Lynne, Christine Gaudet, Jean et Bernadette Bernard Hello Keith and Lynne, Thank you for all your suggestions and also for the music. Keith, your recommendation to use Landslide was perfect. It's a song that we grew up with and once you sent it through, I knew it was perfect. Andrea McGrath “Thanks very much Lynne for performing the memorial service for my aunt Judy. It was a family affair, through and through, fully facilitated by your sensitivity to our wishes. I raise this point since we had a much different experience with my late brother’s funeral. Your officiating was like having a member of the family overseeing the ceremony. And when you brought the great, great nieces and nephews up to the front at the end of the service, I am sure that Judy was smiling.” Mike Price Lynne, what you accomplished was an "exceptional tribute" to a great lady--my (our) Vivi-Ann! We don't know how to thank you enough! Most everyone I spoke to expressed the opinion that it was the most inspiring and most beautiful memorial ceremony that they had ever attended! Your thoughts and message Lynne, gave our family, and I know many many others, a sense of personal and comforting closure. It was like we all had given Vivi-Ann a nice big long warm hug goodbye. What a wonderful gift you gave us! It seems not nearly enough to just say thank you, but that seems to be all that just words can express. With much appreciation. Ellwood Mitchell and family I wanted to thank you for the "exceptional" funeral ceremony for Don. You captured the multifaceted man that Don was, and translated our wishes so well during the ceremony. Your guidance helped us tremendously during the week preceding the event and lifted a huge load from everyone's shoulders as we dealt with all the "other stuff" that needed attention. Many of our friends and family have since commented on the celebration, and, no surprise, all were positive comments. In fact, many made note of your name. Don Jr., Rob , Les , Alexa, and Au nom de tous les membres de notre famille je voulais vous remercier du plus profond de mon coeur pour vos services. Vous avez vraiment porté attention aux détails et vous vous êtes assurée de prendre le temps de connaître Jean-Eric et d'être à l'écoute de nos besoins. Tous les gens présents à la cérémonie qui ont eu la chance de nous parler nous ont parlé en bien de vous. Merci encore. Dani Grandmaitre "Lynne, I just wanted to thank you one final time for the creation and presentation of my father's memorial. It was a pleasure to meet you, and you honoured my father with your stirring presentation. My family thanks you sincerely." Dr. Kristine Whitehead, MD, CCFP “I want to thank you again for doing such a wonderful job on Dad's memorial service. As expected, you made it a truly special day for all of us!! There are people in this world who stand out from the rest...and you are one of those rare people. I want you know that your kindness and big heart did not go unnoticed. It's always wonderful to come across a genuinely GOOD person. Thank you so much!!" Donna Taylor On behalf of the family, please accept my sincere thanks for your efforts on behalf of my late father, George Carmody, at his funeral this week. It was terrific to see the sense of community that the service last Tuesday morning at the Sacred Space, Beechwood Cemetery, generated. Were he alive, I think my father would have been very impressed. Prof. Chi Carmody I want to thank you again for helping us to get through a very difficult time. Your experience and calmness helped me be brave enough to read my little remembrance. I would recommend you to anyone in our situation. Your ability to provide us with a framework and then modify your remarks to say what we wanted to say about Ken was much appreciated. Many people have told us that they were impressed by our servie; that it was a beautiful tribute to Ken. Marilyn Smith “Thank you, Lynne, for having written and performed the perfect memorial service. It was a true reflection and celebration of my husband’s life. You listened and understood our family's needs and felt my grief. I remember the words you spoke which were “your life is now changed” and indeed it has. What you did for me that day was to start me on my new journey. Thank you. My friends and family still talk about the perfect words you chose, the care and direction you provided prior to the service. I’m forever grateful and will remember that precious moment in time. I would feel very sad for someone else’s loss, however I hope for them to have the privilege of having you start them on their new journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Christiane Bristow "Just a short note to thank you for your wonderful work and kindness in the preparation and execution of our father's funeral. We received many positive comments about how perfect every detail was and about how well you captured the spirit of our dad. Holly Beanlands & Wayne Thank you for Sandy's celebration. It was FANTASTIC!! Exactly what he would have wanted (except for the rain). I received so many wonderful comments about your approach. Just Perfect!! Nancy Eadie Thank you so very much for your very gentle and
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The task of creating and organizing a funeral or memorial service is often challenging for immediate family and friends. People coping with bereavement are not always fully aware of many of the funeral or memorial service choices available to them. Often they gratefully accept whatever initial suggestions are made and do not realize they could have done it differently until afterwards.
