Background
As an Army veteran, I would be honoured to officiate at funerals and memorials of our treasured veterans and/or their family members. I will have at least some understanding of what they have lived through and will be able to create an accurate and fitting tribute to them.
Prices
These depend on the event.
My fee for a wedding celebration is £595, with a £200 booking fee taken up front.
My fee for a funeral is £250, and £300 for a double slot.
Other life celebrations such as vow renewals, pet funerals, naming ceremonies, gender affirmations, memorials/scatterings of ashes start at £200.
Interments/interments of ashes following a funeral service at which I have officiated bring no additional fee.
Travel costs outside Hampshire to be negotiated at point of booking.
I am not a Humanist celebrant but am happy to conduct religious and non-religious ceremonies alike. You are in charge of the content and tone of your special event.
Qualifications
I am trained and accredited by, and a member of the International College of Professional Celebrants, and am insured.
Holder of Level 3 Certificate in Professional Celebrancy in the UK from the National Open College Network.
Confidentiality: All the information that you give me is treated as confidential. I will not disclose any of it to any third party without your express permission, such as any third parties I may include in creating your ceremony. All paperwork relating to yourselves and to your ceremony will be shredded after the event. Digital content will be held securely for a period no longer than 24 months after we finish working together and will then be deleted.
Equality: All celebrants are required to operate within the guidelines of the Equality Act 2010, and I take this seriously.
I am registered as a ‘gift giver’ with the charity ‘Gift of a Wedding’, whose aim is to gift wedding services to those living in the UK with a terminal or life limiting illness.
I am a volunteer with The Royal Star and Garter, which provides loving, compassionate care and support for veterans and their families, living with disability or dementia.
I abide by the ICPC Code of Conduct .
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Small Print
Digital copies of any proposed scripts and final scripts will be sent to clients in PDF form only and may not be reproduced or altered without the written consent of Louise Bates Celebrant. Presentation scripts, where issued, become the sole property of the client on completion of all payment to Louise Bates Celebrant.
Cancellation Clause: At Commencement of Work - If the client has asked Louise Bates Celebrant to commence work on the ceremony or services to be provided, and she has done so, the client may still change their mind within 14 days, but the client will be required to pay for any work done in that period. Louise Bates Celebrant reserves the right to determine such a charge, at her sole discretion, for any work done up to the point of cancellation.