Celebrations of life, sometimes called funeral parties, are becoming more common, whether personally preplanned or organized posthumously by loved ones. They're becoming more popular than traditional funerals because they’re more personalized and less somber. Instead of featuring the deceased’s body, which usually isn’t present, a life celebration can feature the person’s personality and character.
If you think a celebration of life is more suitable for your loved one or for you as you're preplanning, you’ll need to consider six key details as you plan a funeral party.
While a traditional funeral is often held in a funeral home or church, a celebration of life is located in a place that was important to the person. For a sports fanatic, the best location may be a baseball field or golf course. A park, marina, or beach may have special meaning to an outdoors lover. A theater or art gallery would suit someone with a passion for the arts. If many key moments were celebrated at a restaurant or pub, it may be an appropriate place for a final send-off.
Themed funerals rank among current funeral planning trends, and it makes sense since they take celebrating interests to another level. Funeral party themes may encompass the person’s culture or heritage, a lifelong career, a hobby, a beloved entertainer, an annual vacation destination, or even a favorite holiday. You can keep it small and simply decorate the venue with personal items or go all-out and ask attendees to dress the part. For example, they can wear Hawaiian shirts to a beach party or dress as the person's favorite Star Wars characters.
Some of the most meaningful moments of a life celebration revolve around readings, orations, and music that truly represent the person. Readings may include favorite Bible verses or beloved poems. Talented speakers or close friends can share stories. The person’s favorite songs can be performed by a live band or a recorded playlist.
Some celebration of life activities may relate to the theme or the music, such as dancing to a live band. But others may honor the person's interests or be used as a way to say goodbye. For example, you can release butterflies or doves at the end of the life celebration or honor the person's volunteer work by hosting a toy drive or accepting donations for a cause at the funeral party.
Let the person's heritage or interests influence the menu. You may ask a beloved restaurant to cater the event for a “foodie.” You could showcase a particular entrée, snack, or dessert they loved. If the person had a signature drink, make it available for a special touch.
You may choose to display a portrait or memory quilt to memorialize the person or set out a guest book, like a traditional funeral. But on the other hand, you could offer attendees funeral party favors that serve as keepsakes, such as a small photo of the person or a seed memorial card that can be filled with flower seeds to be planted as a beautiful reminder. You can also turn the item in memoriam into an activity, such as planting a tree in the person's honor.
If you want to bypass a traditional funeral for yourself, you can preplan a celebration of life. Preplanning and prepaying allow you to specify your exact wishes and take the pressure off your loved ones when you pass. They won’t question what you would’ve wanted and worry how they’re going to pay your final expenses.
Preneed insurance is used to fund a funeral service agreement between you and a funeral home. You decide every element you want included in your funeral service, which includes everything from the casket or urn to transportation for the family. The funeral home partner totals the costs, and that amount is the basis for your Preneed insurance plan. You can either pay the amount in one installment or through monthly premiums. Upon your death, the funds are used to pay the funeral home for your funeral.
Wellabe provides Preneed Funeral insurance not only to help you make your final wishes clear, but also to leave no expenses behind for your loved ones. Call 800-995-9010 or visit our regional managers page to connect with a funeral home partner near you.
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Kelly Rayburn, AVP national sales and distribution at Wellabe, and Olga Villaverde, from Lifetime TV’s The Balancing Act, explain the importance of preplanning your funeral. While a difficult subject, advance planning can alleviate financial and emotional burdens for your family members.
More topics at thebalancingact.com
