Personalized Funerals

New ideas in funeral planning

Today there are many options opening up with respect to funerals. Most funeral homes are open to less traditional funeral services and mourners are finding more personal ways to express grief and say goodbye to loved ones. For example, home funerals are legal in all 50 states.

Some states (for example, Florida) allow family members or others to take charge of funeral proceedings, so long as they follow the same state laws and statutes applying to funeral services and licensed funeral directors. You can have a funeral on private property anywhere in the US .

Alternative Ideas
Some popular ways in which people personalize funerals include:
  • Display arts, crafts, poetry or other personal artifacts that belonged to the deceased during the wake or service.
  • Lead the funeral procession past some of the deceased's favorite spots.
  • Hold the funeral in a favorite spot of the deceased , especially if he or she was not a churchgoer. A woodland or park might be more appropriate for the nature lover. Some other ideas might include an arena or a beach.
  • Let a loved one drive the hearse.
  • Playing favorite songs of the deceased's at the wake or during a memorial service.
  • Releasing balloons, doves or butterflies at the interment, as a celebration of the life and spirit of the deceased.
  • Using a personalized photo display , digital presentation or video memorials.
  • Family and friends writing letters containing their unspoken thoughts (personal, negative or positive), that are then placed in the casket with the deceased.
Contemporary Technology
Aside from the use of video memorials or digital presentations, there are some other trends regarding the integration of internet or other technology into contemporary funeral services:
  • For family and friends who may not be able to attend, some services offer web casting. The funeral is shown to a limited number of people, over a closed link or website. The internet can make it easy for more family and friends to share in the event, and see and interact with people when they might not otherwise have an opportunity.
  • Thanks to electronic advancements, eulogies, musical offerings and other parts of the service can now be recorded for posterity, using video or digital recording technology.
Other Options
Some other non-traditional or personalized funeral options are:
By: funeralplanning101.com