"On behalf of my family and wider family we were very pleased to meet you prior to my sister's funeral. We were very impressed with how well organised and professional you were when you came to meet with us at our home, and throughout your introductory session. I appreciated your advice on certain aspects of the production of my eulogy and how we could fit all of the elements together for the funeral service. Likewise, you also made the funeral arrangements at the crematorium run very smoothly and professionally throughout. We would have no hesitation in recommending your services to other people."
"Thank you for a wonderful celebration for my dad. You were so easy to work with and took a lot of the stress away. Feedback from friends and family was all very positive and the consensus was that we captured the essence of dad very well."
"Thank you very much for the part you played in ensuring that our mum had the funeral and service that she desired. The time you took to learn about our mum and her story ensured that the Eulogy you crafted perfectly reflected mum's achievements and her life's passions Thank you for being mum's celebrant, myself and my brothers now have a lovely memory of the celebration of mum's life."
"Just to say many thanks for yesterday. I thought it was just perfect for my husband. He would have approved! Keep well and keep on doing your good work."
“We were very pleased with the service, the mixture of family readings and your kind words, vastly exceeded my expectations, it was a very individual service which was exactly what I was hoping for.You may have another job, hopefully not for some time. Mums' great friend was so impressed that she had decided you are to conduct her funeral. Thank you for your help”.
“Derek took the time and put in the effort to understand us, our father and his life. His delivery on the day was in our opinion perfect.”
“I thought you did an amazing job. You were actually heavily remarked on after the service and you got rave reviews all round. I genuinely didn't know how I or my mum would be but I think we did ok and I think that because we were taken such good care of by you all. Discussing the eulogy leading up to it being written was made easy by you and I was amazed at what you created from ramblings. You have been amazing thank you for everything.”
“I had meant to email before now to say how thoughtfully you conducted the service for our father. I liked the Yeats, the committal words and also your acknowledgment of how difficult it has been for us all over the last few years. We were all very appreciative of the service you provided from the initial meeting, the communication in the meantime and the service itself.”
“I just wanted to thank you again for leading the celebration of my husband's life yesterday. Everyone agreed that it was a lovely and fitting tribute and I really appreciate all that you did for the family and for honouring his memory in the way you did.”
“After everything during the lead up to yesterday’s funeral I’ve found myself in a very reflective mood today and I just didn’t want the day to end without expressing my sincere thanks for everything you both did to help us to celebrate my brother’s untimely passing. Our Mum also felt it was a perfect send off for him, as did everyone I spoke to after the service”
“I just wanted to thank you for the service you created for my dad. Although you never met him, you managed to capture the type of person he truly was and gave him a send-off that he would have been very happy with. I have no qualms in highly recommending you to others if they are in need of your services. You were very easy to talk to, in what can be very upsetting times, but you put my sister and I very much at ease with your calm and comforting words. You have great listening skills, picking up disjointed stories and piecing them together to create a wonderful eulogy. The message you sent the day before the funeral was also very much appreciated and was very reassuring. I always felt like we were in safe hands and at such an emotional time it made the world of difference.”
“I thought the process of you sending the documents around things to think about and enabling us to gather thoughts before the meeting was great. The meeting itself was good , you have an easy manner and style that enabled us to pull the relevant thoughts together and finalise the order of service. During the service I thought you spoke very well about my dad and we were very happy with the service and the celebration of dads life. Overall the process and your engagement was fantastic and helped us pull together a fitting celebration of dads life. Many thanks for all your assistance in the process and the service - you helped us greatly throughout. It was hugely appreciated and valuable at a very trying time for us all.”
“The family and I have had a more relaxed day today following the service yesterday. We were able to draw breath and say ‘ everything went well ‘. We were very happy with the way the day went and so many family and friends commented on the service saying it was the best service they had been to in a long time. Myself and family would like to say a huge thanks to you for leading the service and for your help and guidance over the past few weeks. You were always very considerate, kind and caring , encouraging us to tell my husband’s story. I did feel that we were a bit overwhelming at our first meeting and I thank you for your patience helping us to sort out all the details in an organised way.
“Thank you for conducting a wonderful service. We had lots of people say how warm and wonderful you were. I know we, the family, had lots to say but we were pleasantly surprised by how warm and gracious you were with your words, tone and expression. Thank you.”
“I wish to thank you for making such a wonderful job of expressing just how I felt without me saying the words myself. You appeared to capture the very essence of the person we all loved especially me. And I’m sure my Mum would have agreed. I cannot thank you enough for guiding us through it.”
