Memorial Program
Many people are choosing to have a memorial service over funeral services. The difference between a funeral and a memorial service is that the body is present at a funeral, and the body is absent from a memorial service. If you choose a memorial ceremony, you will have a lot more flexibility and time to create a more personalized experience. Memorial services that focus on the interests, activities, and past times of the
person who has passed away are becoming more and more popular. Consider the following criteria when planning a memorial service:
1. Location and Setting — location can be as formal as church or as informal as a park or the beach.
2. Time and Date — Since you are planning a memorial, you’ll have more flexibility on the date.
3. Pick a theme or a purpose — Consider loved one’s hobbies or interests.
4. Personalize the service — There are many ways to accomplish this such as personalized memorial service programs, portraits, memory boards and many other ways.
There are many resources available to help you plan your memorial service. Check the internet for many interesting ideas to help you plan the perfect service.
Cremation Jewelry
Usually when you think of a memorial keepsake you think of funeral programs, memorial photos or customizied burial urns. However, a very popular item for remembering a loved one is memorial jewelry. Memorial or cremation jewelry can be a bracelet, pendant, ring. This jewelry can include cremated remains, sometimes called ashes (or cremains), or hair.
Cremation pendants are available in many styles. Necklaces can be made of metals, usually gold or silver, and is often made of dichroic glass. When the ashes appear in the piece, they resemble white or grey flecks. Hair appears as tiny lines in the design.
Another popular style for the cremation pendant is the dichroic cremation pendant. This material allows for modern styling with deep, rich colors. Often, a person will find a glass cremation pendant in the favorite colors of the loved one, so that it honors that loved one in multiple ways.
A borosilicate glass pendant is another material for creating cremation jewelry. It is glass that is flamed over a torch. The remains are rolled into the melted glass, as well as tiny amounts of gold or silver. The flame treatment of the metal causes lovely shades of yellows and greens (in the case of gold) and hues of blues (in the case of silver).
All of these styles are very affordable and beautiful. These pieces of hand-crafted jewelry allow you to keep a loved one close to the heart always.
If a friend or loved one has passed away, you may be planning to visit with the family, and attend funeral or memorial service. Brushing up on your funeral etiquette can help make this experience less stressful.
Once you’ve learned of the death, you may want to express your condolences and concern to the family. Some common ways to express your concern is by sending a sympathy card, making a brief phone call to the family, preparing meals, or visiting with the family. If visiting with the family, be mindful of the time you spend. The family will be very busy, and may not have time for lengthy visits. Also, there may be a formal visitation planned. You can also send funeral flowers or floral tributes or memorial donations to charities. Be sure to honor the family’s wishes if they have made their preferences known.
If you are close to the immediate family, you may chose to offer more practical help during this stressful time. You can offer to baby sit or pet sit while the family makes funeral arrangement, accompany the family to the funeral home to assist with funeral planning, help with preparing and printing funeral programs, or thank you cards and much more. Showing your love and support will always be appreciated.
Funeral announcements notify the public of a person’s death and funeral details. Announcements can be done tastefully when given a little thought. By sharing the news of your loved one’s death, you allow others to share in your grief and make their own arrangements to attend the final service. Here are some helpful guidelines to assist you in creating an appropriate funeral announcement:
1. Publish your funeral announcement in the local newspaper of the deceased. (See Newspaper Obituaries)
2. Funeral announcements should be brief (unlike an obituary). It contains basic information such as name, death date and funeral and memorial details.
3. Include brief and specific information about the service, such as if the service is private or where to send donations.
4. Funeral announcements can be sent even if there is no service planned.
For more detailed information, see articles on funeral announcements.
Also See:
How to Write An Obituary
Sample Obituaries
Obituary Templates
Photos can help personalize your funeral or memorial service. Photos help focus the attention on the deceased, and help grieving family members and friends reflect on the fond memories of their loved one. There are several ways that photos can be incorporated into your service. Here are a few suggestions for using photos in funeral memorial services.
1. Display a large photo in a prominent place during the ceremony.
2. Display a photo collage. Photos can be mounted on poster board and displayed on an easel.
3. Video slide shows can be made from assembling electronic photos and using slide show software to compile a video collage.
