Planning a personal send-off

How you choose to celebrate the life of your loved one is personal and up to you.

People celebrate the life of their loved ones in many different ways. Some are more traditional including religious ceremonies, home gatherings, spreading of ashes or garden parties. Whereas others do something a little more unusual.

Only you can know what your loved one would have wanted, but sometimes a little inspiration can go a long way with planning the perfect send-off.

We’ve put together some celebration of life ideas to help inspire you during this difficult time in creating a special final goodbye for your loved one.

If you would like to share your story with us to help others, we would love to hear from you.

Here are a few examples of how some people have chosen to celebrate the life of their loved one

• Become a permanent living legacy by incorporating ashes into an artificial underwater reef
• Host a family gathering at home
• Let ashes light up the night sky in fireworks
• Mix ashes into paint for a commemorative portrait
• Ashes released from a vintage Spitfire aeroplane
• Spread ashes over the countryside from a hot air balloon
• Cast off at nighttime a wicker Viking ship set alight with ashes aboard
• Create some keepsake jewellery
• A green funeral burying a biodegradable urn containing a seed for a tree
• Get friends together for a favourite walk
• Press ashes into a playable vinyl record to listen to ‘your’ song
• Have ashes sent to the surface of the moon
• Watch an aqua-biodegradable urn drift away from a boat on the ocean

Need help organising?

If you want to speak to somebody who can help you create a ceremony, you can find a local minister or celebrant from one of the links below depending on your preference.

Humanist Ceremonies

Interfaith Ceremonies (any religion or spiritualism)

Church Ceremonies