How to celebrate your life with a ceremony?

We are all unique as we all have a special story to tell. A celebration of life is a personal and meaningful event created to honour the life we have lived. Whether you are thinking of a simple tribute or a sophisticated event, we encourage you to find inspiration in the little things that make you happy.

Unlike a funeral, which may not necessarily represent you, a celebration of life is planned with and for you. There are some common traditions that could be part of the event, but there are no rules to follow. A celebration of life often takes place after the burial or cremation of your loved one. This type of ceremony can be held at any time after the person’s death. This allows more time to plan a special event. Some families hold a celebration of life for up to a year after the death of their loved one. This is helpful for people who are struggling with the grieving and loss process. 

If you are not familiar with this life celebration tradition and would love to learn more about it, this article is for you.

Celebrating Life starts with Inspiration

A final tribute should be as special as the life you are trying to celebrate.. If you are planning to celebrate the life of your loved one, you may get started by searching for inspiration. How would you share his/her story over a single ceremony? You may start with the things they loved the most. Write down their favourite memories to generate ideas and include a special touch to the funeral service.

Using MyBio.life, record what they have shared in the Personal Story section. They may share things you were not aware of. 

Finally, write a few words or phrases to describe your loved one. What were the things that made his/her eyes shine the most? Think about the activities and food she/he enjoyed, the places she/he visited and the music she/he used to listen to.

MyBio.life users are using  the Messenger tool provided in the App to find out more about the personal life story of their loved one.

 

Ideas for a Celebration of Life

Everyone has a passion, a focus or a family tradition. Think about how you can highlight these important things in such a meaningful way. You can use the list below to generate ideas.

• Flights

As a gesture of remembrance, you can include doves, balloons, lanterns.  They could be displayed in water or in the air. For balloon or lantern flights, family and friends could also write a personal note.

• Music

If your loved one had a passion for music, you could offer a live performance of his/her favourite style. Whether you choose jazz, classical, rock or something totally unique, music can become the key element that ties together each piece in the celebration of their life.

• Flowers

You may choose to arrange flowers in a way that symbolises your life and passions or those of your loved one. A favourite type of flower is often a good place to start. Or choose flowers that match the colour of a sports fan’s favourite team. For a personal touch, you could replace vases with beer pitchers or wine bottles decorated with photos taken by your loved one.

• Transportation

When planning a memorial service for yourself or a loved one, keep in mind that a simple drive from the service location to the cemetery can be a memorable moment. If your loved one loved motorcycles, why not get their  club members involved in this life celebration?

Lining up their motorcycles and having someone riding your loved one’s motorcycle into the chapel or cemetery is a thoughtful way of showing their life.. You could also  place a picture of your loved one in the sidecar. Did your loved one enjoy the serenity of a boat trip? Carry a kayak with a picture or the urn to their gravesite. If your loved one was a car lover, you could also organise a vintage car procession. For a horse lover or a nature lover, you should get a horse-drawn carriage to carry the casket.

• Reception

Whether you are getting married, celebrating a new role or organising a celebration, choosing food is such an important topic. For a great gardener or farmer, consider creating a menu featuring their life hobbies. If a certain type of food was a way for your loved one to show their attachment to their family and friends, you could also honour that as well. 

Are you trying to plan your own funerals or life celebration? Do you have a secret recipe that everyone asks you about all the time? You may want to give it to your funeral planner when you are planning the arrangements so that it can be given as a memento to your family and friends at the service.

• Decorations

Decoration is a great way to create the chosen atmosphere. You may adapt the decoration of this ceremony, taking into consideration your passion, what is important for your loved one, and anything that could reflect what is your passion. 

For example, a venue could be transformed into country parties, horse parties, quilt-themed baseball games, car races and train races. Personal memories or a special collection can also be part of a service and can add an unique touch to the event.

• Funeral Clothing

Funeral clothing can reflect the uniqueness of your loved one. For example, you might ask guests to wear a certain colour to represent your favourite sports team or perhaps a floral design to honour a gardener or patriotic colours to honour a veteran.

All Ideas are Good ones

A celebration of life is like the life of your loved person, it is unique. Indeed, all ideas are good ideas! It is simply a matter of paying tribute to the person you loved. To do this, you will choose the items that were important in their life. Before shopping for suppliers, stop for a moment, talk to your family members and write down the personality traits of the person to express what made them unique. You could build on these points to plan the celebration.

There is no hard and fast rule for a celebration of life ceremony. This event can be personalised according to the expressed wishes of the deceased or the wishes of their family members. There is an air of warmth and love  in this type of end-of-life event. Use this special time to share stories, laugh and remember the things that made your loved one important to us.