A Celebration of Life Service
What is a Celebration of Life?
More and more families are choosing to hold ceremonies that celebrate the life and personality of their loved one. A celebration of life ceremony acts as an alternative to a traditional funeral service. It achieves the same purpose as a conventional funeral by gathering family and friends to pay tribute to the deceased.
A celebration of life has a more uplifting atmosphere that reflects on positive stories and memories that involve your loved one. The primary benefit of a celebration of life ceremony is that it allows you the freedom to display best your loved one’s personality, values, and passions.
The best way to start planning a celebration of life is to begin while your loved one is still with you. Have the Talk of a Lifetime. Ask your loved one, “how do you want to be remembered and honored?” and “what would you like your celebration of life to include?”. Having this discussion is essential and allows you to learn about your loved one more deeply and understand what is important to them. This not only brings you closer together, but when they pass, you can feel comfortable knowing you have honored them the way they wanted to be remembered.
We enjoy working with families planning a celebration of life for their loved one. It can be challenging to put together a ceremony that honors and represents the deceased's life, but it can also be one of the most rewarding and meaningful things you may ever do.
We invite you to read our 9 Steps to Planning a Celebration of Life. The staff of the Davis Funeral Home is always available to help. If you have any questions or would like suggestions on creating a meaningful memorialization for your loved one, please contact us.
Celebration of Life Ideas
Below are some celebration of life examples. Hopefully, this demonstrates that the possibilities are endless and that you can genuinely make it personalized to represent your loved one.
Understanding Traditional Funeral, Memorial, and Celebration of Life Services
A funeral service can mean many different things to everyone and how we choose to honor a loved one is as unique as they are. For one family, a traditional funeral service that adheres to their family traditions and religious beliefs is the only way to honor a loved one. At the same time, another family may find a celebration of life service more suitable. And for others, a traditional funeral service is too structured or religious, but a celebration of life is too celebratory so a memorial service may feel more appropriate.
A traditional funeral service has structure and adheres to rituals and customs for those looking for a sense of spirituality, religion, or tradition.
A funeral has four components:
Wake or Visitation
Funeral Service
During this time, family and friends share memories of the deceased, and the family thanks guests for attending.
- Led by a member of the clergy.
- Can take place at the funeral home, chapel, church, or graveside/cemetery.
- Prayers are typically said, hymns are sung, a liturgy or religious passages are typically read, and a eulogy is given.
Committal Service
- Funeral procession to the cemetery or crematory.
- Family and guests gather at the cemetery plot or mausoleum, and the final prayers are given.
Funeral Reception
- Food and refreshments are typically served.
- A chance for the family to say thank you to guests for attending and for everyone to share memories and support each other.
A memorial service is a gentle mix of a traditional funeral and a celebration of life.
A memorial service has some structure but allows some flexibility to make the ceremony unique and personalized to fit the individual being honored.
A celebrant or master of ceremonies typically leads them.
Often guests are allowed to participate.
It can take place at the funeral home, a place of worship, a community center, or public grounds such as a beach or park.
It may occur before or after your loved one is buried or cremated.
A celebration of life service allows you to tell the story of your loved one's life and what made them special.
A celebration of life service has an uplifting atmosphere that reflects on the positive stories and memories of your loved one.
A celebration of life allows you the freedom to display your loved one's personality, values, and passions.
Typically is held weeks to months after your loved one has been buried or cremated.
Celebrations of life typically have a theme that highlights the deceased's hobbies or interests, such as their favorite sports team, places they have traveled, or things they were passionate about.
Davis Funeral Home, LLC
1 Lock Street Nashua, NH 03064
Fax: (603) 881-3124
