Planning a Celebration of Life For Your Loved One

Life Celebrations

Many times, a person will make it known before they die that they prefer their funeral to be a celebration of life rather than a time of sadness and mourning. Even if the person doesn’t make that choice known, a family might choose to have such a celebration of life for the loss of someone special. At The Gardens of Boca Raton – Cemetery & Chapel, we’ve often been a part of these celebrations and we’d be happy to accommodate yours as well.

Families and loved ones would want to plan this celebration of life in a tactful way that really shows how much they appreciated the deceased. But there are some questions that need to be answered first in order to plan it out in such a way.

Celebration of Life: Who, Where and When?

Obviously, these are the first questions you need to answer before moving on – who should you invite, where should the celebration be held, and on which day and time? You want to invite this person’s out-of-town family and friends, too, and possibly their workmates.

You’ll also want to designate one person or a small group of people to conduct the event, and hiring a non-denominational person to manage it is a good idea if this isn’t going to have much religious involvement. If it will, then consider a church minister as a possibility.

Family and friends might want to speak at your event, also, and all of this should be run through the celebration overseer so that it’s an orderly event.

Celebrating Life with Love and Respect

Think about doing a group event that might have some meaning behind the fragility of life, and will help celebrate the loss of your loved one all at once.

Do something that doesn’t necessarily cost a lot of money, but might also be a keepsake people can use to remember that person in the future. Here are a handful of ideas for your Celebration of Life to help commemorate your loved one:

• Fly some colorful kites to make a beautiful, picturesque sky
• Release dozens of butterflies all at once
• Light sky lanterns and release them at night (you might need a permit for this, and make sure this is in a wide-open space without power lines and homes)
• Hand out stepping stones to those that would like to participate, and make a stone pathway through your yard to a garden or a tree.
• Decorate a tree with floating candles in water-filled mason jars hanging from wires. Obviously, use great caution in dealing with open flames and trees.
• Participate in a 5K for a charitable organization together, where you can all walk or run together. Maybe everyone can wear the same colored shirt.
• Go golfing or fishing as a large group if that was indicative of your loved one’s hobbies.
• Have everyone bring a potted flower or plant and create a small garden in someone’s backyard.

Other Forms of Memorialization

There are plenty of other things you can do to help commemorate this special day in honor of the loss of your loved one. For instance, you could create a special playlist with your friend’s favorite songs, or at least songs that remind you and your family/friends of them. You can create that playlist and share it on iTunes or Spotify, or you can even create a public playlist on YouTube and share the music with their videos. There might also be some special readings or music played that the entire assembly can enjoy.

Finally, remember that this is all about your loved one’s life and the celebration of everyone’s connection with them. Consider using a memory table and fill it with photographs and thoughtful memorabilia that might help spark some wonderful stories and anecdotes by family and friends.

A celebration of life can be a special poignant moment for all of that person’s family, friends and loved ones, so try to plan all of it out the best that you can. Ask us at The Gardens of Boca Raton – Cemetery & Chapel if there’s anything we can help you with.