What to Think About When Planning a Memorial or Funeral

These days, there are almost no rules when it comes to planning a memorial. Traditions surrounding death, grieving, and funeral homes in Fulton, IL are changing. This change is good as it allows for ultimate personalization for celebrating the life of the deceased. This lack of guidelines, while good for personalization, can make planning tough.  

Where do you start? Use this list of things to think about when planning a memorial to help you get started.  

Start with disposition. Burials used to be the default, but not anymore. There are tons of options these days from cremation services and body donation to entombment and more. Next comes personalization. It’s always a good idea to personalize parts, if not all, of a lost loved one’s memorial. You can really have fun with this part of the planning! Readings, poems, prayers and even music can be easily combined with a service, as can any other aspect of the deceased’s life and personality. For example, if the deceased loved antique cars, you can have old cars parked in the funeral home or ceremony location’s parking lot. Or, if the deceased loved jazz music, you can hire a jazz band to play at the reception or play jazz music during the service. Don’t forget to also include personal memorabilia like photos, videos, and beloved objects.  

What about venue? Again, the traditional funeral home or church isn’t necessary the only choice for a memorial anymore. You can also choose to have a service in a park, on a beach, at a home, in a museum, or almost any other place that holds significance to you, the deceased, and the rest of the bereaved. Another new trend is asking for people to send donations “in lieu of flowers”. You can ask guests to make contributions to a cause the deceased believed in as a good way to carry on his or her memory.  

Sometimes families don’t want a religious service led by a pastor or clergy member. In these cases, they may want to hire a celebrant. Celebrants are licensed masters of ceremony that work with the bereaved to customize memorial services in fresh and unique ways. Most funeral homes and cremation providers can offer lists of recommended local celebrants.  

Flowers are a traditional part of memorials and funerals, and probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They can transform any room into a comforting and welcoming space perfect for grieving a loss and celebrating a life. Consider getting personalized floral displays or arrangements for even more flair. There is a new tradition of giving small gifts, like party favors, to memorial guests. These gifts are a nice way to help them keep the deceased in their minds and hearts long after the service is over. Feel free to get creative, like making recipe cards with the deceased’s favorite dishes.  

These ideas are just to get you started as planning a funeral or memorial service is very personal. If you want more ideas or help planning a service at a Fulton, IL funeral home, Schilling Funeral Home & Cremation is here to help.