A memorial service is a meaningful way to remember a person or group of people. They are typically held at a location where they died, or close to where they lived.
Many places have memorials, so choosing one is up to you.
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Choose a date and time
Before you start planning your memorial service, you need to decide what time the service will take place.
Many funeral services offer their services at specific times of the day or during specific seasons. Choosing a time of the day or during a particular season is an added bonus!
If you are having a shower, choose a morning or afternoon shower to give yourself some extra space to plan your event. If you are hosting a dinner or another social event, choose a night when most people will be home and able to attend.
When attending a memorial service, what clothes you wear depends on who they were and what they died of. You want people to know that you are paying attention to the death of someone else, right?
If you were wearing mourning clothes when you died, then your guests at the memorial service should also be in those same clothes to show how much you mourned them.
Send an invitation
Send an invitation to a funeral or memorial service at home is the best idea. This allows you to be more involved with the service and be there in person or through a video message if needed.
There are a variety of ways to send an invitation. You can email them, mail them a secure letter box post, SMS (text message), or phone call the guest an hour before they arrive.
Any of these methods should be used as opposed to sending a condolence text, because then it becomes about asking questions and not hearing the response you want to hear.
Only invite people you feel comfortable seeing and talking to about their loss. If someone from your circle of friends or people you know very well does not show up, this will help keep this private.
If someone from the community or church is invited, make sure they understand that this is a public event and that it may be uncomfortable for them to speak or attend.
Prepare the space
Home memorial service ideas at home is also possible if you do not have a funeral site or if you do but you want to do it at your own home. You can even make the space yourself!
If you are having a gathering in your own space, make sure to consider the ambiance. Is it quiet or busy? Does it feel comfortable or formal? Is it outdoors or inside?
othexyz may offer some helpful tips such as how to decorate small spaces effectively or how to fit a large memorial space into a small home. Once you find the right solution, hire a contractor to install it for you.
General tips: Make sure that your memorial service is on national suicide prevention day so that people are aware of the importance of getting help. If someone knows someone who might be suicidal, try to find an alternate way to convey their message.
Choose a speaker
When attending a funeral or memorial service, what speaker sounds and sounds the same? The answer is loudspeakers!
The sound that comes out of your phone, computer, or radio cannot match the influence of a full-size speaker. A small audio device can be useful, but a large one is more effective!
Instead of using headphones or an audio device, full-size speakers are used. They are connected to a monitor or TV set up as an amplification system.
If you are able to afford it, it is better to get a high-quality full-size speaker than get two cheap ones that may not match in quality. Get at least one very expensive sounding speaker to use at home for the funeral or memorial service.
Prepare some notes
At the memorial service, you will be asked to provide some notes. Write down what memory you remember and how it made you feel.
Most of these memories will be positive, but some people will remember the person with a different emotion than they felt at the time. For example, they may remember the person as calm and collected when they were underactive or agitated during an episode.
This is why it is important to make a list of emotions that someone may feel and include them in your note. If you do not include an emotional note, you may forget which memories make them feel that way and how they feel.
To help your memory do its job, give yourself some time to think about what you are going to say before you speak so that your timing is perfect.
Serve light refreshments
Serve light refreshments at the memorial service to help keep everyone entertained. Make sure they are appropriate for the person or situation being remembered.
Some good ways to remember someone is with food, so make sure there is enough food for everyone at the memorial service. If someone received special treatment, plan for that treatment.
If someone received especially hard times, make sure they feel comfortable and are given enough space. If someone was very outgoing, make sure they are warmly wrapped in friends and family.
Then, have a place set aside for any other personal effects that were used during life. Make sure these are kept safe and accessible.
Hold a book launch
Holding a book launch is a great way to network and market your new book. Networking events are usually limited to one month per year, so this is the best time to do this.
Used book stores and local bookstore outlets also have the opportunity to attract new customers who come to see the book and buy it.
The main goal at a launch party is to make people feel welcome andto get them excited about your book. If you don’t do anything to welcome people, how can they really feel comfortable coming back?
To help make the event more professional, start with a liability policy in place with at least one emergency contact for each person who comes to the party. Make sure everyone knows what someone else’s role may be at the event is non-emergency numbers are used.
Make sure food and drink stations are covered by law and that no alcohol is available at these spots.
Organize an online chat session
This is a great way to help prepare for the memorial service. While you are still able to go online, you can also arrange a phone or online chat session as soon as possible after the event to help make sure everyone is up to speed.
You can also do this in stages. Once you have invited the community to the service, create an initial group of attendees and let them familiarize themselves with one another before inviting additional attendees.
Once you have gathered everyone together, introduce them to the upcoming event and ask for their help in planning it. Let them bring their own ideas and plans for the service, but ask those who are attending for their help.
Give plenty of time for people to respond and add their plans to the event. Then, gather those who were unable to attend to give their thoughts and condolences at home or at another service.