When an individual passes away, the people that are left behind may look at traditional funerals or cremation for their choice. Having these funeral or cremation services in Kilgore, TX, might feel like the primary choice, and in both events, these can be turned into a celebration of life. So, you may be curious what a celebration of life exactly is, and here is some information about it.
What is the Celebration of Life?
This celebration’s intention is to offer funeral services but with a more uplifting or joyous approach. The event’s focus is to emphasize the positive impact the loved one had on the individuals around them. Because the celebration of life is a more personalized event, it may involve things like fireworks, dancing, and happy expression around the individual’s memory. These are generally held separate from the funeral, and at times the reception can become the celebration.
Ideas to Make the Service Successful
The concept of a celebration of life is to create an event that helps celebrate the individual’s memory. Here are some suggestions to help make the event a successful one.
- Creating memorial favors to hand out to attendees.
- Having a video or images of the individual role.
- Writing a memorable eulogy.
- Serving their favorite snack or food.
- Collect photos from individuals to make a memory book.
- Offering cards for individuals to write stories about the loved one.
- Create a time capsule with memorabilia and place with the burial.
Online Ideas
- Having a memorial website.
- Sharing an album of the deceased.
- Offering space for friends and family to share stories.
- Providing a GoFundMe to allow people to contribute.
- Write a grief blog for others to read.
Service Ideas
A celebration can be held in multiple locations, including churches, personal homes, or garden and park settings. A starting place is to decide where and when you will be holding the event. Once this is completed, you can choose who you will be invited to attend. In some cases, you may want someone specific to speak at the event and reach out to them.
Decide what activities will happen and use your creative thinking about the individual when planning. Picking decorations is an option and deciding how formal or casual it will be will help. Will you provide food, or will it be a potluck style event is a consideration? Creating a structured event will help give you an outline to cover all your loved one’s wishes at the event.
Taking the Time to Make the Right Choice
Planning a celebration of life can be confusing, particularly when planning the memorial services. If you are trying to decide and are looking for cremation services in Kilgore, TX, East Texas Funeral Home is here to help. We offer compassionate care with our direct cremation and funeral services and want you to know we understand how painful a loss can be. We are here to support you in your journey through laying your loved one to rest, so give us a call today to get started.