Why Choose a Celebration of Life for Your Loved One

Why Choose a Celebration of Life

Over the years, families have begun to seek alternatives to traditional funeral and burial practices. For some, traditional practices just don’t seem like the right way to say goodbye. Some people have made the decision to choose an alternative event to celebrate their memory, especially those who's loved ones have been cremated. 

Rather than abiding by traditional practices, many people have been requesting that their families hold a celebration of life in their honor. This allows for a more personalized memorial for the loved one who has passed.  

Is a Celebration of Life Right for Your Loved One?

When deciding on a celebration of life, there are a few things to assess:

Do you belong to a religious group that has specific memorial practices? 
Have you been to any end-of-life services that you would not appreciate for yourself/ a loved one? 
How much money are you planning to spend? 
Do you want to be celebrated in a completely unique and original fashion? 
How much time should your loved ones allow themselves for grieving before they begin a memorial planning process.

For those stuck trying to decide on certain end-of-life processes, there are many benefits of a celebration of life.  

Reasons People Choose Celebrations of Life 

Firstly, celebrations of life can be completely personalized. This allows more lenience for the loved ones planning the services. They don’t have to follow any parameters and can be as easy to organize as a mixer. 

Celebrations of life can also be located anywhere. This means that you are not confined to a traditional venue such as a funeral home. The options for locations are endless and can be as extravagant as a trip to a foreign country or as simple as an event held at someone’s home.  

For those who are confined to a strict budget and do not wish to spend a large amount of money on a memorial service, celebrations of life are a financially feasible option. The experience can be completely customized and can cost as little or as much as a person wants to spend.

Unlike a traditional funeral/ burial process, celebrations of life do not have to be time sensitive. This is because celebrations of life do not have to occur before the cremation or burial of the body. This allows time for grieving and allows loved ones to decompress after the loss of the individual. Some celebrations come months after the person’s death and could even be planned on the individual’s birthday or special anniversary. 

Celebration of Life Ideas

Below we have provided some ideas and possibilities that you could incorporate into your celebration of life service. We hope these examples demonstrate the level of creativity you can include and how personalized you can make the ceremony.

Dinner Party

If your loved one had a passion or love for food, cooking their favorite meal for close friends could be a great way to remember them. If their favorite meal was at a restaurant, gather your friends and have a night out in their memory.   

Ash Spreading Excursion

If your loved one was cremated and had a specific location where they wanted their ashes to be distributed, you could gather all close friends and family so that everyone can participate in the event. This is a great excuse to have an unforgettable trip to your loved one’s favorite place. It could even be paired with a family vacation. 

The Musician

Was your loved one a musician or a dedicated fan of a singer/ band? If so, you may want to consider showcasing that particular form of music for their celebration of life. You could consider hosting a small tribute concert in memory of the deceased, where the genre of music they loved can be played.

Illuminate the Sky

Gather people in a special outdoor area and have them write memories on balloons (paper lanterns are an excellent alternative for the environmentally conscious). After this, have everyone release their lanterns into the sky. This is a creative way of saying your final goodbye to a loved one or dear friend.  