Mortal men, immortal memories! We are all mortal, but our memories will be everlasting for our loved ones. With the loss of a loved one, we ponder how to keep their memories alive.
Upon losing a loved one, we can hold certain ceremonies in their memory. These ceremonies can be either a memorial service or celebration of life. With slight differences between these two types of ceremonies, both celebrate the person we have lost by sharing memories.
Why Celebrations Of Life Are A Good Idea?
A celebration of life ceremony celebrates the life of the loved one that has passed away. It usually takes place after the funeral services. Those families that have opted for a memorial service after the funeral can also plan a celebration of life celebration next. Celebration of life events are similar to funerals and memorials. It is similar as there is a gathering of friends and family at this event.
The family can plan the celebration of life ideas or can hire professional services. This ceremony has a joyous atmosphere compared to the funeral and memorial services. There is no hard and fast rule on the presentation. Each attendee wants to make the celebration of life ideas for their husband or the celebration of life ideas for mom or any other loved ones happy.
Celebration of life decoration ideas varies from family to family. This ceremony celebrates the person’s life and all the deceased’s achievements. The place which will host the celebration of life ceremony can also be informal. It is not necessary to wear formal wear. The family can conduct the ceremony on a beach, in a garden, or during a barbeque party.
How Do You Organize A Memorial Event?
A memorial service is a remembrance service wherein the deceased’s body is absent. This service can be held weeks or months after the death of an individual. Many families host it on the first death anniversary of their loved ones too. Since time is involved, the family can plan elaborately and conduct a well-organized memorial event. What all needs to be taken care of to host this event is mentioned below.
Choose the Theme & Style
The family can hold the memorial service formally or informally. It can be held informally at a picnic as a gettogether of friends and family. The hosts can include children attending the service if they wish to. The family can also host it officially in a venue with caterers and ushers. The family should preferably select a venue that the deceased loved.
Decide on the Venue
There are many options of venues to host a memorial service for a loved one. It can be a private home, community hall, church, hotel, park, beach, etc. Choose it following what brings more meaning to the departed soul. Also, analyze the practicality of the venue that you choose. It should be well accessible to the attendees. For example, if the deceased person was religious, the family members could hold the memorial service in a church. Cost is also a factor to be considered while deciding on the venue. Most importantly, it should be spacious enough for all the attendees.
Choose the Attendees
Along with looking at venues to host the memorial service, the family should plan the attendee list too simultaneously. It would help if you did it simultaneously as you want a platform that adequately accommodates all the guests. After making the final list, you must assign who will do what. For example, some attendees will read from the religious book, while others will share their experiences with their loved ones. If young children attend, you can designate them to give flowers to the guests.
Date Finalization
After selecting the venue and making your list of guests, you need to finalize the date of the event. If you invite guests who live out of town, you will have to give them sufficient lead time to make their travel plans.
Send Out the Invitation
As soon as the deceased’s family decides the venue and date, get the invitations printed out and sent out. Public announcements in the newspaper and social media accounts like Facebook are also encouraged. Even better, if you can give an individual phone call to each guest, it offers a personal touch to the invitation.
Plan Up The Arrangements
With sufficient time on hand, plan and finalize the nitty-gritty of the services. A member of the family should work on getting the print of the program. The speech of the person giving the eulogy needs to be drafted and finalized. The ideal time for a tribute should not be more than 15 minutes. The attendees who will be reading during the service should read according to the likes of the deceased. Include those writings of the dead if they used to write. Next on the list is the selection of the music pieces to be played during the memorial service. The types of flowers and flower arrangements need to be decided on too. Refreshments have to be agreed on too. Lastly, the family must book an official photographer to capture the moments. A signing book is also kept for guests to write their thoughts.
What Do You Do At A Celebration Of Life Party?
A life event celebration is an event held to honor the life of a loved one who is now deceased. The family plans the possibility to focus on the good, happy, and memorable moments of the dead. The family might not necessarily prepare the event in a formal setting. It can be informally structured as compared to a funeral or memorial service. As the name suggests, the family hosts this event as a celebration.
Hosting a celebration of life in casual settings like a beach or a park is common. The deceased’s family can also host it in a place that means something special to the dead. The atmosphere is relaxed. Attendees speak and share incidents and stories about the departed soul. The family can host the event for weeks, months, or even years after the person passes away.
In the last couple of years, the world has been suffering from the pandemic of Covid-19. Due to lockdowns, family members plan celebrations of life events virtually. There are many celebrations of life party ideas. We discuss a few ideas for the celebration of life.
Choose a Perfect Location
After thoughtful discussions, family and friends should select the service venue. It should have meant something to the departed soul. For example, if the individual who passed away loved the beaches, the celebration can be held on a beach.
Display Photos
Have a photo exhibition of sorts—exhibit lesser-seen photos in the display. In the weeks before the celebration of life event, ask the attendees to send copies of memorable images they have with the deceased.
Invite Close Friends and Family Members
The family hosting the celebration of life should invite close friends and extended family members. All attendees should be encouraged to share stories of the departed soul. The story could bring tears of joy and should touch the feelings of everyone present.
Start a Book Club
You can start a book club in the name of the deceased. It will be a way for members of the family and friends of the deceased to meet up regularly.
Whether you are finding the celebration of life ideas for grandma or celebration of life ideas for dad or any other family members, you need to put in a lot of thought. You have to remember their likes and dislikes and plan up the celebration of life events. You can take up the services of a professional service provider also.
