Living Wishes
Creating Your Farewell with Intention
Living Wishes
A ceremony to honour your life, co-created by you, for those you love.
Life is a collection of precious moments, a journey of seasons and transformations. Each chapter holds its own beauty, its own lessons, and its own unique song. When the time comes to say goodbye, what if your farewell could be as authentic and meaningful as the life you have lived?
Too often, this final, pivotal moment is planned in a blur of grief. Families are left to navigate difficult decisions, trying to piece together the ceremony they believe you would have wanted. They long to honour you perfectly, but the pressure can be immense during an already heart-wrenching time.
What if you could transform this experience for them? Imagine leaving behind a clear path, a heartfelt guide that allows your loved ones to focus on remembrance, not arrangements. This is the final, most profound gift of love: the gift of peace.
Introducing Living Wishes: A Journey of Legacy and Love
Living Wishes is a collaborative and heart-centered partnership to mindfully plan your own farewell. This isn't about focusing on an end, but rather, on honouring a life in its entirety. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your journey, gather your stories, and shape a ceremony that resonates with your values and your spirit.
My work is rooted in the belief that ceremony has the power to heal, connect, and bring meaning to our most significant transitions. Together, we will co-create a service that is completely true to you, blending meaningful rituals with the personal touches that celebrate your life.
How We Weave Your Story into Ceremony
With Living Wishes, you are held in a compassionate space to explore and design every element of your farewell. This is a gentle process, guided by connection and creativity.
Our collaboration includes:
Honouring Your Life Story: We will sit together and talk through the moments that have shaped you—the milestones, the joys, the quiet wisdom gained along the way. I will act as a careful steward of your memories, helping you create a narrative that captures the beautiful truth of who you are.
Gathering Meaningful Words: Whether from a favourite poet, a sacred text, or your own journals, we will find the readings that articulate your view of the world and the love you have shared.
Curating a Soundtrack of Your Life: Music connects us to our deepest emotions and memories. We will mindfully curate a collection of songs that have marked the seasons of your life, creating a soundscape that is purely and beautifully you.
Designing Your Unique Rituals: From the tone of the ceremony to any special symbolic gestures, we will ensure every detail feels authentic and aligned with your personal vision for this moment of transition.
The result is a thoughtfully documented plan for your final tribute. You gain the quiet comfort of knowing your wishes will be honoured, and your family receives a clear and loving guide to celebrating you, just as you were.
Living Wishes Includes:
Deep-Dive Planning Session
At the heart of our work together is a dedicated 90-minute planning session. Whether we meet in person or over Zoom, this is a compassionate space where the clock slows down. We will move beyond standard logistics to explore the heart of your farewell.
Ceremony Design: We will outline the structure of your service, selecting the music, readings, and rituals that truly resonate with your spirit.
Storytelling: I will help you identify the threads of your life story that you most want to be woven into the ceremony.
Values Alignment: We ensure that every choice reflects your personal beliefs, whether spiritual, secular, or deeply connected to nature.
Collaborative Refinement & Ongoing Support
Your wishes may evolve as we talk, and that is a natural part of the process. Our journey doesn’t end when the meeting finishes.
Drafting and Review: Following our session, I will compile your wishes into a coherent draft. We will work together to refine this document until every word feels just right.
Open Communication: You will have continued access to my support via email or phone for any follow-up questions or adjustments needed before the final sign-off.
The Living Wishes Keepsake Package
Once your plan is complete, it is presented not just as a document, but as a cherished legacy item.
A Beautiful Hard-Copy Folder: You will receive a high-quality, professionally designed folder containing your full ceremony plan and wishes. This tangible guide is easy for your family to locate and hold onto when the time comes.
Digital Access: A secure digital version will be provided, ensuring your wishes can be easily shared with executors, family members abroad, or funeral directors.
Guidance for Loved Ones: Included in the package is a gentle "Next Steps" guide written specifically for your family, offering them clarity on how to use the plan and who to contact, removing the burden of uncertainty during their time of grief.
Choose Your Path To Peace Of Mind
Every journey of reflection is unique, and so is the support you may need. You can choose from the options below to ensure you select the path that feels most aligned with your needs and wishes. Each package is designed to provide clarity, comfort, and the deep satisfaction of knowing your story will be told with love and care.
