Tips for Staying on Budget When Planning a Wake

Tons of families have to have a wake after a service at a funeral home Amboy, IL without spending lots of money. How can you make your lost loved one’s wake one to remember but you’re working with a smaller budget? Use these tips:  

• DIY Decorations - Instead of buying elaborate decorations, a great budget-friendly memorial service idea is to consider taking the time to make them yourself. This is where planning ahead will come in handy. You’d be surprised what you can do with a quick trip to your local crafts store or flea market.  
• Let People Help - Much too often, our guests ask, “What can I bring?” and we say, “Oh, nothing! I have it under control.” As a host, this is very easy to do—but this time, instead of saying “nothing”, take your guests up on their offers. This is especially helpful as you are going through a loss and could use the extra assistance.  
• Make it a Potluck - One of the simplest budget-friendly memorial ideas is to consider having a potluck. Ask your guests to bring a dish to share with everyone. This way, everyone pitches in to the cost of the food, and you can allocate some of your budget to other areas of the part. 
• Find the Right Venue - If you’re throwing a memorial service and you want to host the event outside of your home, you’ll want to find the right event venue. A great budget-friendly memorial service idea is to go with an all-inclusive event venue to help save money. Finding a space with in-house catering, tables, chairs, décor, linens, and a good sound system for music is the smartest, since you won’t have to pay for outside catering or rent furniture. Also, bonus: someone else will have to do the cleanup. Ideally, you’ll want a location with a friendly staff that can comfortably accommodate the number of guests you have.  
• Be Your Own DJ – You don’t need to hire a professional if you have a music-streaming account such as Spotify or Pandora and you can make a playlist yourself for free. Just make sure to add enough music—about 100 songs should do it.  
• Send E-Vites - Depending on how many guests you have; postage can get expensive. Instead of spending money on paper, envelopes, ink, and postage, a smart money-saving memorial idea is to utilize e-invites. 
• Keep the Guest List Small - This might be difficult to do, depending on how you want to organize your memorial but keeping your guests at a minimum is a budget-friendly graduation party idea that can go a long way.  

Schilling Funeral Home & Cremation is an Amboy, IL funeral home. We are here to help if you want more tips on how you can make your lost loved one’s memorial one to remember without breaking the bank. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today – after all, you can definitely still make your lost loved one’s memorial or funeral to be the best it can be even if you don’t have a lot of money.