Rosalie Kuyvenhoven  is an award-winning celebrant,speaker, celebrant tutor and Death Cafe host. I had the pleasure of meeting Rosalie at the launch of Evie King’s book, Get Ahead of Being Dead and was fascinated to talk with her. Listen as we explore the experiences that have shaped Rosalie's work and find out how she brings ritual and  meaning to funerals.

This episode has been kindly supported by the Living Well Dying Well Trust. The creation, development and content of the episode remains the responsibility of Clare Fuller.

Key messages

• Rosalie’s journey from theology and change management to becoming a celebrant

• The central thread of her life evolving as working with transitions, ritual, and “big questions”

• A critique of formulaic UK funerals and call for more creative, family-led ceremonies

• The importance of ritual in funerals for expressing grief, honouring a life, and community support

• Rosalie shares personalised funeral with colourful ribbons inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy

• Why including and informing children about death and funerals matters

• Direct cremation and the loss of ritual it can bring

Resource

• Access the website: Rituals Today

• Access the book, including a chapter written by Rosalie at: Creative and Aesthetic Ways of Grief "All Things Reimagined"

Bio

Rosalie Kuyvenhoven (she/her) is an award-winning celebrant, speaker at national and international conferences, celebrant tutor and Death Cafe host. She collaborates with people from all walks of life, creating ceremonies that are heartfelt, personal, and deeply meaningful.

In her funeral work Rosalie explores creative and innovative rituals to express grief and honour a life in a way that reflects the person who has died as well as the wishes and needs of the living. Inclusivity is an important value in her work and, guided by those involved, she is keen to create ceremonies in which people of all ages, abilities, identities and sexualities feel seen and supported. 

She's also a passionate educator, who, through her social media, blogposts and trainings, helps other professionals offer compassionate and informed support, particularly in sensitive areas like baby funerals and dementia-friendly funerals. She advocates for people to have conversations about their mortality and funeral wishes ahead of time, guided by the belief that preparing for our endings helps us live our lives with more purpose and meaning. 

Her ongoing personal journey with Long Covid has deepened her understanding of the body-mind connection. Through breath work, meditation, and somatic therapies, she’s explored how sensory experiences and movement can be woven into ritual, creating ceremonies that are not only meaningful but also healing.

Links:

Websites

www.ritualstoday.co.uk