Jul 24

Jul 24 How to Plan a Celebration of Life Ceremony

How To Have a Celebration of Life Party

Having a celebration of life event is a sad and wonderful occasion. Instead of mourning a loss, you are commemorating a life and what your friend or loved one stood for. Favorite hobbies, special achievements, an unforgettable characteristic that everyone loved – all of these and more should be celebrated.

How to Plan a Celebration of Life Ceremony

Choose what to commemorate

Begin with what you want. Do you want everyone to wear purple, Agnes’ favorite color and what she is most remembered for? Or a hat perhaps, just like that ratty John Deer one Tom never left the house without. Do you want people to come with a funny memory? A toast? A special something that they most associate with your loved one? Whatever it is that encompasses the person you are celebrating is where you should start.

Create a Celebration of Life Invitation

Next, design an invitation that lets people know that this is a celebration, not a funeral. Be clear with what you envision and your guests will honor that. Include date, place, time and all pertinent information like a special dress code or something guests need to bring to celebrate.

As well, think about what you want at the celebration. A guest book where people can share anecdotes and photographs? A table with favorite objects set up that people can reminisce about like Charlie’s Star Wars memorabilia or Lauren’s homemade quilts. Maybe your loved one was a veteran or an avid soccer fan, a gardener or an adrenaline junky – whatever the memories, a display is a nice way to memorialize that. On the other hand, perhaps your loved one was a rock-and-roll-good-time waiting to happen. In that case, get a band, a keg and some strobe lights. Dancing the night away in the name of Peggy Sue is not a bad idea. Or maybe you want to have a slideshow with photographs from Ronnie’s travels around the world or a donation in his name to a global charity that he supported. Both of those are appropriate too. In short, if what you’re planning honors your friend, then everything about it is A-okay.

Finally, if people send flowers or donate money to a charity, a thank you card is needed when you can. Mixbook makes this part very easy with an assortment of designs to choose from with just enough room for a short note of thanks.

A photo card with your loved one on the cover is also a lovely choice.

Photo books are another great way to let people remember and celebrate. From the man who rarely got off the golf course to the woman who was famous in three counties for her scrumptious pies, Mixbook helps create photo books with just the right style for you. Guests can look through them and remember all the good times they’ve had and that they’ll cherish forever.