28 October 2021
A celebration of life ceremony is one in which the tone of the overall ceremony is one that rejoices in the memory of the person who has passed and cherishes the way they lived their life. It takes a more positive spin to feel happy about having met the person, being enriched in some way by them, and acknowledging the light they brought to the world. In a celebration of life ceremony, it’s understood that death happens, but not that it necessarily needs to be a sad occasion. You miss the person who is gone, but you remember their life in a happy light and celebrate them as a special person you were lucky to know.
At a celebration of life ceremony, it’s important to be conservative in order to show respect to the event and the fellow guests, however attire does tend to be slightly more casual than typical funeral service attire. For example, jeans are perfectly appropriate. Don’t worry about sticking to strictly black clothing. It’s okay to enjoy colors to reflect the positive and joyful sentiments of the ceremony.
Are you planning a celebration of life ceremony and need some ideas for how to remember the deceased and make the ceremony special? Here are some ideas that are sure to make your event memorable.
Create a custom memorial poster. Gather photos and memories to share on a large poster board displayed at the service.
Have multiple people speak during the ceremony allowing you to gather a wider range of memories and perspectives on how the deceased affected people in positive ways.
Create a musical playlist that includes the deceased person’s favorite songs or ones that remind you of them.
Ask people at the ceremony to write down memories and put them in a jar. They can be read aloud during the ceremony or later.
Hold the ceremony by candlelight.
Give out seed packets of the deceased person’s favorite flower or plant and have the guests plant them in their honor.
Plant a tree in their honor.
Make pins or buttons with the deceased person’s picture on them. Guests can wear them at the ceremony and keep them afterward to remember their loved ones.
In lieu of flowers, have guests donate to a charity that was important to the deceased person.
In the end a celebration of life ceremony can be a positive alternative to the normal somber funeral. That is not to say you won't mourn or be reflective, it just means that you can take joy in the life the deceased lived. We at Funeral Prints are happy to help you celebrate the life of the one you loved and lost.