“The whole family really did appreciate the way in which the whole day ran so smoothly. There is no doubt that it was the meticulous preparation which you brought to the event that ensured this. You successfully guided us through the whole process and ensured that just the right emphasis was achieved. We remain very grateful for your sympathetic, gentle and helpful approach. There is no doubt that your calm manner did much to lower the inevitable stress cand emotional impact that this unique event generated.”
“Thank you for yesterday. Everyone said what a lovely service it was and that you struck just the right note. My mum said that she felt as if you knew dad. So many people said the same.”
“Thank you again. I think the service you provided from start to finish was first class. You put me at ease on meeting you and I felt comfortable in a difficult situation. I was kept well informed of everything at every stage in the process. You were very prompt with sending material. Everyone at the service said to me it was such a lovely service. They thought what you said about David and all the prayers etc were beautiful. Both my children said you were so respectful, kind and gentle. They have told me they don’t want to go to the chapel if they die, God forbid. They want to go to the Crematorium and have a service like the one you provided for David. They thought it was so calm and perfect and their Uncle David would have been happy.”
“On behalf of myself and my family, I just wanted to thank you so much for the service you delivered for my late husband at Warriston Crematorium, Edinburgh. The Service you delivered was beautiful, not only did it allow our extended family the ability to celebrate what was my loving husband's life, it allowed friends and family as far away as Australia and the United States to participate and hear the stories, some they would have never heard before. Thank you.”
Our family and friends believed that you knew our dad and said it was such a personal service and that it is all we could ask for, and what he would have wanted. We thank you for your compassion, and help to make is his send-off intimate and special.
You were very friendly & caring, you made us feel like you genuinely wanted to know what dad's life was like. You guided us through the process so smoothly, and we didn't need to worry about anything. The service itself was perfect. You gave a very accurate description of dad and his life. You were so genuine & caring when you said dad's eulogy. You made everyone smile & laugh, which is what dad would have wanted. The feedback from our friends and family was exactly the same, some said it was the best service they had heard. Some also wanted your details, so I passed them on.
I received many comments after the funeral saying that the service was excellent and summed up my brother to a tee. Despite it being a solemn occasion, you captured his spirit with a bit of humour in amongst the stories, very fitting for him. Thank you for easing us through the memories of Tom, you helped us a lot in telling his story.
Thanks again for the memorable eulogy you delivered last Wednesday. Your delivery highlighted true reflections of my mother’s life which brought back sometimes long forgotten memories to those who listened intently. You certainly know how to glean the best from grieving families.
I would like to convey the most sincere and deep thanks of the whole family for the wonderful eulogy you gave on behalf of my daughter. Yes, we knew the contents in advance having seen the drafts but it was the way that you brought it to life that added extra meaning and depth for all of us, thank you. As I greeted the people coming into the Golf Club, invariably their first words were ‘what a wonderful service’ and that was to a very large part down to you. Your words were spoken with with sincerity, with meaning and with humour. You brought Sarah to life and for that we are truly grateful.
We would all like to say a huge “Thank You” to you for making Friday’s Celebration of I’s life such a success. Everyone thought it was a fitting tribute to their Dad, Grandpa, Father-in-Law and friend and of course, for me, husband. You had quite a challenge in making his long life a coherent story of places and times and I appreciate all the work you put into it to make it such a coherent and well-delivered “performance”. It was a great comfort for us, in the company of many friends, to have such a beautifully coordinated “event” to mark his passing.
I know that a few weeks have now passed since Mum's funeral, but on behalf of my sister and I, I just wanted to thank you for conducting the service at Mortonhall and for your kindness and guidance in making all the necessary arrangements.
We thought you did an excellent job. We were delighted with your professional presentation and would recommend you to anyone asking if we knew a celebrant. Your attention to detail was first class and you were very patient when asked to change something. It was a big responsibility for us to arrange the funeral, but you and the Funeral Director helped immensely. Everyone commented on the service. Thank you for your patience.
We would like to thank you for the time you spend organising and delivering Jim’s funeral service. We have received many comments from friends and family about the service, the eulogy, poem and words of the seasons sending Jim to his resting place.
I would like to thank you for the way you conducted the service for John. I was impressed by the professional but empathetic way you dealt with the initial meeting with myself and his family. Drawing out information about John's life without being intrusive. I was especially pleased by your conducting of the committal ceremony. It was a good mix of serious and lighter moments of John life and struck just the right mood for everyone in attendance. I would like to thank you for the excellent job you did.
We wish to thank you most sincerely for the care and attention provided in the matter of my brother-in-law’s funeral service. We were very pleased with the content of your eulogy, the sensitive manner in which it was delivered, the timbre of your voice and the general dignity of the service. We could not have asked for a better delivery of The Dragonfly Celebrant services!
