Now that summer is here, the warm weather and seasonal activities provide ideas to incorporate into a summer-themed funeral service. Whether the deceased was born during this season or it was their favorite time of year, there are many creative ideas you can incorporate.

From releasing ceremonies to creative décor, here are some ways to plan the perfect summer-themed funeral.

Location

This season brings the opportunity for unique, outdoor service locations. Just remember to take precautions if it’s a particularly hot day. For example, keep funeral attendees cool with fans and provide a tent for shade. Also, have sunscreen and bug spray on hand if needed.

Here are a few outdoor service location ideas:

• A barn
• Beach alongside the water
• Community park with a shelter
• Family member’s backyard
• Local garden

Decorations

Even if it’s not summer outside, there are ways to bring it inside with décor.

Below are some summer-inspired decoration ideas for either indoor or outdoor services:

• Incorporate summer colors such as blue, red, orange, yellow, coral, and green. Just remember not to go too extreme with bright colors.
• Display flowers such as marigolds, daisies, and sunflowers.
• Create a collage of the deceased’s favorite vacations with photos, ticket stubs, their passport, and other travel mementos.

If you’re going for a beach theme, here are a few beach-inspired ideas:

• Message in a bottle: have family and friends write a message on a piece of paper and put it inside a bottle.
• Create unique photo displays by placing photos on a tray among sand and seashells
• Decorate with the deceased’s go-to summer items such as their sunglasses, towel, beach bag, and flip-flops.

Summer-Themed Funeral Gifts

Funeral attendees can have a special funeral gift to remember their loved one by.

Here are some funeral gift ideas to give family and friends:

• Bouquet of flowers
• Potted plant
• Deceased’s favorite summertime recipe
• Deceased’s favorite summer snack
• Seashell with deceased’s initials

Releasing Ceremonies

Summer is the perfect time of year to have a releasing ceremony in honor of a loved one. Whether their ashes are scattered or if the deceased is buried, releasing ceremonies allow families to say a final goodbye.

Here a few releasing ceremony ideas to honor and remember the deceased:

• Have a lantern releasing ceremony at dusk
• Capture lightning bugs in a jar and release them at night
• Release butterflies to symbolize the change from one existence to another
• Have a beautiful firework memorial display for a loved one
• Scatter wildflower seeds along with their ashes

Refreshments

For the post-funeral luncheon, serve funeral attendees some popular summer food or the deceased’s favorite dishes.

These recipes will complete the summertime feel of the funeral service:

• Delicious pasta salads
• Fruit salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fruits
• Fresh salsa with tortilla chips
• Strawberry salad
• Ice cream sundaes

What are some other ways you can personalize a summer-themed funeral? Share them with us in the comments!