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In this modern age of personalization and standing out from the crowd, having a personalized funeral service has become a much more common celebration of life.
Planning a funeral, whether it’s for a loved one or yourself, means a lot of decisions must be made, many of which are difficult and made under a time of duress. But if we have the time to personalize a funeral service, a good funeral director will be able to help a family or friends arrange individualized features of the service.
We’ve listed nine great ways to help personalize a funeral service while planning a funeral for a friend or for yourself.
Music
Planning a playlist that reminds people of your loved one is a great way to create a loving atmosphere. If you don’t know your friend’s personal music choices, consider putting together your own playlist of pleasant music that signifies the type of person he/she was.
Food
Many funerals involve food. Make the menu personal by cooking your loved one’s favorite recipes or offering an item that your loved one was known to make. This can be as simple as offering their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or planning an entire post-funeral reception around their favorite cuisine.
Photo Table
Lay out photos and memorabilia of your loved one from when he/she was alive, and ask others to bring copies of their own favorite photos to add. This becomes a loving gathering place during the funeral, where more people choose to smile than cry as they think back on wonderful memories.
Release Lanterns
A ceremonial release of lanterns can be beautiful, whether they are lanterns that fill the night sky or floating lanterns that are released out over a body of water.
Video
There are a lot of places online that can take your photos and create a special tribute video with beautiful effects to be played on a loop at the funeral. You can also create one yourself, or play home videos as the reception is starting.
Personalized Casket
There are many places that offer custom-designed caskets that can be made to look like something your lost loved one was passionate about, whether it involves sports, music or another hobby or interest.
Provide Something to Take Home
By making a small trinket to give away to those in attendance, they can take something home with them that symbolizes their last farewell to their friend. The piece could be a magnet or a piece of jewelry that has a dried flower that’s the same type as the ones at the funeral, framed photos or even just a printed quote.
Special Location
Consider what the person loved to do and see if there might be a unique location where you can hold a funeral service. Did they love to fish or visit the ocean? Consider an outdoor service. Did they love sports? Try to incorporate that into the décor at the reception or see your options about having the service at a ballpark or stadium.
Ask Others to Share a Memory
What better way to personalize a funeral than to ask their friends and family members to share a memory? Whether as part of a spoken eulogy or as something written in a memory book, it’s a great way to help everyone feel involved.
Planning a funeral can be overwhelming, so having an experienced and licensed funeral director go over some of your options can be a great help. If you live in the South Florida area, consider talking with The Gardens of Boca Raton Cemetery & Funeral Services. Call them at (561) 989-9190, or visit their offices at 4103 N. Military Trail in Boca Raton.
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