More and more people are embracing unusual and poignant ideas for funerals. Unique personalised touches can be a fitting way to say goodbye to someone special.
Or you may be looking ahead to your own funeral. Communicating your funeral wishes to family members will help them when the time comes, as well as offering you a chance to decide how you wish to be remembered.
Here are 3 unusual and thoughtful funeral ideas that may inspire you, for your loved one’s funeral or your own.
Seed cards are a special way to remember the person who has passed away, especially if they were an avid gardener. The card can be personalised and contains seeds for guests to grow their own plant as a tribute. Common choices are forget-me-nots. These small blue flowers are easy to grow and maintain, and are a famous symbol of remembrance. Another option is tree seedlings, as these will provide a longer lasting tribute.
There are many companies who make personalised seed cards for different occasions and orders can often be placed online. Your funeral director may also be able to provide this service, or put you in contact with a company who can.
If you have arranged a funeral before, you will know that often there are more funeral flowers than you know what to do with, and it can be a shame to throw them away. Some people choose to disassemble the arrangements and re-group them into posies. These can be given to guests as a way of saying thank you for their support.
Another option is to make the flowers into jewellery. This is easier than it sounds. You will need translucent polymer clay, which you can buy from arts and crafts shops or online. Knead the clay until soft, then sprinkle in dried flower petals and knead again until the petals are worked into the clay. Then you can shape the beads as you want, using wire to create holes for threading. Bake in the oven according to the instructions on the clay packet. Once the beads are baked and cool, you can thread them together to make necklaces or bracelets. You could give these out to friends and family as gifts of remembrance, and keep one for yourself.
3 Collection of books
If your loved one was a bookworm, you might be left with an extensive library that, unfortunately, you can’t find a home for. One way to share their love for books is to hand out their collection at the funeral – this way people will have an appropriate memento to enjoy in their memory.
You could even order personalised book plates or stickers to place on the inside cover of each book, commemorating your loved one.
