Celebration of life ideas: keepsakes guests can add to
A celebration of life remembers someone through stories about how they lived. Ideas that work: a memory table, a photo board, cards for every guest, a shared memory book and their music.
Start with 40 pages free. No card needed.
It can be held weeks after a funeral, anywhere they loved: a pub, a garden, a cricket club. Many of the best ideas ask guests to bring something.
The table lists ideas by what needs preparing and who can help.
See also: a guest book for a funeral, a book of condolence, a memory box for someone who has died, what to write in a memory book.
Collect memories in one book
Start a memory book in the tbf scrapbook studio and send guests a link to add photos. You see each one before it goes in. Make a celebration of life book online.
Start with 40 pages free. No card needed. Plans and prices.
| Idea | Prepare | Who helps |
|---|---|---|
| Memory table | Things they used every day: a hat, tools, a favourite mug | The family choose; one person sets it out |
| Photo board | Prints from every decade, in order | Anyone with photos, sent a week before |
| Memory cards | Blank cards and pens on each table | Every guest writes one memory |
| Shared memory book | A book, or an online link sent with the invitation | Guests add photos and words before and after the day |
| Their music | A playlist of what they played | A friend who knew their taste |
| Their food | A dish or drink they were known for | A family cook or the venue |
| Something to take home | Seed packets, a recipe card or a photo print | The family, ordered ahead |
Ask every guest for a photo
Most families have the same few pictures. One photo from each guest fills the gaps: work, holidays and friendships the family never saw.
Collect memories before the day
Send a link with the invitation so people far away can add a photo or a memory. On the day, the cards and the book catch the rest.
After the celebration
Gather the cards, photos and messages into one book within a few weeks, while people still remember who sent what. It is often the thing the family keeps.
Pages to make
Choose a place they loved
Book somewhere with a long table for photos and objects, and room to stand and talk.
Send a photo request
Ask every guest for one photo and one memory, by link or by post, a week ahead.
Set out the memory table
Put out their things, the photo board and a pile of blank cards with pens.
Make the book afterwards
Collect everything into a memory book within a month and share it with the family.
Questions
What is the difference between a funeral and a celebration of life?
A funeral is usually a service, often with the body or ashes present. A celebration of life can be held later, anywhere, and centres on stories about the person.
When is a celebration of life held?
Whenever suits: the same week, straight after the funeral, or months later on a birthday or a date that mattered to them.
What happens at a celebration of life?
People share stories, look at photos, eat and drink what the person liked and play their music. A few may be asked to speak.