Planning a Celebration of Life Ceremony

Most of us are fairly familiar with the traditional funeral ceremony. In fact, there is a good chance that you have most likely been to at least one traditional funeral in your lifetime. Most traditional funeral ceremonies tend to follow the same type of format. However, it is incredibly easy for many funeral homes to personalize this experience, but there is only so much any funeral director can do and still maintain the traditional funeral ceremony setup. And, even with all the personalization, a traditional funeral will still be viewed by many as a rather solemn experience that mainly focuses on saying goodbye to your loved one.

Most people hold the traditional funeral ceremony in high regard; however, there is a new type of ceremony gaining popularity these days. It is known as a celebration of life ceremony, and unlike the traditional funeral ceremony, it is a joyful and upbeat type of event. This new type of ceremony does not focus on the somber passing of your loved one but instead focuses on honoring their life through all of the good times and memories that they shared with us. This ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments of your loved one and how they positively affected the lives of others. Friends and family are normally invited to share their stories and happy memories of the deceased during the ceremony. It is truly an uplifting experience for all involved.

While there are many rules and a strict type of platform associated with a traditional funeral ceremony, this is not so with a celebration of life ceremony. You could take all the rules and throw them out if you wanted to. In most cases, your loved one would have already specified what they may or may not want to be involved with the ceremony. If they have not made any prior plans, someone close to the deceased will usually have some type of idea of what they would have wanted to happen. There are really no preset requirements for a celebration of life ceremony. However, here are a few things you may like to consider when you are planning their ceremony:

• The guest list. Who would your loved one want to attend? Some celebration of life ceremonies have huge guest lists, while others opt for a small, intimate gathering of those closest to the deceased. Your guest list and the size of it may have a huge impact on how you plan the event, so you should take great care with this detail.
  
  

• The location. The location of the ceremony will have to accommodate everyone on the guest list, which means you will have to plan the setting appropriately. You could add a personal touch by choosing one of the deceased favorite places or find a location that seems to perfectly fit with their personality. There are so many options to choose from, such as their home, an often visited campsite or park, a favorite restaurant, any place that can help you connect to your loved one would be a perfect choice.
  
  

• What to include in the event? It might be a little uncomfortable for some to think about what they should include in their loved one’s celebration of life ceremony. Remember that this type of ceremony is a lot different than planning a funeral. You can include pictures and videos of your loved one enjoying their life. You can invite friends and family to speak about their memories of your loved one, or you could have one person control the flow of the entire ceremony. You may want to display your loved one’s favorite pieces of art, play their favorite music, or have a reception featuring their favorite foods. The possibilities are endless.
  
  

A celebration of life ceremony is typically a happy and joyous event, especially when you compare it to a traditional funeral ceremony. This type of ceremony may even help those of us who are afraid or dread making those necessary funeral arrangements. If you know someone who has been dragging their feet with planning any of their end of life decisions, you should introduce them to the idea of a celebration of life ceremony and see if they like it. Who knows? It could turn into that elusive opportunity you have been so desperately looking for on breaching the subject of what to do after your loved one dies. It may help some of your loved ones confide in you with what they may or may not like, or they could go a step further and start planning their entire event on their own. It is always worth a try to see if this could be the type of ceremony your loved one could appreciate.