5 Must Do Steps To Plan A Celebration Of Life or Memorial
Lindsey Nickel
Celebrations of life and memorials are quickly becoming popular alternatives to funerals, especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Celebrations of life and memorials are an event gathering people together to remember a person's accomplishments, relationships, and share stories.
The main difference between a funeral and a celebration of life or memorial is that at a funeral a body is present. The former events are usually less formal, less religious and have more of a happy and celebratory feel rather than a mournful one.
Pick a venue
The place of a celebration of life or memorial can vary greatly. The venue is a wonderful way to highlight an interest that the honoree had. For example, if they loved golf the event could be at their country club. If they loved the ocean it could be at a coastal event venue. If they loved Napa wine it could be at their favorite Napa Valley winery.
PRO TIP: When looking at venues ask if they include catering, audio video service, and their maximum capacity.
Do you need ideas on where to host the event? Contact us and we can chat about options.
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2. Decide when the event will happen
It’s becoming much more common to celebrate a person’s life a few weeks, months, or even a year after the person dies. With family and friends living across the country and globe, it takes additional time to organize schedules. For celebrations of life and memorials think about the day of the week you want to host the event and the season. Consider hosting the event on a weekend if you have guests coming from out of town.
We are fortunate in the San Francisco Bay Area that the weather is relatively mild year-round. For a summer event, you might want to host it midday to avoid the heat of the afternoon. In the winter you should look for a venue with indoor space in case it rains.
3. Pick the refreshments
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At a celebration of life or a memorial, there is not an expectation of a plated sit-down meal. However, beverages and appetizers are expected. A thoughtful idea is to have a selection of sodas and juices along with beer and wine. If the honoree had a favorite cocktail, like a mojito, offering that at the bar is a fun way to remember them. If they had a favorite food, like Hog Island Oysters, include those too as a nod to the honoree.
PRO TIP: Find a venue that includes a caterer so that you don’t have to find a separate caterer.
4. Plan the program
Music and readings are popular ways to share memories and stories of the honoree. Readings may include a poem. Pick four to seven people who will share a song, reading, story, or something else about the honoree.
PRO TIP: Hire a professional videographer for your event to video record the program. It is a wonderful keepsake to have in the future. You can also send the video to people who are not able to attend.
Milou and Olin Photography
5. Select photos and memorabilia
Displaying photos at the event are a wonderful way to display the honoree’s life. You can have a few photos on one memorabilia table along with other items from the person’s life. For example, if they loved to knit you could display their blankets. If they loved sports you could display their baseball glove.
If you have a lot of photos, you can put them in frames and sprinkle them around all the cocktail tables for people to enjoy while mingle.
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About Lovely Day Legacies: Lovely Day Legacies is the go-to event planner for families planning celebrations of life, memorials, and funerals.
We help families to plan meaningful events to honor their loved ones, without feeling even more stressed out.
Lovely Day Legacies is based in Napa, Calif., and is pleased to provide event planning for the San Francisco Bay Area including Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, wine country, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Piedmont, Marin County, Tiburon, Sausalito, San Francisco and more.