(Updated May 1, 2022)
Before you start planning to honor someone with a celebration of life you should complete steps 1, 2 and 3 of the 9 Simple Steps to Honor a Person by Sharing Their Legacy.
Under step 3, someone is named the producer: the person in charge. The producer does not have to do all of the work, but they should have a vision of the celebration of life event, and create a plan to get it done. Here is a checklist to help you plan how to honor someone.
1. When will it take place?
Probably the most common date for a celebration of life is a memorial service. Unfortunately, once you have that date there is usually a very limited amount of time to prepare. Other types of events allow much more time: a special birthday, a graduation, a new job, a wedding, an anniversary, a retirement, or another milestone. To get the most time to plan and prepare a way to share a special person’s legacy, you should start before there is a specific requirement. And by starting today, you can make sure the celebration of life will be ready when it is needed.
2. Get the word out:
Once you have a date, put together a list of who to invite and have them reserve the date. You can send out a more specific invitation once you have a venue chosen. If you are planning a memorial, include in your “save-the-date” a request for people to provide the names of people they think should know of the event. The more people on your list, the more potential help you will have available.
3. How will it be presented?
The celebration of life may include live speakers, displays of photos and other memorabilia for guests to explore, and a screening of a video. The information presented here on LifeTimeCapsule.com shows many ways to honor someone, but as you plan what you will present at an event, think of what’s possible as a pyramid. At the top is the minimum you should prepare for. The more time you have to plan, the more you can include as you work your way down the pyramid. These three items should be your minimum:
A. People who knew/know the person who is being honored (the star) speaking briefly about their life.
B. An easel and/or table displaying photos and mementos, along with brief captions that explain their relationship to the star.
C. A video representing the celebrated person’s life. The more elaborate the video, the longer it will take to produce. But if you have at least a week before the event, computer software can almost automatically create an effective display of photos set to music.
4. Where will it happen?
Once a date has been set, whoever organizes the event will need to choose a venue. Make sure both adequate space and supporting equipment for each element is included: a place for live speakers; a display area for photos and memorabilia; a projector, screen and appropriate room lighting to show a video; and a sound system. The number of guests expected to attend and any food and drinks planned to be served will also determine what type of venue is chosen.
5. What will be included?
As mentioned above, these three items should be the minimum:
A. People talking in person about the person who is being honored.
B. A display of photos and mementos with captions.
C. A video. In addition to a basic video that only includes photos and music, as more time and resources are available a more elaborate one can include interviews with people talking about the honored person, and a narrator completing the story. Ideally, clips of the person being honored speaking about their life should also be included.
If you have more time to prepare, or many people to tackle individual tasks, you may also include:
D. Copies of a printed piece summarizing the honored person’s life. This can be a single-page, a brochure, or a longer printed piece that can include both text and photos.
E. Links to online resources. These can include a website, or links to shared files including audio recordings, videos, photos, and text documents, such as an ebook.
6. Who will be responsible for what?
Remember, the person in charge of the celebration of life (the producer) does not have to do everything. The more people who can be recruited to help, the more things can be included in the presentation. If you are the producer, you can point people to appropriate parts of LifeTimeCapsule.com that will let them know what you are trying to include in the celebration of life. This should help them decide if they have enough time to commit to the task and are willing to give it a try.
7. What is the timeline?
If you are preparing for an event deadline, work backwards from it to determine what needs to be done by when. There is more detailed information here on LifeTimeCapsule.com about how long specific tasks can take, but for the following provide general guidelines:
A. Live Speakers – Contacting people and getting them to commit to talking at a celebration of life can take anywhere less than an hour to several hours spread over many days. The deadline for who will be listed as a speaker is when the event agenda is finalized. If copies of a printed agenda will be given to guests, make sure you allow enough time to have it printed. Keep in mind that not everyone who speaks needs to have committed in advance. Many people who may have been hesitant before the event are willing to talk once others have started sharing stories about the person being honored.
B. Photos and Memorabilia – Finding these items can take the event producer several hours spread over many days. Rely upon others to gather and prepare them for the celebration. Depending upon how many photos and items are to be displayed, allow a few to many hours. If photos are only digital, they will need to be printed to be included on a display board. If any mementos are too precious to display for fear of them being damaged or loss, allow enough time to take and print photos of them. For each photo and physical item write a brief caption, print it out, and attach it. The deadline can be as last as the day of the event, just before guests arrive.
C. Video – For a basic video much of the work is gathering photos, deciding which to include, and determining which order to show them. For photos that are not digital, allow time to scan them. Although computer software can virtually automate a slide-show set to music, photos may have to be adjusted digitally and music has to be found and prepared. At a minimum this will most likely take several hours and can take dozens. The time it takes to prepare more advanced videos can take anywhere from a few to many weeks. That’s why it’s good to start preparing for a celebration of life long before an event has been scheduled.
D. Printed Handouts – Preparing a single page handout can take a few hours to write, then a couple more to prepare for printing. A brochure that includes more text and photos will take several hours longer. More elaborate printed pieces, such as a book, can takes many weeks to prepare. Whatever printed handout is decided upon, make sure to allow time for printing. Single-page handouts and simple brochures can be duplicated on a personal computer printer. The deadline can be the day before the event. For anything that needs to be commercially printed, the deadline for the print master can be one or more weeks before the event.
E. Online Resources – Whether or not you are creating a website or links to unedited files such as text, drawings, photos, videos and audio recordings, the time it takes to prepare them can take a few hours to many weeks. At the event you can have a display with a QR code that guests can scan to access the materials. As is the case with anything you wish to include as part of the celebration of life, it’s good to start preparing long before an event has been scheduled.