Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Life Service

Celebration of Life Guide [Benefits & Ideas]

For those looking for unique and personalized alternatives to funerals or memorials, celebration of life services are the best option. Below, we explain how we can help with celebration of life planning. We have also provided a few benefits of life celebrations as well as some celebration of life ideas.


It achieves the same purposes as a traditional funeral by gathering family and friends to pay tribute to the deceased. A celebration of life has a more uplifting atmosphere that reflects on positive stories and memories that involved your loved one. The major benefit of a celebration of life is that it allows you the freedom to best display your loved one’s personality, values, and passions, in whichever way you see fit.


Why Choose a Celebration of Life?

Many families today want a service which celebrates the life of their loved one. We introduce them to the concept of a celebration of life, and provide support in designing a celebration of life that is as unique as the life of their loved one.


We always enjoy working together with families in 
planning a celebration of life  for their loved one. While it can be a challenge to put together an event that both pays tribute to and celebrates the life and spirit of a complex individual, it's also one of the most rewarding things any one of us can do for someone we've loved and lost.


Sarah York opens her beautifully-crafted book, Remembering Well, with the very personal story about how her family chose to pay tribute to her mother. "My mother died in April 1983... She didn't want a funeral. 'Get together and have a party,' she had said when the topic was allowed to come up." However, she was quick to tell readers that the survivors did not honor the request. "We needed the ritual. We needed to say good-bye, but we also needed a ritual that would honor her spirit and would be faithful to her values and beliefs."


When Ms. York acknowledges the position of her family—that they needed not a party but a ritual—she teaches us all something important: the celebration of life ceremonies we plan with families should be shaped as much by their own emotional and spiritual needs as their desire to celebrate the life lived.

Celebrations of Life Services vs. Funerals

Both funerals and celebrations of life serve as a way for families to acknowledge the passing of a loved one and say goodbye. However, there are many contrasts between the two ceremonies which commonly leads a family to choose one over the other.


A traditional funeral follows common rituals and customs, and tends to be a more structured ceremony. Usually, it has four main parts: the visitation, the funeral service, the committal service, and the funeral reception. For those looking for a sense of spirituality, religion, or tradition, we suggest holding a traditional funeral service rather than a celebration of life.


Through choosing a celebration of life ceremony, there is more freedom in the planning process. Essentially, this type of ceremony can include whatever your family thinks is appropriate to represent and honor your loved one. The purpose of this service is to tell the story of your loved one’s life and celebrate what made them special. 


In many cases, a celebration of life service is held after the body has been cared for. This allows your family more time to come together and plan a service that has includes input from everyone. It is common for families to hold a celebration of life weeks or even months after their loved one has been buried or cremated. This flexibility with time ensures you can schedule for a date for when family and friends are able to attend. In contrast, traditional funerals generally take place a couple days after death for the specific purpose of burial and a graveside ceremony. 

What is a Celebration of Life?

Author Barbara Kingsolver, in her book The Poisonwood Bible, wrote “To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know.” We think this reflection is at the heart of a celebration of life. While a funeral, as we've described it above, has more to do with the orderly and often spiritually-defined, a celebration-of-life is more concerned with telling the story of the deceased. Celebration of life ceremonies are just that: a time people come together more to celebrate the unique personality and achievements of the deceased than to merely witness or mark the change in their social status.

Celebration of life ceremonies are similar to memorial services, which can be described as a hybrid event: combining the flexibility of a celebration of life with many of the activities of a traditional funeral order-of-service.

There's more room for creativity in a celebration of life service than a funeral. Since celebrations of life are commonly held after the individual's physical remains have been cared for through burial or cremation, there is much more time available to plan the event. And without doubt, this allows you to make better decisions about how you'd like to celebrate the life of someone you dearly loved.


