One of the most frequent complaints that you will hear at a funeral is that the service felt impersonal and did not reflect the personality of the person who has passed away. Here we will list some of the ways in which you can bring your loved ones personality into their funeral service and ensure the day would have lived up to their expectations.
1 – Music
A common method for personalising a funeral is to tailor the choice of music to the taste of your loved one. Whereas in the past it was common for funerals to only include funeral hymns, regardless of whether the person was religious or not, these days there is a much wider variety of music chosen.
If you’re stuck for music to choose for your loved one’s funeral then consider a particular hymn or song that they always enjoyed, a song that sums up their personality or even a theme tune from a soap opera.
Popular choices from contemporary music include ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King, ‘Fields of Gold’ by Eva Cassidy, ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon and ‘You Raise Me Up’ by Westlife. Popular hymns include ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’, ‘Abide With Me’ and ‘The Old Rugged Cross’.
2 – Flowers
Funerals are a common way for family and friends to show their condolences at a service. However, the particular type of flowers that you choose to have around the crematorium or church can have an impact in terms of making the service unique. Lilies, roses and carnations are most commonly seen at services, however if your loved one had a favourite flower in particular, or you want to create a specific theme then you could consider alternatives.
For instance, rather than choosing a particular type of flower, you might decide to base your flower choice around a specific colour that your loved one liked.
3 – Memory boxes
While a funeral can be a sad and emotional time, it can bring people together and you may find that many people attend who you would never normally get a chance to see. These people will most likely have many different memories and stories of your loved one which they may be willing to share with you. Providing pens and paper and a drop box or notebook can be a great way to encourage guests to share their memories and reading through them can often be a deeply beneficial step in the grieving process.
4 – Symbolic gestures
Funerals can be very symbolic in nature and often certain gestures are used to mark the passing of a loved one and bring closure to a service. Some examples include releasing doves or butterflies, planting a tree or releasing Chinese lanterns.
For help and advice on organising a funeral, please contact us on 0151 228 3900, or leave us a message through our contact us page by clicking here.