My Sonshine
Celebration of Life
A celebration of life is about the joy of having known someone, not the sadness of losing them. The atmosphere tends to be light, with loved ones sharing stories of their time with the person who has passed. Tears may be shed, but the point is remembering the person as they lived, not as they died. It should be creative and focus on a life well-lived.
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How to Plan a Celebration of Life?
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Attached is the Complete Guide to Planning a Celebration of Life I found online. Planning a celebration of life should focus on the joy someone brought, not the sadness of their departure.
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1. Choose the Date and Location
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You could consider the date and place that was important to the deceased or an event or meeting space convenient and comfortable for the family and guests. It could be at home, favorite restaurant, community center, park, or through online sites like zoom and google meet.
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2. Decide Whom to Invite
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A celebration of life is usually reserved for family and closest friends. Making a guest list first can help you choose a location based on the number of guests. Nevertheless, you could also choose a location first to determine how many people to invite.
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3. Determine a Theme (If Desired)
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Consider things your loved one adored, like a TV show, book, music, or color. Then, if you want to, you could theme the event around that—seeing things that made the person unique could bring smiles to people's faces. Using this theme, you can choose foods, decorations, a dress code, games, and more. Of course, you can plan this as you would to any other party.
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4. Hire Vendors. Decide on Food and Drink
If you want to hire vendors for the event, such as a caterer, bartender, or photographer, do this as early as possible. But vendors are optional, depends whether you want it to be formal or informal. It could even be a potluck too!
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5. Send Invitations
If you've chosen a theme, you can theme the invitations around that. Invitations can be sent in the mail or via email. It should be a celebratory one. Make it clear what the event expectations are, such as attire (casual vs. formal or even costumes) or if a donation bin for a favorite charity will be available. Ask for RSVPs so you can finalize plans accordingly.
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6. Host
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You may consider a family or close friend to host the event. If the individual was religious, invite a church leader or mentor to officiate and lead readings and prayer. The host will help you put the event in order. Make sure you list down the order of activities as a guide for the host.
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7. Ask People to Speak (If Needed)
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If you plan on having official speeches at the celebration of life, ask the people you'd like to speak to if they'd be willing and able to do so. Make it clear this is optional, and it shouldn't be treated like a eulogy. Instead, to use a wedding comparison, they should think of it more as a best man or maid of honor speech where they share happy memories of their beloved friend or relative.
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8. Create a Playlist
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What's a party without music? You could use your loved one's playlist or your personal selected music those were enjoyed or that holds special significance with your loved one. Family and friends can also do sing-alongs or have a live band for the party.
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9. Pick Photos for Display
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You might opt to display the pictures as a slideshow that plays throughout the celebration of life. Search through their social media, such as Facebook and Instagram to collate pictures. Ask people to mail or email you their pictures with your loved one to be included in the slideshow. You can also create digital memories by posting these photos or videos online for others to see.
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10. Enjoy Remembering Your Loved One
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Once the party has begun, it's time to relax. Even though you're technically the host, you should be sure you take some deep breaths and enjoy speaking with the other people who loved the person you all miss so much.
If in the event these 10 steps sound like a lot, you could hire an event planner or seek help from your family and friends to divide the responsibilities among volunteers. It would be a love-filled experience for everyone!