People often say that a funeral is a time of remembrance—a day to celebrate the life of your loved one as well as mourn your loss. However, remembering the good times and high points of a lost friend or family member’s life is often easier said than done when you’re caught up in the funeral process.
Add a Timeline to the Order of Service
One simple way to inspire remembrance at your loved one’s funeral is by including a timeline in the order of service.
At its foundation, an order of service usually includes a photo of the departed, relevant dates and locations, and information about the readings, eulogies, and hymns that will be included in the service. Beyond that, however, you can add anything you like.
Some people choose to design the order of service in their loved one’s favourite colours. Others include more photos or short messages from family. Another option is a timeline of your loved one’s life. Some events you can add to the timeline include:
- When they graduated
- When they got married
- Any awards or accolades they won
- Big achievements in their career
- A move to another state or country
Timelines are still an uncommon addition to an order of service, but they’re a great way to help people focus on happy memories and inspire conversation about the life of the departed.
Plan a Unique Funeral Procession Route
Most funeral processions follow a simple route, usually beginning at the location of your loved one’s body or next of kin’s home and travelling directly to the location of the funeral.
While there’s nothing wrong with making the procession as direct as possible, you can also use it as an opportunity to take a physical trip down memory lane. Planning a route that includes landmark locations in your love one’s life is a great way to bring back special memories. The route you take will depend on what your loved one’s daily life was like, but some possible locations to plan around include:
- Where they lived
- Where they worked
- Where they got married
- Where they studied
- Their favourite restaurant
- Their favourite park
By traveling past the places your loved one frequented, you can help to guests to focus on how the departed lived more than the pain of their passing.
Ask Guests to Share Their Favourite Memories
The task of incorporating memories into a funeral doesn’t have to fall entirely on your shoulders. One special way to share as many special memories as possible with friends and family at the service is to invite guests to bring their own.
These memories can come in many forms. One option is set up a memory jar with a small stack of nice parchment paper. On each sheet, guests can write down their favourite memory of the departed and put it in the jar.
Alternatively, you can ask guests to bring their favourite photo with the loved one you’re remembering. Set up a photo board that guests can add their photo to when they arrive; during the service, everyone can take a look and refresh those memories.
After the funeral service, you can then collect these photos and messages and print them into a special memorial book for close friends and family, encouraging remembrance for years to come.
If you like the idea of personalising your loved one’s funeral service with memories, consider putting your focus into that and leaving us to take care of the rest. At Cremations Only, we offer a range of funeral service packages that include a casket, a celebrant or minister, flowers, an urn, and more. We also offer optional extras such as printing your order of service.
For more advice or a no obligations quote, contact Cremations Only by phone or email.