How to Personalize a Funeral Service?

How do you fit a whole life into one farewell service? Whether you choose a traditional or contemporary service, personalizing as many aspects of the service as you are able really helps to share the story of your loved one’s life, far beyond the stories shared in the eulogy. Here are some questions that you may wish to consider as you plan: 

1 - What would your loved one want every person at their farewell service to hear and remember about them? 

This is such an interesting question to consider. If the answer(s) to this question don’t come as easily as hoped, which is a common thing when mired by grief, this is a great question to put out to friends and family. Guaranteed there will be a variety of answers that you can use to incorporate your loved one’s unique personality and preferences into their service.

2 - What were their favourite hobbies, activities, and passions?

This is also a great question that will help to really personalize the service. Here are some examples and ideas: 

• Was your loved one an avid reader? Host a book exchange at their service, invite funeral guests to bring a new children’s book to donate to a children’s charity or school library, or collect financial donations for a literacy charity.
• Did your loved one like to bake or cook? Consider printing their favourite recipe in their memorial card, or displaying some of their most-loved kitchen utensils at the front of the funeral venue, or including one of their best recipes at the luncheon reception.
• Perhaps your loved one was an avid photographer… consider having some of their photos on display in the entryway or at the front of the funeral venue, or having a slide show of their art playing as guests arrive and are seated.
• Did they love a certain sport or recreational activity, or have a unique career? Golfers, pilots, gardeners, etc. … there are so many ways to incorporate these and more into a meaningful and personalized funeral service. 

Read more about funeral service personalization here. 

3 - Was there a charity that they were passionate about?

There is so much that can be incorporated if your loved one was an avid volunteer or supporter of a charity: consider directing all memorial donations to this charity, organizing a memorial volunteering event with the charity, or even asking someone from the charity to take part in the service in some way (reading a poem, sharing stories of your loved one’s commitment to their organization, etc.).

4 - What made your loved one laugh?

This is the root of what promises to bring forth some rich stories… a simple question whose answers will bring smiles, laughter, and catharsis as you prepare to honour your loved one’s life. 

5 - Can the service be created as a unique and personalized tribute event instead of a more traditional service?

This is absolutely possible! Your loved one’s ceremony can be planned more in the style of an event, incorporating whatever holds meaning for you and your loved one. Our team of funeral directors is here to help you brainstorm and plan accordingly. 

6 - Is it wrong to include fun and laughter into the service?

It is a very common occurrence to have the presence of both sadness and humour during a funeral. As the stories of your loved one’s life are told, they may bring both tears and laughter. This is very normal, and a healthy way to mourn together. 

7 - What photos were their favourites?

This is one of the hardest yet most cathartic tasks in planning a funeral service: looking through and choosing photographs to use during the service, whether for photo displays or in a video tribute. The stories, laughter, and tears that are sure to accompany this piece of preparation will likely not only be cathartic, but will also likely provide more stories and memories to be shared during the service. 

It might feel a little bit awkward, but these times and conversations are worth video recording. That way nobody needs to feel like they need to write memories and stories down as you look at photos together, and those stories are then preserved for the service and beyond. 

There are a few pointers to keep in mind when selecting photos to be used for the service: 

• Ensure that the photo file size and quality are appropriate for the medium being used (newspaper requirements for an obituary will be different than printing a clear 8x10 photo to display at the service). Our in-house Graphics team can assist in letting you know if your selected images are of the right size and quality for intended use.
• Facebook photos are not likely going to be large enough to be used without severe pixelation.
• If you would like a memorial tribute video played at your loved one’s service, our graphics team will provide this service. Ask your funeral director about Park Memorial’s Treasured Memories Package. 

We know that planning a loved one’s service is emotional and stressful. How do you honour a life in such a short time? And how do you communicate just how important they were to you and all who loved them? 

We will ensure you have support for all of that and more. Our experienced team will help you to plan a personalized, meaningful service.