As attitudes around funerals evolve, many are considering celebration of life ideas to honour their loved one in different and unique ways. Arrange a funeral that's personalised and celebratory to highlight your loved one's colourful life.
Celebration of life ideas usually focus on remembering the joy of a person’s life rather than the sadness of saying goodbye. Celebratory funerals are commonly held after or instead of traditional funerals and are typically more casual, cheerful and unique.
In 2023, half of all funerals were described as a ‘celebration of life’ while only 28% were traditional.* Online searches for ‘celebration of life’ have also increased by 60% in the past year.
There are no strict rules for celebration of life ceremonies, which allows for more personalisation, but knowing where to start can also be overwhelming.
To help make the process as easy as possible, we have put together ten celebration of life ideas.
* In 2023, 50% of people described the tone of the funeral service as a celebration of life, 28% as traditional (SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2024, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs)
Many celebration of life ideas focus on the details of the memorial, but the date of the event can also hold significance. A celebratory funeral doesn’t need to take place on the same day as the burial or cremation, especially if you’ve chosen to have a direct cremation or small attended cremation service.
While some plan the service as soon as possible to help start the grieving process, others choose a day with existing meaning.
Some meaningful dates that you may like to consider are:
When you choose a significant date, be aware that this day may remind you of your loved one’s passing in future years. However, the positive memories of honouring their life supported by friends and family can bring joy to a day that would otherwise be difficult.
Celebratory memorials can take place during the funeral service at the crematorium or burial ground, at a wake or funeral reception after the service or somewhere more personal that you instantly associate with the deceased.
The below celebration of life ideas for venues may help you decide where to hold your event.
Consider venues your loved one often visited or where they held a memorable life event in the past.
If your loved one enjoyed the outdoors, you can pay tribute to them surrounded by nature.
An event at home offers a personal atmosphere, simplifies logistics and keeps costs low.
Celebrate your loved one's achievements at their uni or another building related to their career.
Revisit fond memories of seaside holidays or scatter your loved one’s ashes in the ocean.
The most significant venue for an avid sports fan may be their team’s stadium, pitch or court.
You can hold celebratory services almost anywhere, as long as there’s enough space for everyone invited and you can serve food and, if preferred, alcohol. If you are scattering your loved one’s ashes and would like this to be a part of the celebration of life event, you may also wish to consider this when selecting a venue.
Wherever the location of the service is, you can personalise it with a theme to represent a person’s character. Consider your loved one’s interests, passions and hobbies that you could incorporate.
If there isn’t a personal theme that comes to mind, you can simply incorporate cheerful colours that will help set the celebratory tone of the day.
A funeral celebrant will typically lead a celebration of life service and guide you through the planning process. Celebrants can also provide celebration of life ideas and help you write and deliver the eulogy if needed.
Celebrants usually aren’t associated with any religion, but civil celebrants may leave a section for prayers, religious readings and hymns in their services. However, humanist celebrants don’t tend to include religious elements.
A celebrant isn’t required if the memorial occurs in a more casual environment, but they can help maintain some structure to the day and take the pressure off hosting.
Alternatively, a family member or friend could also lead the event to give it a more intimate, personal and relaxed feel. You may like to choose someone closest to the deceased or perhaps someone who feels comfortable speaking in front of a group.
Various people can be responsible for different aspects of the event so the hosting responsibilities don’t just fall on one person.
Traditional funeral readings often consist of poetry or religious texts.
If the deceased didn’t read poetry themselves or wasn’t religious, it might feel more personal and suitable to read passages from a book, quotes from a film or lyrics from a song. The readings could also tie into the theme.
Whether the funeral is traditional or celebratory, readings often include a eulogy - a loving speech reflecting on a person’s life and character.
Throughout the day, you could encourage people to keep sharing funny or happy stories of the person you’re honouring to continue celebrating the mark they left on the world.
When compiling celebration of life ideas, consider music. You can research popular funeral songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Eva Cassidy or you may already have your loved one’s favourite music in mind.
What kind of music do you play at a celebration of life?
A celebration of life is more likely to prioritise songs the person enjoyed rather than tracks that capture the sadness of grief. Playing songs that your loved one found joy in when they were alive or that cheerfully embody their character will help remind you of their spirit.
Live music is also a great way to honour the deceased and provide a moving moment for mourners.
Another way to incorporate a person’s personality into the memorial is with their favourite food and beverages.
After a funeral service, most will serve a buffet at the wake with drinks available to order. You may like to go with a venue's buffet package or ask family and friends to bring dishes to keep catering simple.
At a celebration of life, depending on the venue’s requirements, you don’t need to stick to traditional refreshments. You can incorporate the catering into the rest of the event with themed food and drink.
The dress code is one of the most distinctive differences between traditional and celebratory funerals. Typically, mourners wear black to a traditional service and colour to a celebration of life memorial, but it varies depending on the family’s preferences.
Wearing black to funerals can help some express their grief, while others wear colour to remember the joyfulness of the person they’re grieving. You can choose a dress code that suits the rest of your celebration of life ideas.
The dress code could be:
In a survey we previously conducted, black was still the top choice for funeral attire, with one in six Brits preferring the traditional dress code. However, a tenth of Brits said mourners should wear colour to funerals, while two-thirds of respondents didn’t have a preference, suggesting the strict etiquette around funeral attire has relaxed.
To avoid causing offence or confusion, clearly mention what attendees should wear to the funeral along with the logistical details of the day.
Transportation might not play a huge role in the day, but can still be incorporated into your celebration of life ideas. Personalising transport can help maintain the tone of the event.
Some simple ways to remember your loved one on the journey are to play their favourite music in the car or look at happy photos.
You could also hire a car that’s in keeping with the theme and will instantly spark joy, such as a yellow taxi if the theme is New York City, the Ghostbusters van for a movie theme or a military vehicle for someone who served in the military.
If they haven’t attended a celebratory funeral before, attendees may not know what to expect, which can increase anxiety. Planning the day around an activity can help provide some structure, keep people preoccupied if they don’t feel like talking, and offer a special moment in tribute to the deceased.
Simple and understated activities may suit your loved one and their send-off best. Gather family and friends for a walk in their favourite park, a tree planting event, an allotment visit or to create a memory jar.
More extravagant activities like releasing butterflies or doves outside, watching fireworks or riding in a hot air balloon may best reflect the life of someone with a more outgoing and lively personality.
It can also be comforting to incorporate your loved one’s interests into activities, such as baking one of their recipes, playing their favourite game, attending a painting or pottery class, or screening their favourite film.
A celebration of life funeral is a beautiful way to commemorate the joy of a person’s life and honour what they mean to their loved ones. There are many ways to hold these types of services and personalise a funeral service.
As well as offering celebration of life ideas to commemorate your loved one, we can also support you with your funeral arrangements.
Arrange a simple and affordable unattended or attended cremation by calling us on 01543 212000. Or see more helpful guidance below.
Our unattended and attended cremation services offer dignified care at low costs. Our compassionate team will support you with the arrangements from start to finish.
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Knowing what’s traditionally included can help you when writing a eulogy for a loved one. See our guidance about eulogy etiquette at a funeral service or celebration of life.
How to write a eulogy
Personal music choices can evoke happy memories of your loved one’s life and personality. To help you choose, find out more about the most popular funeral music.
Funeral music ideasBelow are a selection of reviews from those who followed their instinct with Distinct and chose to buy a funeral with us.
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