Planning a memorial service is typically different than planning a funeral for a couple of important reasons. First, there is no body to bury, so there isn't a need to hold a funeral at a cemetery. Second, there is no need to rush your loved one's service after they've been cremated – their service can be held several months after their death if necessary for some reason. Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to plan a memorial service for your cremated loved one that will help make the experience unforgettable.

Choose a Special Location

Instead of holding your loved one's memorial ceremony at a church or in someone's home, choose a place that was special to them in some way. Whether your loved one enjoyed visiting a certain park on a regular basis or always talked about a vacation cabin in the woods that was special to them, choose a location for the memorial where your loved one has spent lots of their time at themselves.

You can share stories of your loved one's past experiences at the location. This will allow guests to get a feeling for the same special connection to the place that your loved one had and help them better understand the importance of holding the memorial service there in the first place.

Ask for Participation

To make sure that everyone who wants to honor your loved one at the memorial service feels included, ask each guest to participate in the service in a variety of ways. Anyone who wants to should be able to give a small speech if they want to. You can also ask your guests to participate by:

• Putting together a collage of photos they have of your loved one to present at the service.
• Creating memory booklets that feature photos and stories of your loved one for guests to take home.
• Putting together music playlists to play at the service that features your loved one's favorite songs.

Not only will getting the guests involved with the planning and execution of your loved one's memorial service, but it will help save you some time and keep your stress levels down too.

Plan a Potluck

If you want to serve food at the memorial service, save yourself some time and money by planning a potluck. This will ensure that everyone has an opportunity to share a good meal with one another while sharing stories about your loved one without having to plan an extravagant menu, slave away in the kitchen, or spend tons of money on a caterer.

Make sure that there is plenty of variety by asking guests to bring a particular type of dish or refreshment with them. For instance, you can have four guests bring main dishes, three guests bring dishes, and a couple of guests each bring desserts and drinks. As long as everyone brings one dish, there should be plenty of food for the service and for each person to bring leftovers home.

For more information, contact a company like Delaware Valley Cremation Center today.