Funerals and photographs go hand-in-hand. Why? Because a funeral is all about sharing memories, reflecting back on important life moments, and telling the stories that make up a full and happy life. And that’s what photos do best.

As the popular saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. So when people close to a loved one gather together to exchange photos and videos that mean the most to them, they are essentially writing the story of their loved one’s life with their memories and recollections. Reflecting on photos and videos at a funeral are also some of the best ways to kick-start the healing process, because they help to make up a full picture of a person’s life – especially when family and friends get to hear new stories or see new photos that they have never seen before.

However, displaying photos at a funeral doesn’t have to be restricted to a standard photo board display or boring picture frames. There are many ways to creatively display photos at funerals that help keep the focus on your families’ loved one. From interactive memory collages to video slideshows, here are five ways to naturally incorporate images so that your families can focus on what’s most important – sharing memories and honoring the life lived.

How Photos Celebrate a Loved One’s Life

Many people assume that images at a loved one’s service are there only to celebrate his or her life. But when you share photos and videos that include the loved one alongside friends and family members, you are also celebrating the meaningful relationships that were made during that lifetime. After all, a funeral service is not just for the deceased – it is a way for people to grieve, heal and honor someone who is meaningful to them. So when you incorporate visual reminders of friendships and family bonds into a funeral service (for example, photos of family vacation or high school memories), you are helping the entire family heal.

Using photos in a funeral or a memorial service is also an opportunity to honor a loved one’s life accomplishments. For example, being on a sports team, graduating from college or receiving a special honor at work. Each of these visual memories represents a special story that is wonderful to share with guests.

Interactive Memory Boards

Are you bored of the classic white photo board that is displayed at a funeral? Us too. Why not take the traditional photo board and make it even more meaningful by turning it into an interactive memory collage? Simply pick a few of the families favorite photo memories of the deceased, and mount the photos in the middle of a large poster board. Leave plenty of room between the outside of the photo and the edge of the board, and now family and friends can leave personalized messages right on the photo. (Just don’t forget to leave out colorful pens or stickers for guests to use when personalizing their message!)

This keepsake can be poster size or smaller and have one or more photographs of the deceased at different stages of life. This can become an amazing and touching physical tribute that a family can take home after the service.

Funeral Programs and Memorial Keepsakes

Photo displays and video memorials are a great way for your families to celebrate life while they are at the service, but what about a keepsake that will help them remember their loved one long after the funeral has ended? Visual funeral programs and memorial booklets are becoming very popular at nearly every kind of service, from traditional funerals to Celebration of Life ceremonies. They are a wonderful keepsake that family members can take home, and they can be used to showcase details and memories of a person’s life that they may not share anywhere else, such as artistic photos, their favorite quote, or a combination of both.

There are a number of simple-to-use software programs out there, such as Life Tributes, that allow funeral professionals to design and create beautiful memorial prints in-house. Users can add one or more photos to each program, depending on how you want to personalize the booklet. You can also customize what photo you use for the cover, the extra photos that are displayed throughout the funeral program, and any other important memories or images from the loved one’s life.

Similar photos can also be added to thank you notes, prayer cards and memorial bookmarks. These make beautiful additional keepsakes your guests can take home following the funeral, or they can even be mailed out to family members and friends who were unable to attend the service.

Memorial Photo Albums

Large photo albums or scrapbooks filled with photos of a loved one make beautiful and special keepsakes. You can fill these books with images from family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, etc., and can even pair the photos alongside mementos that will make the events on the pages come to life. For example, are you sharing photos from a sporting event or award ceremony? Tape the winning ribbon next to the photo! This will bring the moment to life and give more context to the story.

To make the photos in the book even more memorable, ask family and friends to add a small anecdote or story about their loved one inside the album next to their photo. Our Tribute Books made with Life Tributes also allow you to include a loved one’s life story alongside other unique elements, such as a prayer page, a detailed overview of the funeral service, a family history page, and a sign-in page for family and friends to leave their condolences.

These memorial photo albums are perfect for displaying during the service, and you can even present it afterword to a close family member or friend as a personal keepsake.

Just a small sample of the beautiful, Hollywood-style scenic themes and video backgrounds that are offered by Life Tributes for your families’ memorial videos.

Slideshows and Videos

If a picture is worth a thousand words, just imagine what kind of memories and stories can be told by an entire movie made up of meaningful photos and videos. Memorial slideshows and videos are one of the best ways for your funeral home to provide a lasting tribute to loved ones by documenting their lives through beautiful imagery, music and meaningful moments. These memorial videos can single-handedly enhance a service by highlighting the memories and milestones of a person’s life, and by giving family and friends a focus point for sharing life stories.

You can also incorporate all of the lives that the loved one touched in these memorial videos because you have a limitless amount of photos that you can include. Some examples of meaningful moments to share include:

• Childhood photos with family and friends
• Photos of the loved one participating in their favorite sports or hobbies
• Military photos or videos
• Milestones moments, such as graduation or award ceremonies
• Weddings, honeymoons and anniversaries
• Photos with children, grandchildren, etc.
• Retirement
• Any photos or videos that your families can relate to and that show loved ones in a positive light

In addition to memorial printing products, these beautiful tribute videos can also easily be created by the staff at your funeral home with our Life Tributes video software. Simply upload the images or videos your families want to use and edit them for length. We offer a huge selection of background music to help families truly reflect their loved one’s story, and you can even upload specific tracks and songs that they loved by a favorite band or artist. Plus, these beautiful videos don’t only add life to a funeral service… you can also make free copies of the tribute video for guests to take with them after the services.

 
If you would like to learn more about the many ways that you can use Life Tributes software to create personalized, beautiful visuals at your funeral home, click here!

Rilee Chastain

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