Filming a Beautiful, Inclusive Funeral Ceremony with Music, Dance and Love
Some funerals follow a familiar pattern. Others create their own, entirely. This was one of the most fluid, heartfelt and genuinely moving ceremonies I have had the privilege of filming — a farewell that felt completely true to the person being remembered and the community gathered to honour them.
Friends and family came together in a warm, open space in London. There was no strict order of service, no formal programme to follow. Instead, the room was given space to breathe — tributes shared naturally and spontaneously, emotion expressed freely, silence held when it needed to be held.
As a Funeral Videographer, it was a ceremony built entirely on love.
Kirtan Chanting Led by Nikki Slade
The ceremony opened with Kirtan chanting led by Nikki Slade — a musician and sound practitioner known for her work using chant, breath and voice as a pathway to stillness and connection.
Kirtan is a call-and-response form of chanting rooted in the devotional traditions of India — simple repeated phrases that invite the whole room to participate, regardless of faith or background. In a ceremony like this, where people had come from many different walks of life, it worked beautifully. Nobody felt excluded. The chanting gave everyone a shared language before anyone had spoken a word.
I filmed the chanting from a respectful position that allowed me to capture both Nikki and the faces of those in the room — the gradual shift in the atmosphere as people settled, softened, and opened. That transition from anticipation to presence is one of the hardest things to capture in a ceremony, and one of the most important.
Tara — A Whirling Dervish Dancer
Later in the ceremony came one of the most visually striking moments I've witnessed at a funeral in over ten years of this work: a performance by Tara, a Whirling Dervish dancer.
The Whirling Dervish tradition — Sema — originates in Sufi mysticism and represents the soul's journey toward divine love. The dancer turns continuously, arms extended, one hand raised toward heaven and one toward the earth — a living symbol of connection between the human and the transcendent.
Watching this in a funeral setting, surrounded by people who loved the person being remembered, was extraordinary. The movement was meditative and completely unself-conscious. The room fell very still.
Filming it required moving quietly to find the right angle — the turn of the dress, the expression, the faces of those watching — without breaking the spell of the moment. I moved slowly and only when the movement itself allowed me to, keeping the camera as steady and unobtrusive as possible throughout.
An Inclusive, Open Ceremony
This was also a ceremony that honoured the LGBTQ+ identity of the person who had died, and the community that gathered to say goodbye. The atmosphere was one of complete acceptance — of the person, of the grief, of each other.
There was nothing performative about it. The inclusivity was simply the air in the room. People were fully themselves. The tributes were honest and warm. The love was present in every part of the day.
As with every service I attend, my role was to observe and document — not to direct, not to intrude, not to impose any particular frame on what was happening. I follow the ceremony's lead. When it was still, I was still. When it moved, I moved with it.
What I Provide for Inclusive and Alternative Ceremonies
I work with families and communities of every background, faith, identity and tradition — and some of the most meaningful services I've been asked to document fall outside any recognisable category. Humanist ceremonies, Pagan and Wiccan rituals, Sufi-inspired celebrations, multi-faith gatherings, woodland memorials, and services built entirely around the particular person being remembered.
For every kind of ceremony, my approach is the same: to arrive without assumptions, to listen carefully beforehand to what the family or the community is planning, and to film what actually happens rather than a version of it shaped by prior expectation.
For LGBTQ+ families in particular, finding a videographer, photographer or streaming operator who will approach the day with complete openness — and who has genuine experience of diverse ceremonies — matters. I hope this case study gives some sense of what that looks like in practice.
If you are planning a ceremony — traditional, alternative, or something entirely your own — I'm happy to talk through what you're imagining and how I can help capture it.
Filming, Photography and Streaming for Any Ceremony
Whether you need funeral videography, funeral photography, live streaming, or a combination, I work with families across London and the UK for services of every kind. You can see more of my work in my funeral videography portfolioand funeral photography portfolio.
For celebrations of life — gatherings that are more about honouring a life than following a formal funeral format — my celebration of life services page explains how I approach these and what's typically involved.
Call or text me on 07772 509101 — available seven days a week, 9am to 10pm — or get in touch online.
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