Trends in Personalized Funeral Services (Pictures)
May 8th, 2012
A meaningful funeral service isn’t about the number of people who attend, or the amount of flowers that fill the room.
The most meaningful of funeral services are the ones that reflect the life that was lived. Today’s families are shying away from the traditional cookie-cutter funerals and embracing unique and personalized funeral services that allow family and friends to come together and celebrate the life of their loved one.
Here are some of the recent trends in personalized funeral services:
A Final Mission
Even though the idea might seem “out of this world” to most of us, memorial spaceflights are gaining popularity. During a memorial spaceflight, families send a portion of their loved ones cremated remains into space to either be spread into Earth’s orbit or returned as if part of a real space mission. This image was taken during the launch of the Legacy Flight from Celestis Memorial Spaceflights on April 28, 2007. Spaceflight services through Celestis range from $995-$12,500.
“Greener” End of Life
Green burials have become a growing end-of-life trend among the environmentally conscious. Many families are opting to bury their loved one in natural preserves, like the one pictured above, where only non-toxic and biodegradable materials are allowed. The service itself can be very intimate. Family and friends often serve as active participants in the ceremony by leaving personal messages on the biodegradable casket and assisting in the actual burial by lowering their loved one into the ground.
Sports-Themed Tributes
A popular way for families to incorporate personalization into a funeral service is by including memorabilia of their loved one’s favorite sports team. The image above shows Entenmann’s Florist in Jersey City creating a flower arrangement for the funeral service of a loyal New York Mets fan. Today, families have the ability to customize everything from the flowers and prayer cards, to the funeral service programs and memorial tribute videos. That added touch of personalization helps those who attend the service to feel a sense of closeness with the deceased.
Resting at Sea
Georgia-based Eternal Reefs allows families to take the concept of spreading ashes at sea a step further. Families create an artificial reef formation with their loved one’s ashes by mixing the cremated remains into an environmentally safe cement mixture. The family and friends actually take part in the creation of the memorial reef, writing personal messages and leaving handprints in the damp concrete. The memorial reef is then placed in the ocean, serving as a home for sea creatures and a living legacy of their loved one. The memorial reefs can weigh 350 to 4,000 pounds, depending on how many people are included; the largest can handle a family of four. Costs range from about $2,995 to $6,995.
A Symbol of Hope
A funeral service isn’t just about mourning the loss of a loved one, it’s about honoring their life. It brings family and friends together to share memories, and offer comfort and support. A butterfly release is a unique and personalized way of inspiring hope and encouraging healing in your families. According to Butterfly Memorials, butterflies symbolize the transformation of the loved one’s spirit. By releasing them, families instinctively feel at peace. Butterfly Memorials has been raising and releasing live butterflies for funerals and memorials since 1995.
All-In-One Personalization
You can increase the level of care you provide your families by helping them celebrate the life of their loved one with a more unique and personalized funeral service. With Life Tributes all-in-one personalization software, you can create tribute videos, customized prayer cards, personalized memorial books and more for your families in-house, in-minutes. Click here for a free 30-day trial of Life Tributes Personalization Software!
What are some other trends you’ve seen in personalized funeral services?
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