A reading, whether it be from film, literature, or music, at your loved one’s funeral can be a wonderful idea. The gesture not only shows how you feel about your loved one but also how their loss has touched you. Continue reading “How to Choose a Personal Funeral Reading for a Loved One”

Choosing flowers for the casket of a loved one can feel like a difficult task, especially with so many other aspects of a funeral to plan. However, flowers can really add something to the overall look of a funeral, and they offer you an extra way to express the personality of your loved one as well as how you feel about them. Below, we explain three different factors to consider as you make your choice. Continue reading “3 Things to Consider When Choosing Flowers for a Loved One’s Casket”

In the past, people tended to stay in the same area as their families, but now, many families live far away from each other. And due to moving frequently or travelling, many people have close friends in far flung locations as well.

Unfortunately, this means some people may not be able to attend your loved one’s memorial. To include as many people as possible, some people are opting to hold “live” funerals. Considering livestreaming your loved one’s memorial? Here is a look at the details to help you decide.

What Do You Need to Livestream a Memorial?

To livestream a funeral or memorial service, you simply need the following:

• Camera: You can rent expensive equipment, but you can also just livestream from a smartphone.
• App or website to help you with the broadcast: Most popular social media sites offer livestreaming capabilities, but there are also apps designed just for livestreaming. With a livestreaming app, anyone with an invitation can follow the service. With social media, you have to do a public livestream or be restricted to your personal contacts.
• A plan: Ideally, you should make a plan related to letting people know about the livestream. A plan helps you avoid technology glitches as well.

With just those three essentials, anyone in the world can join the memorial as long as they have an internet connection or access to a smartphone.

How Do You Invite People to a Livestream?

You can let people know about the livestream in the same ways you traditionally notify them about a memorial service. If you publish an obituary in the newspaper or online, note the date and time of the memorial and include instructions on how to watch the livestream.

Additionally, you may want to put a post on social media. If your deceased loved one has a social media account, tag them in your post so their friends can see the post.

Even if you forget to share information about the livestream, you may still want to broadcast the service. On sites such as Facebook, livestream videos tend to get about six times more interaction than other types of videos, and that fact alone increases the chance of people watching the video. Once the video is up, people can also watch it later.

What Are the Benefits of Livestreaming a Memorial?

As explained above, livestreaming allows more people to attend the memorial or funeral service from remote locations. On top of that, livestreaming is an interactive experience. During the service, people watching the livestream can leave comments, and if you like, you can even address those comments or read them during the eulogy.

When you lose a loved one, comforting sentiments from friends and family can mean a lot. As a result, the interactive nature of a livestream and the ability to include many different people can be a salve to the people attending the funeral.

Is Livestreaming a Memorial Appropriate?

As technology advances and time moves forward, social mores change. For example, during Victorian times, photographs of deceased loved ones were extremely popular. Then, in the following decades, many people moved away from this practice. In reality, taking photos is not right or wrong. It’s simply a mourning practice that goes in and out of custom.

Similarly, livestreaming is not right or wrong. Many people find it comforting to be able to include loved ones from far away, but others may decide that a livestream isn’t right for them. Ultimately, your grief is your own, and you have the right to decide how you want to say goodbye to your loved one.

To learn more about planning a memorial and to get help making arrangements for your lost loved one, contact us today. At Cremations Only, we help clients with cremations and a range of funeral options. For example, some chapels already offer live streaming. We have a professional who can do it for families as well. We also record most services as all chapels have that facility. So families can share that recording online after the service. We offer you our sincere condolences on your loss, and we would be honoured to help you during this difficult time.

Cremation pre-planning is part of the end of life planning choices many adults make. You will speak to your funeral director, discuss cremation and look at various packages and prices available. Though many of the choices can be made easily, there are some you may not think of. Here are a few of those choices, what to know about them and what personalizations you can make to these choices.

Continue reading “Choices You Have for Cremation Pre-Planning”

You may feel a little nervous or daunted if you have to deliver the eulogy at a loved one’s funeral. After all, you want to pay your respects in an appropriate way and to do your relative or friend proud.