Families of the bereaved are often only ever offered a funeral service either conducted by a traditional minister or the more atheistic outlook offered by a non-religious officiant. However in today’s modern world, many people are developing their own ideas and philosophies on life and spirituality, and therefore neither a religious nor atheist funeral/memorial particularly reflects their personal beliefs about both life and death. Many of Lynne's clients start off by saying that their loved one was not particularly religious and did not go to church, and they feel that it is a disrespect to the deceased to insist that their ceremony be a religious one. However, they would appreciate an element of spirituality without the restraints of the traditional religious approach. A service where religion is not referred to, or one where it may be appropriate to include some religious or spiritual elements such as hymns, blessings or meditations may be more appealing. Lynne's role as a professional Celebrant is to collaborate, create, and deliver personalized memorials, celebrations of life, graveside/interment services and funerals throughout the greater Ottawa area. She listens to your stories and walks with you in organizing your service. She can create a smooth-flowing, beautifully crafted tribute for your loved one. Lynne treasures this work that she does and finds great satisfaction in working with family and friends to prepare and deliver a very personalized tribute to the one who has passed. It is her belief that an end-of-life ceremony is an act of love. It is a beautiful way to say “thank you” to someone for having shared their life with the world. As a passionate Celebrant, Lynne offers you a deeply moving and meaningful spiritual or secular alternative. In all that she does, you have her personal assurance that she will work with you to co-create and deliver a beautiful and memorable end-of-life ceremony with warmth, dignity, reverence and compassion. It is her privilege and honour to collaborate with you to create a personalized memorial, celebration of life or funeral that is supportive of the healing and comforting process. Designing and delivering meaningful, heartfelt ceremonies is Lynne's life’s work. The individuals and families who often contact her want to honour their loved one in a unique and special way. She hears very powerful stories and always feel very grateful and privileged to be asked to be a part of a family’s moment and memory. Grief is a journey. A ceremony that celebrates the life of your loved one is a valuable opportunity to begin this journey. As an experienced Celebrant, Lynne is familiar with funeral, memorial and life tribute rituals from a spectrum of faiths and traditions. Whether you are religious, spiritual or secular, she has a strong working knowledge of the world’s traditions and will work with you to create a beautiful and meaningful memorial, life tribute, graveside service or funeral. Lynne designs and delivers each ceremony with professionalism and understanding, always respecting the importance of your participation and contributions to arrive at a unique ceremony. The goal is to have a beautiful and memorable service that is designed with compassion, loving care and understanding. These individual, life-centered funeral ceremonies are for those who want something less traditional. Far from being sombre and sad, the Ceremonies that Lynne creates are positive and uplifting – because they focus on life and the life well-lived. Lynne has worked with most Ottawa and Gatineau funeral homes (Whelan, Kelly, Racine-Robert, McGarry, Tubman, First Memorial, Cole, Barker, etc), funeral cooperatives and cemeteries (Beechwood, Pinecrest, Capital, etc.),as well as in conjunction with families undertaking their own arrangements. It would be Lynne's honour and privilege to serve you during your time of need and guidance. Lynne's Celebrant fees vary for each unique ceremony and usually range from $400-$500. Every ceremony is different, and fees are quoted on an individual basis. Her fees are structured to support her time dedicated to working with the family, to researching, to writing and designing your distinctively unique ceremony, while also working within your budget. Factors include date, location, travel, and her time to write and officiate your ceremony. Quality is the cornerstone of Lynne's work. Rest assured that you are contracting a first-class Celebrant who comes with extensive professional experience, impeccable references, and a gentle and enthusiastic spirit. You may contact her at Lynne@ExceptionalCeremonies.com or at 613 - 831 - 7555. Please note that Lynne will be unavailable for ceremonies during the following periods:
"My whole family would like to extend their thanks one more time for the most beautiful ceremony you created in Celebration of Dad. We were all very pleased with it, and felt that it really captured what we had most wanted to do, in honour of Dad.
"It seems odd that one would comment on their experience at a funeral service or in this case a celebration of Alf’s life in the form of a service. However my experience at this ‘celebration of Alf's life’ left an impression. Lynne’s words were delivered like a fairy tale of the relationship of two people, Alf and Christiane. I could feel myself getting transported into a world of peace and happiness. The impact was greatest when Lynne associated Alf with ‘Le Petit Prince’ which is a children’s fable of a kind, generous, tenacious male; one who was dealt a number of challenges in life that he tackled head on. Love is a powerful weapon between two people. It was very obvious how Lynne took the time to not only understand the subject, she also added an element of humanity and imagery that carried our thoughts away.’ I would recommend Lynne to deliver unique custom services that will leave a presence in one’s life.” Céline Chranofsky
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