Are you in the middle of planning a celebration of life ceremony? Perhaps you’re looking for a way to commemorate and remember the fantastic, wonderful, and unique person your loved one was before they passed away.
More people are looking to plan unique funeral services. Often they want a service that reflects a loved one’s passions, hobbies, and interests. A traditional funeral service and commemorations such as memorial plaques, urns, and memorial headstones are still considered to be standard, but there are also more personalised options.
We’ve created this article for anyone who is looking for memorial ideas. We hope that you’ll find inspiration and be able to focus on positive memories of your loved one.
Here's a quick overview of all the things you can do:
- Memorial quotes
- A memorial poem
- A special song
- A tribute video
- Memorial favours
- Verses for a newspaper
- A memorial bench
- Planting a tree
- Memorial garden
- A memorial stone or plaque
- Gifts for friends and relatives
- A death anniversary commemoration
- Memorial jewellery
- Memorial tattoo
- A photo frame, album, or memory book
- Memorial vase
- DIY memorial
- Dove or lantern release
- Family trip
- Movie night
- Online memorial
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Plan a special memorial service
Saying goodbye is never easy. A memorial service is something you can do weeks or even months after a person’s death. There is no need for the body to be present, and the family gets time to plan and then gather at a convenient time and place. Such a service is easy to arrange and typically less expensive than a traditional funeral.
A memorial service can be as informal as a BBQ on the beach or more formal with ushers, caterers, flowers, and a program to follow. Consider the wishes of the deceased and family members’ preferences and finances to help you decide whether the gathering will be intimate or open to the larger community.
Explore memorial quotes
A eulogy celebrates the life of a person who has died. It can be a meaningful and fondly remembered part of the ceremony, but it’s not the only way to honour the memory of someone you loved.
For example, memorial quotes can be short, long, or particular favourites of the deceased. They might be religious memorial quotes, humourous, old, or inspirational. It might be possible to include excerpts from the person’s inspirational writings or letters.
Read a memorial poem
It can be difficult to sum up a person’s life in just a few words. Memorial poems, on the other hand, may help you to express your feelings. There are lots of resources online if you’re not a poet yourself.
Look for a memorial poem that says exactly what you’re feeling and expresses thoughts that you find hard to put into words. You want something that speaks from the heart and conveys what you thought about the deceased.
Play your loved one’s favourite song
Music can be a powerful and emotional experience that unifies people in a shared loss and provides comfort to the bereaved. You can choose almost any type of music, such as classical pieces or contemporary songs, but why not incorporate music that was special to the deceased?
Create a memorial tribute video
Memorial tribute videos are a beautiful and meaningful way to say goodbye to a friend or family member.
;A tribute video can help you illustrate how they lived and honour their memory. A video can also be an opportunity for people to get to know a different side of a loved one.
Working on a memorial video can also be healing for the grieving process
Give away memorial favours
Memorial favours have become a popular thing to give out during memorial services because it means the occasion becomes more like a celebration. The favours can vary in their seriousness and are a great way to celebrate a loved one’s life.
Some favours are more serious than others. What you choose depends on the deceased personality and what they would have wanted. A memorial is meant to remember them, so the best way to honour their memory is with a favour they would have enjoyed.
Here are a few ideas:
- Recipe cards
- Bookmarks
- Sweets
- Cookies
- Keychains
- Flower seed packets
- Champagne flutes
- Engraved pens
- Pocket charms
- Shot glasses
- Playing cards
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Think of memorial verses for a newspaper
Newspapers are a common location to find death notices, obituaries, and ‘in memoriam’ tributes to loved ones who have passed away. Writing a memorial verse or another form of tribute to your loved one is a meaningful way to announce their passing.
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Lasting outdoor memorial ideas
If you’re celebrating the life of a person who loved the outdoors, why not consider one of these outdoor memorial ideas?
Have a memorial bench made
Memorial benches are standard features in many public grounds, including parks and riversides. Take a closer look, and you’ll notice they often feature a small memorial plaque with an inscription. It might include the name and life-dates of a person who has died, together with a brief message of remembrance. This message might also be inscribed onto the bench itself.
You might choose your loved one’s favourite location for the bench, but if it’s public property, the bench might not always be available for you to sit on.
If you’d prefer a private place to think about your loved one, a memorial bench in your garden might be more suitable.
