Planning a Non-Traditional Funeral to Celebrate a Life

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Being involved in arranging a funeral is probably one of the most serious things you'll ever do. It's understandably a sad, solemn occasion, and the traditions surrounding funeral services reflect that. In some cases, however, elements of traditional funerals just don't feel quite right.

Perhaps the person who has passed away was a lively character who always brightened up the room, or perhaps they'd expressed how much they disliked the normal tone of a funeral. Whatever the reason, if the norms don't quite feel appropriate, there are ways you can make the arrangements better fit the personality of your lost loved one.

Here are some ideas for moving away from the traditional tone and making funeral arrangements that are a real celebration of life.

The celebrant

If you start with finding the right celebrant, it helps everything else fall into place. Whether the service will be a religious one or not, talk to a few appropriate potential celebrants and discuss the sort of funeral you'd like to arrange.

Most people will understand and be able to give you exactly what you're hoping for, but you should be able to tell easily if someone isn't the right person for the tone you'd like to set.

The dress code

Simple black clothing is the norm for funeral attendees because it's smart, plain, and adequately reflects the sombre mood. If you don't feel it's fitting for the occasion, however, there's no reason you can't stray from tradition.

One idea is to just encourage people to wear whatever they feel comfortable in. This leads to a colourful, varied congregation of people reflecting their own personalities. Alternatively, you could ask guests to wear clothing in the favourite colour of the person who has passed away.

The music

Music is one of the areas where people are typically most comfortable moving away from tradition. If it's a religious ceremony, you'll probably want to stick to some appropriate music, but you can still include one or two other songs from a CD or MP3 player.

Some people go as far as using humorous songs or music associated with a favourite sports team. It's a great way to bring a bit more personalisation to the proceedings.

The eulogy

A eulogy is a fairly standard part of a funeral, but you can include some funny stories about the person to give a more rounded representation of who they were.

Inviting a few close friends to share their favourite memories is a great way to lighten the mood a bit and remember the person as they really were. Alternatively, you can collect some of these together and have a single person work them into a eulogy.

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2 April 2018

Funeral Flowers, Decorations and Other Considerations: A Funeral Planning Blog

Planning a funeral can be extremely hard. You want to send off your loved one in style, but at the same time, your grief may be so heavy that it feels impossible to figure out the best way forward. Hi, my name is Julie. If you have recently lost a loved one, I offer you my condolences. I lost my mother and husband within the span of a year and became skilled at planning funerals. I know how hard it can be so I wanted to help others with organisation, decoration and other issues. I hope this blog helps you. Enjoy reading and thank you.