It’s no secret that families want to personalize their funerals to create more personal and unique experiences. But many families don’t know the tips and tricks to make a funeral service meaningful without breaking the bank to do so.

Your funeral home’s staff can show families that there are many creative, yet affordable ways to personalize a funeral service. From services your funeral home offers to DIY projects, you can help families create personalized funeral experiences within their budget.

Below are several ideas that you can share with your families and community.

Unique Funeral Theme

Choosing a unique funeral theme is a simple, yet creative way for families to create a personalized funeral experience. It can be their loved one’s profession, the current season, or a recreation of their favorite vacation.

For example, for a spring-themed funeral, families can incorporate umbrellas, rain boots, and other spring-themed objects as décor to hold their loved one’s memorabilia and photos. Or for a profession-themed funeral, such as a chef, families can make their loved one’s signature recipes. They also can use their chef hat, apron, oven mitts, and other cooking supplies as funeral décor.

Memorial Displays

Families also can use their loved one’s memorabilia and photos to make memorial displays. Plus, assembling and decorating the displays is a great way to involve the whole family. They can use paper posters, tri-fold poster boards, frames, or other items to display their loved one’s possessions and photos.

If their loved one made a lot of craft projects, they can create a unique display to showcase their creations. And if they wish, they can even have them as funeral gifts for funeral guests. It’s a personal gift that those grieving will cherish forever.

Obituary and Storytelling

Writing the obituary gives families the opportunity to share stories about their loved one and highlight their personality. They’re a chance to document and tell someone’s life story. And it doesn’t have to be a traditional obituary; many obituaries have a humorous twist to showcase the deceased’s love of humor.

Families also can share stories and memories of their loved one during the funeral service or at the post-funeral reception. They can invite funeral guests to share stories out loud or write them down to put in a memory box. Then, the family can read all the stories together after the funeral.

Music and Readings

The music selection is an important part of the funeral service that creates another personalization opportunity. They can play their loved one’s favorites songs or songs that remind them of their loved one. Or they can even have a family member or friend perform a song or play an instrument.

The same goes for the readings and prayers. Families have a wide selection of readings to choose from or they can even create their own personalized readings.

Tribute Videos

Tribute Videos are a unique way that families can showcase their loved one’s photos. It can be difficult to fit all the photos on displays, and it’s also possible to damage photos in the process. Tribute Videos give families personalized keepsakes of these photos without having to worry about running out of room or causing damage to precious photos.

With our Tribute Video software, you can choose from 120+ cinematic-quality intros and endings, 180+ licensed songs, and 850+ high-quality stock video clips to truly create a meaningful Tribute Video. Download Tribute Center for free to start creating Tribute Videos for the families you serve.

Post-Funeral Reception Food

Families can have funeral guests bring a dish to pass around at the post-funeral reception. It can be a traditional funeral food — like funeral potatoes — or their loved one’s favorite foods or signature recipes. Plus, if they use their loved one’s recipe, they can print off copies for funeral guests.

Interested in learning more ways to personalize a funeral? Download our free Funeral Personalization eBook for ways to personalize a funeral service by profession, hobby, and so much more!