When a loved one passes away, you should celebrate their life and honor their legacy with a heartfelt ceremony. To allow yourself extra time to complete the planning process, consider a memorial service. As you brainstorm, use the following guide to ensure you’re on track.

3 Points to Consider When Planning a Memorial Service

1. Guest List

Unlike funeral services, you don’t need to hold memorial services within a few days of the passing. Therefore, you can invite friends and relatives that live farther away, as they’ll have more time to plan for the trip. Ideally, you should send out invitations at least a month before the event, so start making your guest list as soon as possible. In addition to choosing those who were closest to the deceased, research to find out who their hometown or school friends were.

2. Service Leader

If your lost loved one was religious, ensure that a member of that religion holds the memorial service. However, if they didn’t adhere to a specific religion, move forward with a non-denominational memorial service. In this case, you should still pick someone to lead the service. While a spouse or child of the decedent may not be in the headspace to fulfill this role, choose someone who was involved in the individual’s life. Or, if the service takes place at a funeral home, ask the director to lead the service.

3. Personalized Aspects

Once you decide on the basic elements of the memorial service, think about how you can tailor the event to the individual it honors. For example, serve food and beverages your loved one enjoyed, and have friends read their favorite poems or sing their favorite songs. You can also highlight the individual’s passions in the eulogy or a slideshow of pictures and videos. Consider what they enjoyed most, and work that into the service; if they loved gardening, give each guest a packet of seeds to plant in their honor.

If you’re hoping to plan a memorial service that lives up to your loved one’s legacy, turn to Schlientz & Moore Funeral Home of Dayton, OH. For nearly 100 years, we have been helping families in the Miami Valley area bid thoughtful goodbyes to their friends and relatives. Whether you envision a burial, cremation, or funeral service for your loved one, call us at (937) 253-1441 to begin planning an unforgettable event. You can also visit the website to learn more about our trusted funeral home.