Meet Rachel
Need to speak with a Funeral Director immediately? Please call 0410 478 713 or 1300 242 490
Hi, I’m Rachel
I’m 47 and I live in Ballina, on the Northern Rivers of NSW. I’m an End-of-Life Educator, Funeral Director, Deathwalker and Celebrant.
For most of my career, I worked in event management, including roles at the Sydney Swans and American Express. I eventually left the corporate world to run my own events company before becoming both a Marriage Celebrant and a Funeral Director & Celebrant.
When people find out I do both weddings and funerals, they often assume I must prefer weddings. Or they say things like, “Lucky you have weddings to balance out the sadness.” But I don’t see it that way.
I love both.
Weddings are joyful, hopeful and full of love. But funerals are also full of love. They are tender, emotional, often complex. But at the heart of them is the same thing: love.
Weddings are for the couple. Funerals are for everyone. They are a space for people to sit with their feelings. A place for grief, sadness, happy memories, even relief.
My own mum died when I was 39. Her funeral was beautiful and heartfelt, but there were parts of the process that left me feeling like we didn’t have a lot of say, moments where it felt like we didn’t have agency over the process. That experience stayed with me.
While studying to become a Marriage Celebrant, I completed a funeral celebrancy course and it all clicked. I had the skills and experience to give people a better, more meaningful experience.
I have a natural ability to put people at ease and understand the emotional weight they are carrying. Combined with my background in organising complex events, this work feels like exactly where I am meant to be.
How I Help
As a Funeral Director and Celebrant, I’m here to support you through every step — not just on the day of the funeral, but in the lead-up, the aftermath, and everything in between.
This is not just a service. It’s a partnership built on trust, compassion, and dignity.
Together, we will create a farewell that helps carry you through this difficult time — one that honours your loved one in all their complexity, and gently supports your journey through grief.
Initial Support & Gentle Guidance
From the very first moment we speak, I’ll be there to offer calm, clear guidance. You don’t need to have all the answers — I’ll help you navigate what needs to be done, what choices are available, and what matters most to you and your family.
Every decision will be made with care, at your pace, and with full support.
Crafting a Personal & Meaningful Ceremony
This isn’t about a generic service or following a template. It’s about telling the story of your person — who they were, what they believed in, how they lived, how they loved, and what made them them.
Together, we’ll create a ceremony that reflects their life, values, quirks and legacy.
It might be the exact flower that grew in their garden, the music they sang in the kitchen, or a slideshow of moments you’ll never forget. It might be a quiet nod to their beliefs, a reading they always loved, or a time for laughter as well as tears.
Every element is carefully, lovingly chosen. Every detail matters. And every detail helps you feel closer to them.
Thoughtful Logistics & Calm Coordination
There’s so much that goes into making a ceremony feel seamless. I’ll take care of the behind-the-scenes details — from venues and timing to music cues, speaker support, photo tributes, microphones and more — so you don’t have to.
I’ll work closely with your chosen suppliers or recommend trusted local professionals to help bring everything together with care.
You can rest easy knowing someone experienced is handling the practicalities while you focus on what really matters.
The Ceremony as a Journey
A well-crafted funeral doesn’t just acknowledge that someone has died. It acknowledges that someone lived — richly, deeply, imperfectly, beautifully.
A truly good funeral holds space for the full spectrum of emotion: sadness, disbelief, gratitude, love, laughter, devastation, even joy.
Done well, a ceremony can feel like a beginning and an ending at the same time. It can help you release, remember, reconnect — and start to carry your grief in a way that feels more bearable.
Guests will leave not only feeling like we truly honoured your loved one — but often discovering something new about them, or understanding their life more deeply. They will walk away feeling the person would have been proud. That this is what they deserved. That the stories, the care, and the way we said goodbye were exactly right.
Grief doesn’t disappear, but something softens. People often tell me they feel lighter. Held. Hopeful. That the beautiful memories have moved to the front, and that they can carry them forward with love.
Ongoing support after the day
Grief doesn’t follow a timeline.
After the ceremony, I will continue to check in and offer professional support where it’s needed.
I can connect you with grief counselling services and helpful resources.
As a Justice of the Peace, I can also assist with signing official documentation during this time.
Whatever support looks like for you, please know I am still here.
A funeral is not just an event.
It’s a sacred pause in the rush of life — a chance to honour, to reflect, to feel, to remember, and to begin the long walk forward.
If that sounds like something you want for your loved one, I would be honoured to walk with you.
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