The Top 10 Ways to Personalize For Your Final Tribute
Celebrations of life can be as unique as each life lived. Funeral homes provide opportunities for each family to personalize their ceremony (please note – funeral homes will do their best to accommodate the wishes of each person, but sometimes, restrictions, laws, or regulations may not allow all the suggestions noted below). The following are a few examples for planning a ceremony that reflects the life, love, and memories that your family has shared. A professional tribute planner can assist you in personalizing your final celebration of life.
1. MEMORIAL DVD
A video tribute can be a very meaningful and personal aspect of any celebration of life. Your professional tribute planner can assist you with ideas on how to make the memorial DVD even more personal with personal messages for your immediate family members and closest friends to be included in the DVD tribute.
2. DOVE OR BALLOON RELEASE
Your professional tribute planner can help you plan for family and friends to gather together to release balloons, doves, paper lanterns, or even butterflies to add a special touch to your final tribute. Releasing balloons or doves helps family and friends to visualize their loved one’s spirit ascending back to heaven and brings a measure of comfort and peace in the midst of grief.
3. CANDLELIGHT CEREMONY
A candlelight ceremony can bring added comfort and hope to family and friends, especially if a loss is sudden or tragic. Be sure to speak to your professional tribute planner about choosing a few favorite songs to be sung at a memorial service or candlelight ceremony for a meaningful time of reflection.
4. SPECIAL LOCATION
Ask your professional tribute planner about special locations for a ceremony, service, or gathering that reflects you, your personality, and what you value most. A golfer may choose to be remembered on a favorite golf course. A stage performer may prefer a community theatre. An artist may wish to be remembered in an art gallery, and a wine enthusiast may choose a winery. Your tribute planner can offer you suggestions about special locations for a service or ceremony that truly reflects the life you have lived.
5. CLOTHING & COLORS
Another way to personalize your sendoff is to request for all who attend your final farewell to wear your favorite color(s) to celebrate your life. An athlete or dedicated sports fan may choose his or her favorite team’s colors. If you want people to wear lively colors instead of dark colors to your final life celebration, be sure to tell your professional tribute planner so that instructions can be included in your celebration of life plans.
6. FLOWERS
Along the same lines, you can make a special request for your favorite flowers to be displayed and incorporated into the ceremony. If you prefer flowers that are not traditional “funeral flowers,” make sure to have your tribute planner make a note of it in your plan.
7. SPECIAL MUSIC
Live or recorded music can bring an added element of surprise and a more personalized experience for loved ones. In your memorial tribute plan, share your favorite tunes, artists, and songs that reflect your taste, personality, and style.
8. SHARE A MEAL
Be sure to include a time for family members to gather, share a meal, and fellowship with one another in your celebration of life plan. Friends and family may choose to enjoy some of your favorite foods as a way to celebrate your life. Your tribute planner can assist you in selecting catering options and reception space.
9. SHARE MEMORIES
In your celebration of life plan, you can ask family and friends to dedicate some time to sharing memories with one another. You may request that a videographer be available to capture the memories that are shared so that loved ones can go back and listen to them again and again. Whether memories are shared through video, notecards, in a circle around a campfire, or at your favorite restaurant or pub, the time is sure to be special and meaningful for each person present.
10. MEMORIAL JEWELRY
Ask your professional tribute planner about memorial jewelry and how you can make a provision in your plan for memorial jewelry that your closest loved ones can wear to remember you. Ask your professional tribute planner about memorial jewelry. You can make a provision in your plan for jewelry that your loved ones can wear to remember you. Memorial jewelry can even include your thumbprint.
These are just a few ideas for personalizing your final farewell. Speak to a professional tribute planner for more ideas on how to plan a final celebration of life that will bring comfort and hope to your loved ones at a time of loss and grief.