While celebrations of life services are not burdened by social expectations—they can be pretty much anything you want them to be—it's important to realize that the event you're planning should meet the emotional needs of the guests. So, think about exactly who will be there, and what they're likely to want or need. Then, bring in those unique lifestyle and personality characteristics of the deceased; perhaps add live music or refreshments, and you've got the beginnings of a remarkable celebration of life.

3 Benefits & Reasons to Hold a Life Celebration

A celebration of life offers many benefits to your family. Just as each person is unique, each celebration of life service is personal and unique as well. As you explore ideas for a service, consider what the deceased would enjoy, but also what the attendees will enjoy and what will meet their emotional and spiritual needs. Below are the three most cited reasons to plan a celebration of life. 



Personalization 

Many families no longer want the traditional funeral services of years past. Instead, they want a service that is personalized and reflects their loved one. A celebration of life service can include practically anything you want. Say for instance your loved one enjoyed hunting, the service can be planned to have a hunting theme to it. Celebrations of life are all about personalization and making the service something meaningful that truly reflects the deceased unique personality. 

Convenience 

Another benefit of a celebration of life service is convenience. If a family wants to have a funeral, they need to make the arrangements, invite guests, and attend the service. All of this must be done in about a week’s time all while dealing with the grief and stress of losing a loved one. However, when you hold a celebration of life, the remains are often cared for beforehand giving your family more time to plan. Instead, you can deal with the initial grief before coming together with loved ones to plan a service that is special and unique. 

Get More People Involved 

Since timing is more flexible, it allows families to get more loved one's involved in the process of planning celebration of life services. The service should be about sharing memories, so it is important to get as many friends and family members providing celebration of life ideas as possible. Some families take months to plan out the perfect life celebration. Planning a unique memorial for a family member takes a great deal of time and effort. It is important to make a loved one's services special.


Celebration of Life Ideas

The best way to start planning a celebration of life is to begin doing so while your loved one is still with you. This way you have the chance to ask them, “how do you want to be remembered?”, “what are you most passionate about?”, and “what would you like your celebration of life to include?”. This way you are not left guessing what your loved one would’ve wanted when it comes time to plan the celebration of life service. 

As we’ve said, there are many different things you can include in a celebration of life service. To help get you inspired, we’ve compiled a collection of celebration of life ideas. Remember, a celebration of life doesn’t have to be complicated. There are many ways to plan a service that is meaningful and special. Please keep in mind, these are strictly ideas you can plan and are not services offered by our firm. 

Planning a Celebration of Life

The Sports Lover

If your loved one was a devoted sports fan of a particular team or avidly played a sport themselves, consider focusing the celebration of life around that team or sport. An idea for this could be organizing a golf or baseball tournament in honour of your loved one, or even attending a game of their favourite team.

The Foodie 

If your loved one enjoyed tasting or trying new recipes, you may want to consider organizing a dinner party that serves their favourite foods. The dinner party can be at someone’s home or at the deceased’s favourite restaurant. Family and friends can then feel connected to the deceased through the food that they loved, as well as being together to share stories and memories of their loved one. 

The Charitable Person

In the event that your loved one was passionate about charity and giving back to the community, you could organize an event that also raises money for a cause that they were passionate about. The fundraiser can be an extravagant event or simply a casual party where people are encouraged to donate. After whichever event you decide on, the contributions can then be donated in the deceased’s name to live on as a memory of them.


Want to Learn More About Celebration of Life Services? Contact Us.

We've got years of experience listening, brainstorming, and advising families how they can best pay tribute to a beloved family member through a number of different end-of-life celebrations. That means we're the perfect people to help you decide between a  funeral  and a celebration of life service. We'll explore your options with you in detail, taking all the time you need.


In the book Chocolat , by Joanne Harris, you'll find this fundamental truth: “Life is what you celebrate. All of it. Even its end. ”As funeral professionals we help families express reverence for life. Let us do that for your family. Call our funeral home  to speak with a member of our staff. Visit our celebration of life planning page or contact us for guidance.

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