Creative Memorial Service Ideas
Different families conduct a memorial service differently. It can vary in content, style, and tone. The family should plan the ceremony as the deceased would like.
In the present times, more and more families are steering away from the traditional services while conducting a memorial service.
The options for running a memorial service are limitless. Some families also hire professional services to get a memorial service executed.
Next, we mention some creative ideas for inclusion in a memorial service.
Painting
The family of the deceased can commission a work of art. It is a perfect way to memorialize a loved one. If the family hosts the funeral service a while after the funeral, the deceased’s family can hire a professional artist to commission a painting. Many artists work from photographs to create a portrait.
Create a Memory Board
The family can set up a memory board on the day of the memorial service wherein the attendees can write down something about the deceased. The family can place the memory board at the entrance, and people can write on it before they enter the venue. Alternatively, family members can put it after the memorial service for attendees to pen down their thoughts of the deceased. The memory board, in a way, will showcase how many lives the deceased impacted.
Memorial Candles
The host of the memorial service can place the memorial candles in the memorial service of a loved one. It will add to the decor of the service. Custom engraving of photos and text makes the memorial candles extra special. The family can keep it as a keepsake once the memorial service is over.
Memory Slideshow
A memory slideshow of photographs and videos is another creative way that can be part of a memorial service. During the service, the family can play a montage of photos and videos with background music. The montage can keep running during the reception. Remember to keep the slideshow to a maximum of 5 to 7 minutes. You can plan a more extended version of the slideshow to run during the reception. Also, remember to showcase the photos and videos from all stages of the deceased’s life.
Plant a Tree
A tree can be planted in memory of the deceased by the family members. The family can plant the tree on the home lawn or a nearby garden. Be sure to grow it in such a place where the family members can take care of it.
Memory Cards
The family can arrange for memory cards during the service. Give each attendee in the memorial service a memory card to write their favorite memory of the deceased on it. The family can keep those memory cards as a keepsake.
Tree of Memories
The deceased’s family can arrange a ‘Tree of Memories’ during the memorial service. They come with small heart-shaped papers, and attendees can write something memorable about the dead on them. It can include messages or final farewells. Reading them will comfort the family.
Favorite Food and Drinks
Include the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased on the menu. It will be a particular way of remembering a loved one through what they loved.
Fireworks
The family can set off fireworks after the memorial service. It will add a splash of color and light to the event. It is one of the creative ways to celebrate the life of the lost one.
How Do You Structure A Memorial Service?
There is no set structure for a memorial design. It can be held in either a formal or informal form, depending on the choice of the bereaved family. The family can structure it how the deceased would have loved it. It is similar to a funeral service where family members and friends attend the service. There are readings, prayers, playing of music, and singing songs included in the service. People share their memories of the deceased. The structure of a memorial service can be that of a religious service, too, with inclusions of religious add-ons.
Planning an outdoor memorial service is also common nowadays. The deceased’s family can hold a memorial service for the dead at a convenient time. It does not necessarily have to be immediately after the funeral. The family can adequately plan the ceremony with all the arrangements done and held weeks or months after the dismissal. Many families have a memorial service for their loved ones on the first anniversary of their death.
How To Plan A Memorial Service After Cremation?
- Firstly, the family has to decide on the type of memorial service they would like. You can have the memorial service immediately, within a few days after the cremation. Alternatively, if the family needs time to plan it, they can host the memorial service after a few weeks or months, whichever is desirable. You can go for simple memorial service ideas.
- Take help from family members and close friends to make the plan. The more people involved and engaged in making plans for the memorial service, the better it will be. Different people should be assigned various tasks. There are many aspects involved like finding the venue, setting the program, flowers to use, music and songs to play, and the food and caterer; different people or groups of people should take responsibility for one aspect.
- Guests should be contacted and invited well ahead of time. Doing so will let out-of-town guests plan up their trip. Also, people can apply for leave from their workplaces ahead of time to attend the service.
- Lastly, the family should decide what to do after the cremation of the ashes. The family can keep them in an urn in the home, or the family members can scatter the remains in a water body.
How To Have A Memorial Service Without A Body?
In a memorial service, the presence of a body is not there. It is similar to a funeral in that family members and friends attend the service. The family can hold it immediately after the funeral or after a few weeks or months.
Organizing is the most critical aspect of holding this service. The people in charge should look into every minute detail of the service. If the family decides to cremate the body, the urn containing the deceased’s ashes could be on a table in front of the attendees.
The family can host the memorial service in a church, a funeral home, or a hotel hall. Hire photographers and videographers to capture the events. The family can put up a photo montage of the deceased beautifully. They can also keep a book at the site for the attendees to mention their special moments with the dead.
Conclusion
Whether it is a funeral service, a memorial service, or a celebration of life, the family hosts it for a loved one. Whichever service the family hosts aims to honor the life of the loved one who is now no more.
All the departed soul’s friends, family members, and close people gathered in one place, comforting each other. A memorial service, when conducted, helps the family members and other attendees to grieve together. It also enables them to support each other in this time of loss.
We at Clocr, provide a service called Time Capsule. Family members can save those memory cards in these time capsules, thus keeping them safe and secure. If the grandchild of the deceased is minor at the time of passing of their grandparent, they can read through these storage cards in the future when they grow up. Clocr also provides many other facilities like social media will and digital vault.
