Celebration of Life Options

When deciding to host a celebration of life service for a loved one who has passed, people are often unsure of what should be included in the ceremony.  What you include in the celebration of life service is completely up to you, unless your loved one had specific instructions before he or she died. 

A typical ceremony may include:

Speakers: Including the officiant, these presenters can talk about the deceased person’s life, hobbies, interests, work, etc.

Music: Live or recorded songs are appropriate and are usually of a genre that your departed loved one enjoyed. It is played sporadically or continuously throughout the service or only at the beginning (procession) and end (recessional).

Refreshments: Depending on the location of the service, guests can enjoy light refreshments or a complete meal. Family and guests may also gather at a nearby restaurant after the service.

Mementos: Scrapbooks, photo albums, video slideshows and personal items of the one who died are typically presented on memory tables and display boards.

Memorial Booklet: A simple brochure or pamphlet outlining the celebration of life service is given to all who attend as a keepsake of the event.

Memory Table: Display photos, scrapbooks and personal items about your loved one. For example, if he or she was a member of the military, you can display the uniform, American flag, medals or commendations, pictures, discharge papers, letters, etc.

Video slideshow: Typically one of the more emotional aspects of a celebration of life service, a video slideshow outlining the deceased’s life is a beautiful sentiment to add to this event. Include childhood photos, as well as those showing your loved one at his or her best. Consider making copies of the slideshow to hand out to guests as a keepsake.

Memorial notecards: On colorful card stock or index cards, guests can write a note to the family or their favorite memory of the person who died. These are then placed in a special memory box or bag and kept for future generations to read.

Plantable seed cards or tree saplings: Tree seedlings or personalized cards containing embedded flower seeds are a nice keepsake for guests. Once planted, the tree or blooming flowers will remind the guests of the loved one who died.

Memorial keepsakes:  A variety of keepsake items are available can be placed on the memorial table, by the guestbook, or at each guest's seat.  Keepsakes allow guest to have something tangible that reminds them of the person who passed.

Balloon release: Guests can launch their balloons into the sky at the same time. A poem or prayer may be read prior to the release, and a song is often played during the release.

Dove release: Releasing funeral doves as part of the celebration one not only pays tribute to the person who has died, but it can also prove emotionally uplifting and inspirational for the guests attending the ceremony. The sense of peace and closure is almost tangible.

Butterfly release: The butterfly is nature’s ultimate symbol of change, transformation and beauty. Releasing live butterflies for a loved-one is a unique way to honor and remember them.

Guestbook: As with typical funerals or memorial services, a guestbook is available for guests to sign.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to planning a celebration of life service. Be sure to keep the event in check with what your loved one would have wanted.  For assistance with planning a celebration of life ceremony, contact A Classic Touch Celebration.

A Classic Touch Celebration, Inc.

PO Box 2312

Methuen, MA 01844

(978) 289-9225

info@classictouch.info

www.classictouch.info

Celebration of life ceremonies becoming more popular, compared to traditional funeral services

When a person dies, the traditional practice is to have some sort of funeral service, either at a church or at a funeral home.  Often times, there is a wake for the deceased the night before.  These traditional services, with black suits, quiet church music, and people gathered around a casket or an urn is okay for some, but it is not favorable for others. Many people find these traditional types of services to be heavy, sad, and grief-filled.  Sometimes mourning a life just doesn’t feel right. Life should be celebrated. It is a special day when people who loved a person gather together to celebrate their life, happily, and remember the person as they were…alive, and vibrant.

Funerals should involve more than just mourning those we’ve lost; it should be a celebration of how grateful we were to have them in our lives.  Think of that favorite place you spent with your loved one, about the music and food that you shared, but image all of your friends and family re-living those same precious memories together.

Now you can have a funeral service that celebrates your loved one’s life at a place that has meaning to you.   A Classic Touch Celebration was founded with the purpose of providing celebration of life services to those people who do not want traditional funeral services but instead seek a more upbeat, celebratory type of service for their loved ones.  These services can involve either the cremated remains (in an urn) of the deceased or no remains at all (a memorial service) and can take place at location of the family’s choosing (a park, historic building, function hall, the ocean, someone’s home, or elsewhere).  They are committed to providing an appropriately fitting tribute for people’s loved ones, at a place and in a manner that the family feels more accurately reflects the life that was lived.

A Classic Touch Celebration, Inc. creates and coordinates the ultimate celebration of life services. They understand how stressful coordinating these services can be, so they do everything, including arranging the clergy, food, music, flowers, video tributes, various release ceremonies, and memorial gifts at various locations, without the stress families face in planning, organizing, and running these types of ceremonies themselves. 

Families may wish to host a celebration of life ceremony in the days, weeks, or months following the passing of their loved one.  Some families also host these celebrations on an anniversary of their loved one’s passing, on their birthday, or on some other day of significance (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.). 

When planning a service for your departed loved one, consider a celebration of life service. Each person is different.  They have different passions and different loves.  So why should every funeral be the same?  Remember, it’s about the journey!

A Classic Touch Celebration, Inc.
PO Box 2312
Methuen, MA 01844
(978) 289-9225
info@classictouch.info
www.classictouch.info