Losing a loved one is never easy, and the hassle of planning the perfect memorial can often be overwhelming. Honoring the life they led and dealing with the loss on a personal level is a lot to handle during an emotional time.
After cremation services are performed, creating an environment for the deceased’s family and friends to properly honor their legacy doesn’t have to be a burden. Here are a few tips to ensure your final goodbyes are both memorable and honorable.
Preparing a tribute
Upon the passing of a family member or friend, many opt for a spoken or written eulogy. Most tributes of this kind include personal anecdotes along with a summary of the major milestones in their lives. Should the family choose to forego a single eulogy, the service can include a moment where attendees share their stories and memories of the recently deceased one at a time. This approach allows everyone who wishes to participate to say their last goodbyes.
In a similar fashion, many families place a guest book outside the area of the service so those who may not be comfortable with public speaking can write down their stories. The family can take the book home and read through the various memories of their loved one in the weeks after the service. These written eulogies memorialize the deceased for years to come.
Sharing memories
One of the most common ways to honor a loved one after their passing is through photographs. Families will display poster boards of the deceased from childhood through the time of their passing for attendees to reminisce as they wait to express their condolences. Many funeral homes often offer the option to display a slideshow of photos on a television should the family choose to host the memorial at a formal location. For at-home services, photos can be displayed throughout various rooms for guests to view as they gather to remember their loved one.
For those with a knack for technology, syncing guests to a device with cloud photo storage can provide everyone with the chance to share their favorite memories. As they find photos in their camera rolls on their phones, computers, tablets, and other forms of technology, they can add them to a group folder for others to see. Family and friends can create separate albums for each phase of their dearly departed’s life or sort them by events such as weddings, baptisms, and parties. They can then easily share, send, and print the photos in order to keep them forever.
Final goodbyes
There are many options for families to consider after the memorial has concluded. Cremains can be placed in an urn for a loved one to keep in a place of honor, buried in a location of importance, or brought to a mausoleum. Others choose to plant their loved one’s remains in order to create new life, or even have the ashes turned into a concrete reef to protect ocean habitats.
One of the most popular ways to send off a loved one is scattering their ashes at sea. This process is permitted by law, however there is a proper protocol that must be followed. The services must follow guidelines set by the EPA and reported to the agency within 30 days. The remains have to be scattered at least 3 nautical miles from land in a biodegradable urn with no forms of decorations that could pose a threat to marine life.
When the time comes to plan the perfect memorial for a loved one, these simple steps can ensure that their final goodbyes are peaceful, memorable, and respectful.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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