Plant a memorial tree
A living memorial might be a tree or shrub planted in memory of a person who has died. Funeral flowers can often be quite sombre, but a living plant is a reminder of life.
Planting a tree is great if you or your loved one are environmentally conscious. It’s also a nice way to create a lasting memorial that children and grandchildren can visit for many years to come.
f you want to plant a tree on public or private land, make sure you get permission first. For a lasting memorial, it also helps if you know a little about tree care or have some basic gardening knowledge. Some trees require a little extra care and attention, especially when they’re just saplings.
Create a memorial garden
Spending time outdoors in a beautiful space is a positive way to remember a loved one. Creating a garden memorial for them can be a charming tribute, as well as a place for quiet thinking..
You might have a sheltered spot in the corner of your garden, or perhaps a sunny balcony. Using plants and ornaments, you can create a space that takes on real meaning in memory of someone you cherished deeply.
Place a memorial stone or memorial plaque
If the person you loved was cremated, there’s no reason they can’t have a physical location that you can visit. There may be a memorial garden at your place of worship where you can place memorial stones. Crematoriums often have a garden area or a wall where you can affix memorial plaques.
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Memorial gifts for friends and relatives
Creating a lasting memorial doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. There are many ways to make a reminder for friends and relatives. Here are some ideas:
- Memorial baubles
- Memorial candles
- Memorial cards
- Prints and keepsakes
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Marking the death anniversary
A death anniversary, sometimes referred to as an ‘angelversary’ or ‘sadisversary’, is the anniversary of someone’s death. Commemorating such an anniversary can be sad and painful. However, for some people marking this day can be a part of their grieving process. It may be a painful date to remember, but there are ways to fill it with happy memories.
Here are some unique things you could do in memory of a loved one’s passing.
- Revisit a special place
- Write a letter, song, or poem
- Visit their final resting place
- Light a candle for them
- Listen to their favourite music or watch their favourite movie
- Support a charity that was close to their heart
- Create a photo memory book
- Gather friends and family
- Plan a quiet day of reflection
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More personal memorial ideas
If you’re planning a cremation and are wondering what to do with the ashes, here are some meaningful suggestions.
Memorial jewellery
Do you like the thought of keeping your loved one close to you? You can turn your loved one’s ashes into jewellery or carry some of them around with you in a jewellery urn.
Memorial tattoos
There are tattoo studios in the UK that will use body ink containing some of your loved ones’ ashes to create a unique memorial tattoo.
Memorial photo frame, album, or memory book
Creating a scrapbook, memory album, or memory box can be healing when your loved one has died. It can be particularly helpful for supporting a bereaved child and discussing death with them after a grandparent or other close relative has passed.
Memorial vase
A memorial vase is a unique keepsake you can use to honour a loved one.
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Memorial ideas that can involve children
Getting children involved can be beneficial as their wild imaginations, and creative minds often come up with some pretty unique ideas to celebrate a loved one. Involving them in the planning of a memorial also gives them a chance to receive support from others, it offers them a chance to express their grief in their own way and to talk about death. Let’s share a few ideas to get the ball rolling.
Craft a DIY memorial together
You can do many things with children to celebrate the special love they have for someone close to them who has passed away. A colourful and personalised plant marker, a bookmark with a fancy tassel, or a gorgeous heart necklace are just a few ideas.
Plan a memorial release
A memorial release is a popular feature of a memorial and can be a beautiful gesture. Balloon releases are the most obvious option, but not the most environmentally friendly one.
Think outside the box, and you’re bound to find something that suits your loved one’s personality. Some alternatives that are just as sentimental are to light luminaries, toss wildflower seeds into a field, blow bubbles, or release doves.
Plan a family trip in honour of your loved one
Did your loved one have a favourite place to visit? Why not plan a family trip in their honour? If it’s somewhere close, you can go there for the day. But if it’s much further away, you can turn the occasion into a family holiday.
Watch your loved one’s favourite film together
A memorial should be personal to you and your loved one’s family. It doesn’t have to be a permanent memorial and doesn’t have to fit any conventions either. Watching their favourite film together is a great way to remember them and will bring back fond memories.
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Share an online memorial with family and friends
A trend that has recently appeared, especially in light of the COVID pandemic, is to digitise events. You can do this with an online memorial. An online memorial is a way of collating photos, videos, and stories from friends and family, in a secure online environment. It’s also an excellent way to connect with friends and family that are far away.