What is a Memorial Service?

A memorial service is a ceremony that memorializes and honors the deceased after the body has been cremated or buried. A memorial service has the same meaning of any other type of funeral service; honor and pay tribute to the deceased. The memorial service often takes place weeks or even months after the death has occurred.


Unlike a traditional funeral , a memorial service  is a gathering where a casket is not present (although an urn may be on display). A memorial service can be held weeks or even months after the death.


A memorial service can be held in a church, funeral home, community hall, or somewhere of importance to the deceased and family. There is usually music, selected readings, and a eulogy. Memorial services can be further personalized as a celebration-of-life .

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Memorial vs. Funeral

The biggest difference of a traditional funeral and a memorial service is that the body is not present in a casket at a memorial service. However, an urn with the loved one’s ashes may be present at a memorial service. Both traditional funeral services and memorial services have structure, and both bring the community together in support and remembrance. However, a traditional funeral service is much more structured and formal. A traditional funeral service is often associated with religion so it is often led by a member of clergy, whereas a memorial service is led by a celebrant or master of ceremonies. Memorial services often allow for each guest to participate to some level, where guests of a traditional funeral are really just there to observe and reflect.

Memorial Service vs. Celebration of Life

A celebration of life is an event that truly celebrates the loved one’s passions, intellectual pursuits, personality, and personal accomplishments. A celebration of life can really have no structure at all and can be really anything you want.
 
A memorial service could be best described as a gentle mix of a traditional funeral and celebration of life. A memorial service has some structure, but it still allows you the flexibility to make the ceremony unique and personalized to fit the individual being honored. Also the mood generally lies somewhere in the middle of completely somber and celebratory.

Why Choose a Memorial Service?

Before you can ask how to plan a memorial service, you must decide why a memorial service is right for you. We find the most common reason people choose a memorial service is that they want the extra time to plan a ceremony. Since a memorial service can take place after the body has been buried or cremation, there is no rush to organize a ceremony. Immediately following a death, families are not emotionally ready to have a ceremony – They need time to grieve. Relatives and friends that live far away can organize their schedule to travel for the memorial service.

- Often those not religious choose to have a memorial service as opposed to a traditional funeral because traditional funerals are more often associated with religion.

- Memorial services tend to be cheaper than holding a traditional funeral

- As mentioned above, for some people memorial services serve as the perfect compromise between a celebration of life and traditional funeral service.

- Some people find celebrations of life do not pay enough attention to the deceased and turn into solely a party

    How to Come Up With Memorial Service Ideas

    Our experience has shown us that many of today's families want more than a traditional funeral. This can be done by bringing more of the personality and lifestyle of the deceased into the arrangements. By displaying photographs or staging the event around a favorite pastime, a memorial service can become more personal and meaningful. Below, you can find some good questions to ask yourself when thinking of memorial service ideas.

    - If a personalized memorial service suits the needs of your family, we suggest you consider the following questions:
    - What did your loved one like to do?
    - What was he or she like as an individual?
    - What was their profession and how did that shape their life?
    - Was your loved one spiritual?
    - Was he or she proud of their cultural or ethnic heritage? 

    Use of a Civil Celebrant

    Often memorial services are led by celebrants. A celebrant is a person who has been trained to conduct formal ceremonies, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. They are not clergy; instead they are experienced masters-of-ceremony and story-tellers. A celebrant works closely with surviving family to create a ceremony which reflects the beliefs, cultural background, values and aspirations of your deceased loved one, and your family. If you think you would be best served by a celebrant, please speak with your funeral director.

    Places to Hold a Memorial Service

    You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to a location especially since the body will not be present. We have had families hold memorial services at beaches, community centers, parks, restaurants, banquet halls, and at family homes. For some that want some religious facets it is probably best choose a place of worship. Keep mind that you want a space/location that can hold a large group of people and that has the amenities for any of the features you have planned. For example, if you want a photo slideshow, choosing the beach as your location would not be ideal.