Divine Ceremony - Undertaker and Funeral Partner

03/04/2026

💗We are aware that writing a review, especially for something that is so personal and emotional as a funeral, is a big thing to do. We are always grateful when people are able to share how they felt going through the process with us.

02/04/2026

Over the long, Easter weekend, our office will be closed.

📞 However, our team will remain on call to support you if you need us.

Please call 0117 904 9786.

❓We will offer support, guidance, and gently talk you through next steps.

24/03/2026

🗣 As undertakers, we know we’re not always the people you want to speak to. Divine Ceremony at the Sanctuary (in the former Lloyds Bank on Zetland Road) is often the building on the high street that people know of but don’t go in. We’re working hard to change that. We believe in engaging openly with our community and building relationships long before anyone needs our services. When the time comes, we want you to know us, trust us, and feel comfortable placing your person in our care.

📞 Sharing news of a death over the phone is always difficult, but it can be eased when the person you speak to is someone you already know. Understanding where your person will be, and meeting the team who will look after them, can help make the funeral-arranging process feel more manageable.

🫂One of our clients recently shared their experience with us. Knowing her husband was dying, she was able to discuss working with Divine Ceremony before he died. With no religious beliefs, he appreciated the option of holding his ceremony in a warm, familiar space rather than a crematorium—one of the main reasons they chose us. Yet despite her practical preparations, she described the overwhelming fear and loss that followed his death and why she would wholeheartedly recommend Divine Ceremony.

“I never felt a stranger to the business of death; Dee and every one of her team supported, listened and guided me at the time when I was at my most vulnerable. I felt my husband was loved whilst in their care and that helped me bear his loss a little more easily. I will never forget them.”

💗Her words mean the world to us, and they reflect what we hope everyone feels: that at Divine Ceremony, you and your person are never alone. Please do come and talk to us, whatever stage you are at.

12/03/2026

❓If the concept of a death cafe is new to you, but you're intrigued, why not come along this evening (6.45pm - 9pm) and find out.
🕯A death cafe is a welcoming space for conversations about death, dying and everything related. Some people come to talk about someone who has died, some people have questions they want to share, some people want to talk about death and can't have those conversations with their friends or family.
🙋Whilst it is not a bereavement group, whatever it is that brings you to a death cafe, your questions and thoughts are very welcome.

06/03/2026

We have a fabulous team who work hard to support, hold and walk alongside our families with sensitivity and creativity. This year we have also brought on board a team of female pallbearers and we couldn't be prouder of their commitment. Huge thanks to them all.
Dee continues to develop and strengthen her professional network and friendships across the UK and abroad. It's great to see so many strong, independent, creative women forging their way in what has been a very male-dominated field.

04/03/2026

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002rsjd

Scotland announced it will be the first country in the UK to green light Alkaline Hydrolysis - or water cremation as it is known. Dee takes to the airwaves on Radio Bristol / Listen 1hour 30 mins in for her take on this new technology and what it means for our options at the end of life.

John brings you great stories, extended interviews and breaking news.

17/02/2026

Reflections on shrouding

In our blog, Dee Ryding reflects on the quiet beauty of wrapping someone with care and love before their final journey. Shrouding is a gentle, intimate act — a return to the tenderness with which we arrive in the world — and for many families, a deeply comforting part of saying goodbye.

Discover why this simple ritual can mean so much. 💛

Willows Coffins Bellacouche

Link to the blog in the comments

12/02/2026

We’re often asked how we found our way into working in funerals — it’s not exactly a career the school advisor recommends.

In the past, funeral directing was often a family business, with children (mostly sons) following in their fathers’ footsteps. That’s changing. In recent years, new funeral companies, many founded by women, have been bringing a more progressive, thoughtful approach to funeral ceremonies and the rituals around saying goodbye.

Dee spoke to BBC radio Bristol this week about how she moved from working in television as a producer to first becoming a celebrant and then an undertaker. “Be the change you want to see” has been a guiding principle throughout her career. Divine Ceremony was founded from recognising a real need for personal, meaningful ceremonies that truly reflect the individuality of the person being remembered.

Take a listen to Dee at 37.30 into the show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qtyw

08/02/2026

A Death Cafe is a welcoming and supportive space for conversations and questions about death, dying, grief and beyond. It is a global movement, with cafes all over the world, and although there are some guiding principals, each one is different and individual.
Anyone is welcome - both new comers and return visitors. The conversation is always rich and nourishing and people are often surprised at how uplifting it is. We would love you to join us.
Thursday, 12th February 6.45 - 9pm

06/02/2026

One of the greatest things about our job as funeral directors is learning about the people who we are caring for and the lives that they lived. Yesterday we conducted a ceremony for one of Bristol's true legends - May Tanner.
May was part of the Windrush generation and became the first black ward sister at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, something that her family are immensely proud of.
May lived a long life and gave so much to so many in our city.

May Tanner died in January aged 93.
Her husband of 65 years, Michael, said: "I love her, forever and ever" ❤️
She gave decades of service to the NHS ➡️bbc.in/4qZ6cbM

24/01/2026

Time for a spring clean today as we wait for the carpet cleaners / it’s strange to see the Sanctuary look so bare and empty !

20/01/2026

Language is constantly evolving, yet when it comes to death, dying, and funerals, the words we use can seem archaic.

In this video, Dee reflects on the language she chooses to describe her work, and why partnership matters more than hierarchy. It’s about moving away from the idea of a “funeral director” and toward walking alongside families, together.

Even when there’s a real appetite for change in the way families plan and arrange funerals, the familiar language can be hard to let go. This conversation invites us to question why.

Music credit and thanks to Ted Waters Music