabulous.

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Chris Veivers-maple
16 August 2025

Amy was absolutely amazing throughout the very sad & emotional time when you have lost your most important person in your life. The support that she gave throughout the whole process was simply the best. Cannot recommend her enough.a Very special lady..

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Karen Williams
14 August 2025

Our Family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the sympathy love and support you have extended to our family during this difficult time. A special mention to Amy who has gone above and beyond and the wonderful ladies who took mum to her resting place . Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

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Shirley Jag
14 August 2025
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Catherine Morgan
14 August 2025

We were very happy with the sensitive and practical service and support provided by Annie. At all times we felt that our late mother's wishes were bekng honoured and that we were being given the help and advice we needed at a difficult time

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Sue Trembath
14 August 2025

The team gave us a prompt response to our enquiry and continued to respond compassionately and respectfully. We felt supported which we really needed

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Marco Palmieri
13 August 2025

Naomi from Picaluna was incredibly respectful and compassionate as we navigated one of the most difficult times our family has faced. She took care of every logistical and practical detail, allowing us the space to focus on our grief and on being together.

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Clare Bartholomew
13 August 2025

Naomi and her team were wonderful from beginning to end, talking great care of all the details at a sad and difficult time for our family (on two separate occasions over 18 months). I highly recommend them to help you organise a memorial / funeral of a loved one.

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Rebecca Crawford
11 August 2025

My sister, a young vibrant woman with strong spiritual beliefs, passed away suddenly and shockingly. Knowing that she would not want a stuffy, traditional funeral, I started searching and came across Picaluna. As soon as I saw the beautifully and personally decorated coffins and beautiful natural locations, I knew that they would be the right ones to give my sister an appropriately creative, colorful and spiritual send-off. As soon as we met Jordan, we were put at ease by her genuine warmth and sympathy. She truly wanted to get to know my sister and our family, and was open to all of our crazy ideas and suggestions. She even took what we wanted, and came up with even better suggestions, which were so helpful and spot on. Jordan went above and beyond at every step of the journey, meeting with us regularly to keep us on track. The way she took ownership of my sister with her protective nature was incredible, even transporting her to the morgue and taking care of her there to ensure she looked her best. Jordan helped to facilitate the DIY, collaborative and inclusive service that we wanted to hold. She made sure everything went to plan and ran to schedule, as we were very distracted and emotional on the day. Without Jordan and Picaluna, I am certain this would have been a very different experience. Not to mention, the cost was much less than traditional businesses, and it included a donation to a charity that we chose. If you are looking for a heartfelt, personalized, creative and unconventional service for your loved one, I highly recommend Jordan and Picaluna! She will lead you through the process to create a service that is healing for everyone involved. I can't thank Jordan enough. We will forever remember this great experience.

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Tony Oneil
10 August 2025

I found them very helpful and polite helping the family thru this 😃👍

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Steph Felix
10 August 2025

Sarah was highly recommended to us, and I can see why. From the moment I first spoke with her she was warm, kind and compassionate.She helped our family navigate a very difficult time and helped us create the perfect service for my Mum. She really listened to us as we spoke about her personality and life, and crafted a beautiful tribute to her. We had many comments about how personal the service was, and people commented on particular elements that stood out to them - and Sarah had suggested these to us.Thank you Sarah - we are very grateful for your help and care during such a sad time.

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Jane Morehen
5 August 2025

My family have been very happy with Picaluna Funerals and, in particular, our Funeral Director, Beth Armstrong. Nothing has been too much trouble for Beth and she has been professional, approachable, warm and understanding during this difficult time. Thank you Beth!

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L M
31 July 2025

We would like to sincerely thank Deana and staff members from Picaluna Funerals who guided us through this process during an incredibly sad time when our mother passed away. Deana was kind, compassionate, professional and very patient with all our queries we had. She handled all the arrangements with grace, efficiency and with such respect, ensuring that every detail of the service was what we wanted by accommodating to our specific requests and made sure the service was a beautiful tribute to our loved one. We couldn't have asked for a better experience during such a difficult time. We highly recommend their services. Mataafa Family.

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Monica Andersson
28 July 2025

Kathryn Booth and Picaluna Funerals Northern Beaches took care of or daughter's funeral service. Our daughter was only 25 years old. We felt our daughter was genuinely cared for in a respected manner in Kathryn's and Picaluna's care the entire time. Kathryn listened to our story about our daughter and really understood the essence of who she was and the service we wanted. The service was done so calmly with heart and professionalism. We would not have changed anything. I can highly recommend Kathryn Booth and Picaluna Funerals Northern Beaches to anyone. Monica

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Elizabeth Knight
25 July 2025

Rachel was so very helpful and supportive when our father passed. She was respectful and caring. We appreciated her gentle presence as the celebrant at the service we held for our dear dad.

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Lyndall Katz
22 July 2025

Thank you. Shelly helped us with a beautiful and meaningful farewell. She did this with care and flexibility. Something I really appreciated about Shelly is she paid attention to me, and to us. She noticed the way we did things, and the tone we set. And then she matched us, and at the same time was completely genuine. At such a heartbreaking time it was exactly what we needed. It was exactly what I needed.

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Joe Mithiran
21 July 2025

About half a dozen people have told me it was the most wonderful funeral they had ever been to! Jaqi was wonderful and at the end I really felt she had helped me to come up with a funeral worthy of my mum. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She also saved me quite a few hundred dollars using prepaid and on the coffin which we decorated ourselves. The photo is prior to the flowers being added.

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I lost my father recently and it was up to me and my sister to make funeral arrangements. We were dreading dealing with some official and serious representative but instead we got Candice an Angel of a Lady. She put us completely at ease, she was fantastic we even had few laughs which we really needed but also she was so professional and answered all of our questions. I hope that Picaluna is aware what an amazing employee they have to represent them.Thank You CandiceTom Debiec

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Colby Shea
21 July 2025

We felt so lucky to have found Naomi at such a difficult time… there were so many ways that she was able to help… she was so good at tailoring everything that we wanted for mum’s life celebration. Everything was so fluid and easy. Naomi also contributed a few creative suggestions in our planning but in an entirely appropriate way that was never intrusive. We chose to have her be both planner and celebrant at the send off. She was always excellent re communication. Naomi has such a warm personality, we felt very comfortable around her from the get go. I highly recommend Naomi

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Christine Graham
21 July 2025

Planning a funeral can be a daunting task on top of dealing with a loss. Under the caring guidance of Amy Eastwood, my sister and I were able to create a memorable service for our dad. Amy is an empathetic listener and shows great attention to detail. She crafted a wonderful eulogy and service that from beginning to end captured dad's life, personality, passions and achievements. She is a great communicator and was always kind, professional and committed. I highly recommend Amy's services as a celebrant. You'll be in safe and capable hands.