Memorial celebrations aren’t the solemn services made popular by past generations. Though they honor and remember a person’s life, today’s memorials can celebrate it too. The goal is to make this celebration unique and personal.
Instead of focusing on the sadness and what could have been, have it be about how your loved one lived, and how his or her life affected others. You can do this in a number of ways including the location it is held, the theme you choose, and the keepsakes that make it personable.
Family members and friends can help plan the service, or you can turn to sites such as Pinterest for some amazing ideas.
To start with, the service need not be in a church or funeral home. Memorial celebrations can be held just about everywhere from your home to a baseball field, golf course or botanical garden.
Dress is casual or formal, and the mood of the celebration should be somewhat upbeat. A theme is not always needed, but acceptable in many instances. It all depends on your loved one’s hobbies and lifestyle.
There are many ways to make the celebration unique. You can display family photos on poster boards, create a video montage set to your loved one’s preferred music and serve his or her favorite food. Provide memory cards (index cards will work too) so guests can jot down and share their memories of the person who died.
There really aren’t rules to decide what is right or wrong. For keepsakes, you can create some beautiful memorial bookmarks, or even use the dried flowers from the funeral and make them into beads, key chains, etc.
If you want to take the memorial celebration to the next level, consider a butterfly or ladybug release either outdoors at the park or at the cemetery. It is more environmentally sound than releasing balloons.
These natural releases are becoming extremely popular because they serve as reminders of a loved one’s spirit being carried off to the heavens. Do you have a favorite memorial celebration idea?