4. Set up a photo display table that has photo albums, and framed pictures from different times in his or her life. Attendees can be encouraged to bring photos to display.
5. Funeral programs or memorial folders which include special memorial poems, song lyrics, special notes and photo collages.
6. Give prayer cards, bookmarks or customized plantable cards with personalized messages to guests at funeral or memorial services as keepsakes.
Using photos can make your service unique and special, and can help grieving friends and family members cherish memories for years to come.
There’s a lot of information on the internet about funeral planning and funeral costs. If you are planning a funeral or memorial service, you should take a some time to familiarize yourself with costs associated with planning a funeral. The average cost of a funeral is approximately $8,000, so you should to understand how these costs are broken down. There are so many different costs, including funeral director costs, caskets, flowers, transportation funeral program templates and funeral printing, just to name a few. I stumbled on this website posting that lists 45 different links associated with funeral costs and funeral pricing. This can serve as a good starting point for your research. Also see our posts on funeral costs and funeral planning.
Writing an obituary is often one of the fist tasks that may need to be accomplished when organizing a funeral or memorial service. An obituary template can help you write an obituary for a recently deceased friend or loved one. Obituary templates or funeral program template can also be used to help create funeral or obituary programs that can be handed out during funeral or memorial services. Obituary programs can contain graphics, funeral poems, scriptures funeral songs and other elements are are often kept by friends and family members as keepsakes.
An important part of an obituary or funeral program is the actual obituary. The obituary tells of the deceased person’s life. It is used to remember and honor the deceased. Obituaries that are published in funeral or obituary programs are usually several paragraphs and may contain the following information.
Date of birth, place of birth
Date of death, place of death
Circumstances of death
Plans for the viewing (if applicable) and the funeral and memorial service
Names of high schools or colleges attended or graduated
Military service and decorations
Religious affiliations, church membership
Jobs held – including retirement
Names and relations of family members
Organization memberships
There are many resources available in books and on the internet to help you write an obituary, as well as sample obituaries. In addition to the obituary, you may want to consider incuding a photo, family photos, memorial poems, scriptures and other items that will help honor and remember your loved one.
Also See
Sample Obituary
Obituary Templates
Death Announcements
If you have been tasked with planning final arrangements, such as a funeral, memorial service or cremation, you may be overwhelmed and not quite sure where to begin. You may want to begin by understanding funeral costs. The average, funeral can cost between $6,000 – 7,000, with additional costs for burial. Many funerals can run well over $10,000, depending on upgrades and additional services. Whether you are using funeral or burial insurance, or paying for the funeral directly, you should understand the expenses associated with funeral and memorial services. Below are some common funeral and memorial expenses.
- Professional Funeral Services
You will need to understand the costs of these expenses and create a service that is both a fitting farewell to your loved one, while staying within you person budget. The internet is a great source for finding average prices on goods and services associated with the funeral budgeting and funeral costs. With a little research and planning, you can plan and pay for the perfect service
Funeral planning can be an overwhelming task. It is can be difficult to make decisions during such an emotional time. Whether you’re planning a loved one’s funeral or pre-planning your own, the process can be difficult if you do not know or understand your options. Begin by considering these four important questions.
- What is your budget for the funeral or memorial service?
- Do you want the body to be present at the funeral?
- Will you have a religious or traditional funeral or a contemporary funeral or memorial service?
- Which people will accomplish the many administrative tasks (such as who will create the funeral program, selecting speakers for the service and writing obituaries) associated with funeral planning?
Answering these key questions will put you well on your way to planning the perfect funeral or memorial service that fits into your budget. The following articles can help you understand the funeral or memorial planning process:
Funeral Planning
Funeral Service Checklist
Funeral Costs
Funeral or Memorial Service
Funeral Caskets
Selecting Funeral Flowers
Funeral and Memorial Ideas
Welcome to the funeral planning blog. This blog will have useful information to help you plan a funeral or memorial service. This blog will cover topics such as how to plan a funeral and memorial, understanding funeral costs, how to write obituaries, eulogies and create funeral programs and much, much more.