Ideal for those who are comfortable with digital formats and wish to establish a clear, heartfelt foundation for their farewell.
Deep-Dive Planning Session (90 minutes)
Collaborative Refinement via email
Curated Resource List of trusted professionals
A Secure Digital Copy of your final plan
This package offers both a digital and a tangible legacy item for your family to hold onto. This package provides the full experience.
Everything in The Digital Legacy, plus:
A Beautiful Hard-Copy Keepsake Folder of your final plan
Guidance for Your Loved Ones included in the folder
Personalised Ritual Suggestions
Legacy Letter Support
Complimentary 1-Year Check-In for any updates
Designed for partners who wish to walk this path together, ensuring both of your stories are captured with individual care and attention.
Two Individual Deep-Dive Planning Sessions
All benefits of The Keepsake Package for each person
Two Separate, Beautifully Presented Keepsake Folders
A seamless, supportive experience for both of you
Choosing to shape your farewell ceremony is an act of empowerment and profound care.
A Gift for Your Loved Ones: You lift the weight of planning from their shoulders, giving them the space to grieve, connect, and remember.
Ensuring Your Voice is Heard: Your farewell will be a true reflection of your spirit, filled with the music, words, and stories that you chose.
Creating a Deeper Sense of Connection: A pre-planned ceremony becomes a rich, heartfelt experience that truly celebrates your unique journey, rather than following a generic script.
Embracing Your Final Transition with Intention: It is an act of growth and closure, a final and beautiful way to express your love for those you leave behind.
The Peace of Planning Ahead
Plan your Living wishes
The Living Wishes experience is designed to be more than just a planning meeting; it is a guided journey of reflection and creation. My role is to act as a steward of your story, ensuring every detail is captured with the dignity and care it deserves.
When you choose this service, you are investing in a comprehensive process that prioritises your peace of mind and your family’s future comfort.
LETS CHAT
Start with a complimentary 30-minute Zoom coffee chat to get to know each other. This is a chance to share a little about your journey, ask questions, and see if my approach feels right for you. No pressure — just a warm, open conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Living Wishes is a guided process to help you plan your farewell with intention and care. It includes a deep-dive planning session, a beautifully designed keepsake package, and ongoing support to ensure your wishes are documented and honoured.
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This service is for anyone who wants to take control of their legacy and ensure their final farewell reflects their unique story, values, and wishes. It’s ideal for those who want to ease the burden on their loved ones by providing clear guidance.
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The planning session is a compassionate, 90-minute conversation where we explore your life story, values, and vision for your farewell. Together, we’ll design a ceremony that feels authentic to you, including music, readings, rituals, and other meaningful elements.
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Absolutely. Your wishes may evolve over time, and I offer ongoing support to help you refine and update your plan as needed.
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Living Wishes focuses on the personal and emotional aspects of your farewell, ensuring it reflects your unique story and values. It complements pre-paid funeral plans by addressing the “how” and “why” of your ceremony, rather than just the logistics.
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That’s perfectly okay! The Living Wishes process is designed to guide you gently through reflection and discovery. Together, we’ll uncover what feels most meaningful to you..
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The Living Wishes process is about documenting your personal choices and values. Having a clear plan can help reduce family disagreements by providing guidance and clarity during an emotional time.
Hello, I’m Stephanie
I am a grief coach, funeral celebrant, and ceremonialist dedicated to helping you craft a farewell that truly reflects the life you have lived.
With over 20 years of experience in creating spaces that nurture healing and connection, my work is rooted in compassion, creativity, and a deep respect for the unique journey of every individual.
Through Living Wishes, I partner with you to transform the often-daunting task of end-of-life planning into a journey of reflection, ownership, and peace.
Rooted in Nature's Rhythms
I live on a wide-beam canal boat in the heart of Cambridgeshire, where I draw daily inspiration from the gentle rhythms of nature and the ever-turning cycles of the seasons. This connection to the natural world deeply informs my approach. It reminds me that transitions—even the final ones—are a natural, sacred part of our existence. I aim to bring this sense of calm and beauty into our work together, creating a space where you feel safe to explore your story.