When someone dies, amid the grief and loss felt by the people close to them, there is often a desire to celebrate the life they lived and to share happy memories at their funeral, memorial or a later ceremony to scatter or inter ashes.
Here are six of our favourite life celebration ideas to help you create space for memories and include moments of joy in a funeral.
Choose a location that they would have loved
A funeral or memorial doesn’t have to take place in a crematorium or burial chapel. If the person whose life you are celebrating had a favourite pub or enjoyed walking in local woodlands, why not hold a ceremony there?
For example, Steve’s family chose to host his celebration of life in the barn on their family farm, as they knew how much he enjoyed spending time outdoors on his land. Read more about Steve’s funeral.
Share your favourite stories
Instead of – or in addition to – a eulogy which chronicles the key events and achievements of someone’s life, you could invite people to share stories and amusing anecdotes about that person.
No one is perfect, maybe the person who has died was known for always being late, or for their dodgy driving, or for telling jokes that made everyone groan. Hearing stories about the real person – annoying habits and all – often leads to shared laughter. There’s comfort to be found in a shared recognition of the person you knew, loved and will miss.
Choose uplifting poems and music to lift your spirits
There are plenty of light-hearted, yet meaningful and appropriate, poems and readings that are suitable for funerals. A humanist celebrant can help you find something which feels right, or visit this blog which includes some humorous and uplifting poems.
Music can bring back happy memories, make people smile, or evoke the personality of the person whose life you are remembering.
For example, Helen’s family chose the Formula One theme tune as closing music at her funeral. As she was a keen motorhead, they knew she would have loved this final touch. Read more about Helen’s funeral here.
Involve all the generations
If children are attending the funeral, there are many ways that you could get them involved, so that they feel part of what’s going on.
Perhaps include children’s drawings in the order of service, or attach them to the coffin. Or enable them to share a short memory during the ceremony. Including children in a funeral or memorial ceremony often helps lift the spirits of adult mourners as well.
Including colour at a funeral
If you want to, you can banish black! You can ask guests to wear the favourite colour of the person who died, or the colours of their favourite sports team.
The colour scheme can also be reflected in your choice of hearse – you can even book leopard-print or rainbow-patterned hearses – or the coffin itself. Cardboard and willow coffins come in a range of colours, or plain coffins can be decorated with ribbons, flags, drawings or messages.
Celebrate hobbies and habits
Think about the hobbies or activities that brought joy to the person whose life you are remembering. There are plenty of ways to celebrate these during the funeral or memorial. A keen puzzler? Include a crossword or sudoku in the order of service for others to enjoy. A talented cook? Share one of their favourite recipes.
Sarah’s mum Joan had a habit of always telling her children to “have a humbug for the journey” as they left her house after a visit, so they decided it would be nice if everyone at her funeral could enjoy a humbug in Joan’s memory. All guests received humbugs in little bags to enjoy during a moment of reflection during the ceremony. Read more about Joan’s funeral here.
These ideas are just to get you started in planning small happy moments within a funeral or celebration of life. A funeral led by a humanist celebrant has the flexibility to include all sorts of creative ideas and personal touches which can bring joy into the funeral, ashes ceremony, or non-religious memorial.
Working with a Humanist Ceremonies funeral celebrant
A Humanist Ceremonies funeral celebrant is there to help you create a personal and meaningful farewell for your loved one – one that truly reflects their life, values, and personality.
Your celebrant will take the time to get to know you and learn about the person you’re remembering and what mattered to them. They’ll help you craft a ceremony that honours their life in an authentic and heartfelt way, weaving together personal tributes, readings, music, and moments of quiet reflection.
Our highly trained Humanist Ceremonies celebrants know that a funeral isn’t just about saying a sad goodbye, it can also include joyful moments, celebrating the love and shared experiences that made your loved one special.
