You might like the idea of a simple home memorial to remember and honor your loved one. Many people feel more relaxed in their homes and are able to grieve fully. In your home, you also have the opportunity to add your own unique touch to the memorial to reflect the life and character of the deceased. However, it can be overwhelming to decide how best to honor a loved one. To help you with that, we've rounded up some creative memorial service ideas to organize at home.
25 ideas for memorial services at home
1. Add live music
Music brings people together and helps us get in touch with our emotions. Live music at a memorial encourages quiet contemplation in the presence of friends and family. It's an especially nice option if the person who died was a music lover.
2. Create a memory card
A lovely way to collect memories of your loved one is with a memorial plaque that others can add to. Provide pens to add messages and favorite memories with, and invite guests to bring photos of happy times to add to the board.
3. Hold a candlelight ceremony
It is a tradition in various religions and cultures to light candles for the dead. Hosting a memorial at home where people can light a candle for loved ones is a beautiful option that encompasses many faiths and beliefs.
4. Plant a tree
If your garden is big enough, you can plant a tree in memory of your loved one. This is a beautiful gesture that will remind you of the person you lost when you look outside.
5.Organize a potluck
For a more relaxed, less expensive commemoration at home, you could arrange a potluck meal. Hosting guests can be one of the biggest tasks in organizing a memorial, so asking each guest to bring a dish can help to reduce the administrative burden.
6.Have an open microphone
At more formal ceremonies, only the person presiding over the ceremony and a few select family members speak. However, a home memorial is more flexible, allowing you to have an open mic so more people can share memories. Anyone who knew the deceased can share a few words, a reading, a poem or a song.
7. Host a fundraiser
If your loved one was a charitable person or had connections to a specific cause, organizing a memorial service for fundraisers may be appropriate. Whether it's a fun run, a darts competition, or a bake sale, you can choose something they would have liked.
8. Display a memorial video
Some people find they can connect more with visual media than with readings or eulogies. At a time when many of us regularly record special events and our daily lives on our phones, it's easy to create a beautiful memorial video using old clips of your loved one.
9.Light a campfire
Light a campfire or fire pit in your backyard and invite friends and family over for a relaxing evening to remember your loved one. It's a great way to be together and share memories in a peaceful, comfortable environment.
10. Hire a live portrait painter
A painting of someone who has died is a beautiful way to commemorate their memory. Some artists will also visit the memorial and create the painting there, allowing guests to see the portrait taking shape before their eyes.
11. Arrange a game night
If the deceased was an avid gamer, then bringing friends and family together for game night can be the perfect way to remember them. If you had a group that you used to play regularly with, it can also be a comfort for those friends to host a game night in their honor.
12. Have a jam session
If the person you're honoring played music, consider getting their fellow musicians together for a jam session. In jam sessions, the music tends to be more improvised, which can be a therapeutic way to express emotion. You might even end up with a new piece of music to remember your loved one.
13.Organize a picnic
A picnic is another way to bring people together to break bread and share memories of the person you lost. When you have it in your garden, it's nice and private, which might feel more comfortable than a public setting.
14. Scatter ashes at home
If your loved one was cremated, you may want to scatter their ashes in a special or meaningful place. Scattering them around the garden at home always makes you feel like they're around. You can invite friends and family to a ceremony to scatter the ashes as a final farewell.
15. Burying ashes in the backyard
Some people prefer to bury the urn with the ashes rather than scattering them. You can combine a more traditional funeral ceremony with a memorial service at home and still keep your loved one close.
16. Decorate a memory tree
If there is a tree in your yard, you can turn it into a memory tree. Invite memorial guests to attach photos and messages to the branches with colorful ribbons. When it's time to take off the decorations, you can collect them in a box to look back on in the future.
17. Hold a poetry reading
Words are incredibly powerful, and poetry can express the hardest of emotions and help people feel connected. A poetry reading might include favorite poems of the deceased, famous poems about loss, or original poems commemorating the deceased.
18. Display a reminder slideshow
A memorial slideshow allows you to tell a person's life story through pictures. You can also invite guests to submit their favorite pictures so everyone can contribute their memories of the lost person.
19.Arrange a themed memorial
If the person who died had a favorite hobby or interest that they were passionate about, you could host a themed memorial at home in their honor. This is a more solemn style of commemoration that encompasses the things that brought them joy during their lives.
20. Release some pigeons
Doves are a symbol of love and peace in many cultures. Releasing doves at your home memorial is a beautiful, poignant tribute to your loved one. Many people like to release doves to mark the end of the memorial ceremony.
21. Create a story table
Gather pictures and objects on a table to tell the person's life story. This can be a touching, visual way for guests to remember them and feel connected to who they were
22. Having a virtual monument
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it's harder for people to gather, especially when they have to travel. You can host a virtual memorial service from the comfort of your own home by scheduling a video call where you read eulogies and share a memorial slideshow with attendees.
23. Host a watch party
A watch party allows multiple people to watch the same show or movie online at the same time while chatting virtually. You could gather a group of people to watch the person's favorite movie or one that reminds you of them.
24. Create a memorial website
A memorial website provides a virtual place to share photos, memories, and messages. You can add your own content to the site and create a feature for people to leave their own messages as well.
25. Come up with a social media hashtag
Many people enjoy sharing photos and memories of their loved ones who have died on social media. If you create a hashtag that people can use, everyone can search each other's posts as well. They will remain in a place to look back on well into the future.
Planning a simple memorial to take home
Planning a memorial can feel difficult and overwhelming when you are grieving. If you're feeling this way, ask friends and family to help you, and choose memorial ideas to take home that require less work from you, such as: B. a potluck or an open microphone. Sharing the burden takes the pressure off you and gives other friends and family members an opportunity to get involved, which can be a comfort to them too.