Creative Celebration of Life Ideas

Creative Celebration of Life Ideas

For many years, a traditional funeral service has gone something like this. You wake up on the day of the service, and start to get ready. That means changing into your funeral attire and making sure you look your best. Next, you start to prepare yourself mentally for when you arrive at the service. Finally, it’s time to leave and you head to the funeral home.  

You arrive, are greeted by the funeral home staff, and slowly guests start showing up. As they arrive, they offer you some condolences, and mingle for a bit before the service begins. During the funeral, stories are shared, hymns are sung, and prayers are said. It’s a beautiful ceremony that has people in tears, and sharing memories of the deceased.  

Afterwards, there’s a reception where guests share some more memories and engage in small talk with one another. Slowly they start to say goodbye and leave. Before you know it, the service and reception have ended and everyone has left. 

But is that the best way to honor your loved one? Or is there a way to make the service more personalized and unique? Maybe you wish the service was less about saying goodbye and more focused on celebrating a life of memories that will never be forgotten. 

If that’s the case, you should consider planning a celebration of life. 

Over the past few years, celebrations of life have become a popular choice for families honoring a loved one. But how do you make it as special and unique as your loved one was? The great thing about a celebration of life is you have complete control over everything from the format of the service to how you personalize it. Some families like to have a ceremony with some structure, while others plan a more casual party-like service. 

Celebration of Life Ideas 

If you want to make sure a celebration is special and meaningful, we’ve compiled ten celebration of life ideas to consider. Please keep in mind, the following are simply suggestions and not packages offered by our firm. If one of our ideas for a celebration of life ceremony catches your interest, please don’t hesitate to contact us and see if we can accommodate you.

Make a Memory Chain

As guests arrive for the service, ask them to write a memory of the deceased on a long narrow strip of paper. As each guest leaves a memory, take the strip of paper and form a paper chain. As the chain grows larger, you can hang it above a doorway to the funeral home or somewhere else to decorate the venue. This is a powerful way to show how the deceased impacted so many and left us with so many unforgettable memories.

Create A Photo Quilt

If one of your friends or family members is crafty and good at sewing, consider asking them to create a photo memory quilt. Before the service, asks guests to send you one of their favorite photos of the deceased. These can be printed on special fabric and then sewn together to create a one-of-a-kind quilt. During the service, this can be presented to the deceased’s immediately family so that they have an unforgettable keepsake from the celebration of life. 

Click here, for instructions on how to make a photo quilt at home. 

The Sports Lover

If your loved one was active and enjoyed participating in sports, try to incorporate that into the service. This can be done by using photos of them playing sports or old uniforms and equipment to help decorate the venue. If you want to go the extra mile, visit their local golf course or baseball diamond and get a bit of the sand or clay to create centerpieces for tables throughout the venue.

Create A Time Capsule

Before the service, encourage guests to write down some of their favorite memories of the deceased or find an old photograph or other small keepsakes. During the celebration of life, have a spot where guests can share their memory and then place it in the time capsule. On the first anniversary of your loved one’s passing, your family can reopen the time capsule and reminisce over all the wonderful memories that others have shared.


Sponsor A Local Team

If your loved one was active in youth or adult-league sports and giving back to their community, consider paying tribute to that. While this celebration of life idea isn’t for the day of the service, it can be a great way to pay tribute to your loved one. For this idea, consider sponsoring a local team from an organization your loved one was involved with. Include a small patch on the jersey in memory of your loved one. During the team’s first game, attend it with friends and family and keep your loved one’s spirit a part of the league.

A Garden Memorial

If your loved one enjoyed spending time outdoors gardening and tending to plants, include that in their celebration of life. This can be done by using some of their plants as center pieces for tables or to decorate the funeral home. If your loved one has been cremated, you could also mix in a spoonful of their ashes into the ground before burying a memorial tree or plant at their home.

Scent

Smell is one of our most powerful senses. It’s amazing to see the memories that a certain smell can evoke in our memory. A great way to include this in a celebration of life is to include your loved one’s favorite perfume or cologne. Before the service, encourage other family members to put on a small amount of their loved one’s favorite scent. You can also spray this in different spots throughout the venue. Just be careful not to go overboard and be mindful of those who might be allergic to colognes and perfumes.

Send A Message to Heaven

Paper lanterns have been used by cultures around the world during times of celebration. If you’re looking for truly special celebration of life ideas, consider sending a message to your loved one with a paper lantern. During the celebration of life, encourage guests to write messages to the deceased on a large paper lantern. At the end of service or wait until it gets dark before lighting the lantern and letting it float up into the sky. This can be a beautiful way to conclude your loved one’s celebration of life.

Serve Their Favourite Foods

Did your loved one have a sweet tooth or loved a particular type of food or dish? If so, celebrate that at their celebration of life. To keep guests well fed, organize a food bar for the service that includes your loved one’s favourite foods. If you want to go the extra mile, encourage guests to sign up for a potluck where they can make something your loved one always enjoyed and bring it to the service to share with others. 

Pick A Theme

Maybe your loved one was an avid hunter or perhaps they enjoyed arts and crafts. If so, celebrate their hobbies and make it a part of the service. This can be done by picking a theme for the service. For instance, if you plan a hunting themed service, you could purchase camo colored table cloths, plates, cups, and whatever else you can think of. If they loved a certain sports team, include a table of memorabilia and prized possessions.

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