A funeral is an opportunity to

reflect on the life of your loved one…

and to share memories together with family and friends.

Personalising a funeral is a wonderful way to help everyone remember the things they loved most about someone you all cared greatly for.

Here are some ideas to help you personalise the funeral:

  1. Place some photos around the room. Traditionally, families will place a framed picture on the coffin to help people remember a loved one when they were at their best. Putting a collection of photos around the room will bring back fond memories for each person who was close to your loved one during different life stages… childhood friends, college roommates, sports teammates, workmates and of course, family.
  2. A personalised tribute video can include a selection of photos and even videos, with a soundtrack of their favourite songs, to help tell their life’s story. It can be played during the service, and/or a powerpoint of photos can be playing as people arrive. Sovereign Funerals can create a complimentary memorial video for you.
  3. Create a memorial table. As people walk in, a table laid out with mementoes of your loved one can elicit fond memories over a lifetime of emotions and events; their favourite hat, medals, awards, uniform, sports team scarf, even photos can be laid out on the table.
  4. A board full of quotes. If your loved one was famous for their sayings, what better way to remember them than to share their best quotes. You could even leave pen and paper on the table for people to write out their favourite quotes to share.
  5. A smile jar. There will be a guest book at most funerals to help you remember who was in attendance. Something that’s a little more personal is providing funeral attendees with the opportunity to write down a fond memory they have of the deceased to be placed in a jar. These could be read out at the Wake and kept for those times when you’re feeling low. Opening the jar and reading happy memories about someone you love dearly can bring a smile to your face when you need it most.

Every person is unique, so every funeral is unique. If you’d like some help to plan a personalised funeral, please get in touch with us. We’d love to help you.