Memorial ceremonies will offer people the opportunity to say the goodbye they wish they could have said at the time of their loved one’s passing. If you’re looking to plan a memorial ceremony, you’ll be interested to know that you’re free to hold your memorial ceremony anywhere. All you need to do is check that it’s okay to bring your loved one’s ashes in an earn, if that’s something you want to do.
If you want to find out more about what a memorial ceremony is, you can browse through my Funerals page.
There are lots of beautiful places you can consider for your memorial ceremony, and I’m going to share a few ideas with you in this post.
This is a picture of a grey and white building that looks like a church, with a blue sky above. The building is Copper Coast Geopark Visitor Centre in Bonmahon, Co. Waterford, which you can use for all kinds of ceremonies. Photo Credit: Copper Coast Geopark
Converted Church
As the church-going population declines, more and more churches are being turned over to the community, or to enterprising people who see their potential as a space to welcome people. If your loved one was a spiritual person, a converted church sill be an atmospheric choice of venue for a memorial celebration.
Clubhouse or Community Centre
Was your loved one a sports fanatic? Did they spend all their spare hours at the golf club? Did they coach teams at the GAA or soccer club? What a lovely idea it would be to pay tribute to them at the club where they devoted so much of their time and energy. It doesn’t have to be a sports club.
It could be a community centre or Scout hall, and the ceremony could celebrate the contribution that person made to their community. As an added touch, the club members could do a guard of honour for the person, which they mightn’t have had a chance to do at the time.
Arts Venue
Maybe your loved one was more of an arty type, a musician, an actor or an artist. If so, then you can organise a colourful celebration of life at their favourite arts venue. It could be a gallery, an arts centre, a theatre or concert venue, or even a pub!
You can celebrate the person’s life through their art, with their pictures on the walls or music playing. Better yet, you could have live performances of their music, poetry or plays. Including their art in the ceremony will show that their loved one lives on through their creativity and their stories.
Hotel/Restaurant Venue
If there was a favourite place your loved one liked to go to for a meal or for entertainment, you can pay tribute to them in a place that’s full of happy memories. Along the way, you can enjoy some delicious food and drink and raise a toast to your loved one.
If a hotel or a restaurant has a small room where you can gather, it’ll help you create an intimate ceremony for the ones who were closest to your loved one. You can share a meal together to give thanks for your loved one’s life.
Outdoor Venue
If you decide to hold your memorial service outside, it will give you great freedom. The whole of nature is available to you as a backdrop for your ceremony. If your loved one was a hiker, a biker or a walker, you can hold your ceremony in a place where they found peace and wellbeing.
The place you choose will create its own atmosphere, and you can breathe in fresh air and enjoy beautiful scenery, which will give you comfort at this difficult time.
Use of any venue is subject to permission from the venue owners, but I’m happy to do a ceremony in any venue you wish. You can give me a call on 087 6959799.