Thank you very much for leading Norman’s ceremony. I’m pleased with how it went. I will certainly recommend you should anyone ask me.
Just a quick email to say thank you for the lovely service you did for my husband on 5th July 2023 at Warriston. It was a hard day for myself and the family but your kind words regarding him in your speech helped us get through the day.
This is just a short note to express formally the thanks of our family for yesterday. We felt you struck just the right tone during the ceremony, and we greatly appreciated the way you orchestrated the whole thing. I would also like to express my thanks for the sensitivity you showed to my brother's family. They wanted to attend my mother’s funeral, but we were all concerned that it might be overwhelming. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and consideration for them.
From first meeting to completion Derek was both professional and considerate. Taking time to get the details right, listening and being helpful and responsive throughout. The actual ceremony was extremely well handled with the pace and delivery just right. We were grateful for all of the help and advice from Derek and would be happy to recommend his services to anyone.
I would just like to thank you for the lovely service you conducted for Mary. The staff that attended the service said it was a really touching service and you filled the staff with happy memories. I feel this will help the staff with the loss of Mary, as you will have gathered she was a very special person to them all. Mary will be sadly missed however we have wonderful happy memories that we can all share. Thank you again for your support.
The service was excellent it was as if you knew him, there was some great memories, some things from his life before we met and even a bit of humour regarding Scottish football which was appreciated by all. He would have had a quite chuckle at that. Everyone I spoke to afterwards said how well everything had gone and it was a privilege to listen to you tell the story of Alan’s life, even my brother, who is a dour Fifer, his wife reported how moved he was!
Thank you for conducting Keith’s service. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must be to conduct a meaningful service for a person you have met - but you did. All of the comments from friends and family alike were very positive.
On behalf of all the family we would like to thank you for acting as Celebrant. We have had feedback from many people who attended saying that the service and committal was a very fitting send off.
I just wanted to get in touch to let you know that I have so many nice comments from people about the services. Everyone I have spoken to said it was a really lovely service that really captured the essence of the occasion. Very sad but touching and a good reflection of who she was and her family. Well done for pulling it all together under such difficult circumstances. I for one really appreciate all the communication we had with you throughout the process and how accommodating you were to all the requests. It was a real pleasure to work with you and I would highly recommend you to anyone looking for a celebrant.
Just wanted to reach out and thank you for everything. Dads send off was amazing, hit all the right notes. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me beforehand, arrange everything and make it right.
I would like to thank you for your professional and thoughtful eulogy you gave for my husband. I am so glad that Scotmid put you in touch with us and I really do not think we could have had anyone better. A number of people have contacted me to say how that they thought the funeral was one of the nicest they have ever attended. Once again that you for making his passing easier for his family and friends.
The family wish to say a special thank you for the service you gave. We appreciate the help in organising our thoughts into a lovely eulogy that befitted Linda’s personality and life. The support of kindness and care meant a lot to our family and helped us through the saddest occasion. Everyone commented that the content of the eulogy was so relevant for the celebration of her life and that your delivery was excellent. We would highly recommend you. Wishing you well for the future.
Once again many thanks for leading our service. Certainly from my perspective we were very happy with the work you put in over the preceding days preparing the service and its contents, and its delivery on the day. You played an important part in making my father feel present and marking his passing in a way that felt very appropriate to him. For such a small family funeral it would’ve been easy for the presence of a sole ‘stranger’ to feel out of place, but it was nothing of the sort. You felt very much part of our group and I think that showcases your skill in building respectful and supportive relationships with people at such a sensitive time for a family. Thank you and well done.
We wanted to drop you a note to thank you so much for Monday. It was the most difficult day of our lives but everything was perfect so thank you. It would have been exactly what dad would have wanted.
I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for the moving service you led at Gran's funeral. Your guidance and presence helped make the ceremony truly meaningful for our family. The way you conducted the service and captured Gran's essence was touching and greatly appreciated. Your assistance during this time meant a lot to us, and I wanted to make sure you know how much we value your role in honouring her memory. Thank you for your help and support.
My brother and I found you calm and easy to work with. At the time we met you Dad had been frail and ill for a very long time - you asked us to think of things he enjoyed and happier times, which was immediately a change in mindset for us. We didn’t know what kind of funeral we wanted but somehow you managed to provide it! One of our friends remarked on how very personal and reflective of Dad your comments were (in contrast to two Church of Scotland funerals she attended recently that could have been referring to the same person) Thanks again for working with us to provide such a great personalised service.