However, if you’ve never made this kind of speech before, you may not know how to create the perfect tribute. The following points will help you create a suitable structure and craft respectful and personalised content. Continue reading “How to Craft a Meaningful Eulogy”

When someone you love passes away, you’ll probably want to commemorate their memory. Traditionally, many people use flowers to commemorate the passing of someone they care about. They often send flowers to the family with condolences, or they bring flowers to the service themselves in remembrance of the individual. Continue reading “Alternatives to Sympathy Flowers at Your Loved One’s Funeral”

Are you looking for something unique to do with your loved one’s ashes? If storing ashes in an urn at home doesn’t appeal to you, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of alternatives.

You could use the ashes to plant a tree, create a beautiful piece of jewellery, or even press into an old-fashioned vinyl record. Keep reading for details on four touching ways to preserve the remains of your loved one. Continue reading “4 Unique Things to Do With a Loved One’s Ashes”

If you are the oldest sibling when your parent dies, one of the tasks that may fall to you is the funeral planning. This includes the cremation service if that was a request. Most of the information you need will probably already be planned or written down, including the specific cremation process, urn or other related information. However, this information may not include information regarding separating the cremation remains between family. Continue reading “What to Know about Separating Cremation Remains Between Family Members”

Choosing the right music for your loved one’s funeral can feel impossible. You might have so many options that you don’t know which to pick, or you could struggle to find even one song that feels appropriate. Continue reading “How to Choose the Perfect Funeral Music to Remember Your Loved One”

People often say that a funeral is a time of remembrance—a day to celebrate the life of your loved one as well as mourn your loss. However, remembering the good times and high points of a lost friend or family member’s life is often easier said than done when you’re caught up in the funeral process.

 

 

Continue reading “Making Your Loved One’s Funeral a Trip Down Memory Lane”

When planning a funeral for a loved one who once served in Australia’s military forces, you’ll want to give them a send-off that reflects the special role they dedicated their life to.

Thankfully, you can easily ensure your friend or family member’s funeral ceremony embodies all the prestige and reverence of their service.

Here are three of our best suggestions that will help you put together a funeral where you can honour the life of your beloved veteran in a meaningful and comforting way.

Continue reading “How to Make a Veteran’s Funeral Special”

Traditionally, many families put out guest books at their loved ones’ funerals. Many funeral homes include this guest book in their service package for no extra charge. These books can simply be a place for attendees to note their presence and sign their name, but you can also take this concept further and turn the guest book into a keepsake that can be enjoyed for years to come. Here are two ideas to help you. Continue reading “Make Your Funeral Guest Book Into a Treasured Keepsake”

While organising any cremation service is stressful, an unattended cremation reduces the number of difficult decisions you need to make. All you have to do is arrange for a funeral director to pick up the deceased’s body and to have it cremated privately. You are then given the ashes if you want them. Continue reading “How to Remember a Loved One After an Unattended Cremation”

The death of a close friend or relative can release feelings of loss and intense sadness. While adults may struggle to deal with these feelings, children can have an even harder time coping.

If you have recently lost a loved one, you may be concerned about how their death may impact the children in the family. Children can often struggle to understand death, so adults must be there to offer the support and guidance the child needs to overcome their loss. Below is a guide to some of the things you can do if you know a child who has lost a loved one.

Continue reading “3 Ways to Help Children Cope With Death”

Funeral preplanning is when you plan your own funeral before your death. You work directly with the funeral home to plan your final arrangements, and you pay for the services upfront. This option has grown in popularity, so you may want to consider funeral preplanning for the following reasons.

Continue reading “What Is Funeral Preplanning and Why Should You Consider It?”

There are many reasons why families choose to keep a cremation urn outside. You may be considering it because your loved one was an outdoor enthusiast, or perhaps you just feel more comfortable keeping ashes out of the home.

Whatever your reason for purchasing an outdoor urn, it’s important that you buy one made from the right material. Wood urns may be a timeless and beautiful option for storing cremains, but wood is very sensitive to changes in moisture and temperature. This makes wooden urns unsuitable for outdoor placement. Thankfully, there are many other options available that are perfect for use outside.

Continue reading “3 Cremation Urn Options for an Outdoor Memorial”

When you’re organising a funeral, you need someone to lead the service. While this was traditionally a role for religious representatives such as ministers or priests, this isn’t as much of a requirement today. As an alternative, more people choose non-religious celebrants to take charge of funeral services. For example, you can hire a celebrant to do this for you. Here, you can learn more about what celebrants are and how they can enhance your cremation service. Continue reading “The Benefits of Having a Celebrant at a Funeral”