After Funeral Ceremony

Learn how to plan an after funeral ceremony. It is like a celebration of life time to pass on stories to the future grandchildren and great grandchildren of the loved one. You have been blessed with the honor of leading friends and family of your loved one in a celebration of life ceremony. You must have a great gift to be able to guide everyone in this time of reminiscing and remembrance. Prepare a hallmark lasting legacy of your beloved. We want to help you plan a ceremony that speaks when words fail and creates tremendous impact.

Pick a date and location to have your ceremony. This can be done in your home, church, social club building, etc. Think about what you loved one enjoyed the most. Have this celebration at their favorite place in the past, like a park, beach, banquet hall, work, etc.

Make sure you have the names and phone numbers of everyone who is willing to help put this after funeral ceremony together. Delegate the following jobs to them. You will need the following help:

• Someone to get the flowers and food or beverages.
• Someone to find photos of the loved one
• Someone to put together a video of the loved one. Use Animoto.com to help.
• Someone to find songs they would like played during the celebration of life
• Someone to help set up the ceremony
• Someone to do the readings/closing words (can come from anything, including blogs or Facebook entries)
• Someone to collect the decorations and mementos for the memory table
• Someone to send out invitations (included with the Legacy Time Capsule)
• Someone to coordinate the food table
• Someone to lead the Legacy Time Capsule activity
• Someone to video record this event or take pictures
• Someone to help family fill out Legacy profile book

Next, determine your budget you have to spend. Then, look at the following list of supplies needed for this special event, and determine what you already have. Make this a memorable after funeral ceremony to remember.

• “Any Occasion” DIY Time Capsule
• Table cloth
• Punch bowl
• Plastic cups, silverware, and disposable plates
• Pens
• Scotch tape
• TV to play video
• Speaker with medium to play music
• Folding chairs
• Printer
• Guest book
• Food and beverages
• Felt tip markers to write on balloons
• Video recorder
• Camera

What to say at the Celebration of Life?

You can begin by reading the loved one’s eulogy, favorite sayings, memories or stories, or quotes from books, scriptures, or a poem. People young and old can tell their precious stories at this celebration of life.

Outline for Celebration of Life Ceremony

• Favorite music of loved one playing
• Special reading
• Eulogy
• Purpose of this special event – Celebrate and pass on to the next generation stories from your loved one, through the use of the Legacy Time Capsule.
• Filling out “Memories to the Future” letters
• Sharing of each item brought for the Legacy Time Capsule and filling out identification tags.
• Video of loved one continuously playing in the background or played at a specific time.
• Closing words and sealing of the Legacy Time Capsule.
• Releasing of balloons or other favorite way to have a final tribute to your loved one.

Note: Some people decide to videotape or video stream the ceremony on the internet. This is a great idea for family or friends who could not come to this ceremony, but would still like to be a part of this celebration of life.

So, what do you think of this after funeral ceremony idea so far? We will continue this idea for a great party or celebration of life ceremony in our next blog. Stay tuned for more ideas. Who in your life do you wish you had a time capsule to honor?

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie