A unique idea or theme may seem out of place when planning a funeral; however, more and more people are stepping out of the box and wanting a little something more to help memorialize their loved one. A growing number of people are embracing unique and personalized touches to add to the funeral ceremony. These added touches can be added to a traditional funeral, or they may be a part of an end of life ceremony, but either way, these little extra touches can mean so much to those who are in attendance. Here are just a few ways you can add a little something extra to your loved one’s funeral to make it a little bit more special.
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Reuse the funeral flowers. Anyone who has ever been involved with a funeral knows that there are times when there are so many funeral flowers, you do not know what to do with them. An idea some people like is to regroup the flowers into smaller bunches and hand them out to those attending the funeral. It is as if everyone gets a little something to remember your loved one by. Another idea is to turn the flowers into jewelry. You can keep one piece of jewelry for yourself and give the others to family and friends to help them have something to remember your loved one.
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Give out seed packets. This is a great idea if your loved one loved to garden, but it is still a great idea for those that did not garden. The seed packets could contain some type of personalization on them and would be a great way for your guests to grow something in honor of your loved one. These seeds will develop into something beautiful that when your guests look at them will remind them of all the beautiful traits and memories of your loved one.
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Personalize the coffin. Coffins are not just a plain wooden box anymore. There are so many options that companies offer. The choices are truly limitless. You could have a colorful coffin featuring flowers or butterflies. You could even have a music-themed or sports-themed coffin. You could go with your loved one’s favorite animal, book or color. You could even allow the friends and family of your loved one decorate it with their drawings, stories or stickers. Some people like to use art to express their feelings, and this would be a great way to do this.
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Glass Keepsakes of your loved one. A growing trend is to combine your loved one’s ashes in handblown glass. Many artists and funeral homes offer this service. You can get your loved one’s ashes put into glass spheres, paperweights, necklaces, and earrings. These items typically feature bright and beautiful colors that capture the light and look remarkable. It is a fitting way to capture the vibrancy and spirit of your loved one.
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Feature a memory board. A memory board features photographs of the deceased and should be featured where everyone can access it. This is the perfect place for people to gather around and share memories of your loved one before or after the funeral. You could also expand on this idea and allow others the chance to add to your loved one’s memory board. You could leave cards or notepads out for guests to write down and share their most memorable moments with your loved one. You should have empty spaces on the memory board for them to place these cards to share their stories or what they liked most about the deceased with everyone. It is a great way to learn new stories about your loved one and have everyone participate in honoring the memory of your loved.
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Get colorful. More and more people are asking for funerals that omit the color black. They may want people to show up wearing every color of the rainbow, or they may want to decorate the ceremony with the favorite color of the deceased. Some people have chosen to hand out flowers in their loved one’s favorite color to all the funeral guests. These flowers can be kept by the guests to take home and remember the deceased by, or you could give your guests the opportunity to place the flower on the coffin of your loved one.
There are so many ways to give your loved one a unique and creative funeral ceremony. And, as more and more people fall in love with this growing trend, there will only be more options available. Also, if you have any special ideas for your loved one’s funeral that you really want, do not be afraid to talk with your funeral director about it. They are there to help you and will usually know the best way to go about getting what you want. You do not have to settle for the traditional funeral ceremony anymore. You can speak up and get just about anything within reason added to the ceremony.