When adding a personal touch to a bereavement service, you are giving the attendees an understanding of who the deceased was on a more personal level. The amount of items you wish to include personal touches is up to you.

Funeral homes can help

Funeral homes are caring and compassionate and will go to great lengths to assist with all your personalisation needs. From providing help with deciding a venue and taking care of the arrangements, to catering requirements and ideas to personalise the event, you can trust them to offer a complete service.

Ways to honour the memory

The order of service may contain a poem or a verse that's often a reflection of the deceased, but you may want a more intimate memorial folder. Asking family, friends and guests to contribute with their own memories of the deceased can be touchingly poignant, and can include items such as poems, photographs or memorable stories.

Display personal belongings

Displaying the deceased's personal belongings at a service is a unique way of honouring their memory and reminding those at the funeral of their interests. Even the simplest of mementos, such as their favourite sports team apparel, a hat, or a sporting trophy can provide a more personal touch to the service.

Selecting a unique casket or memorable urn

Caskets can vary in price, design, shape and colour and can be crafted from various kinds of materials and fabrications. They may also be engraved with their name or a monogram to give them a personal touch.

Urns also come in a wide variety of styles, sizes, colours, shapes and materials. They can also be engraved with religious images or motifs of a person's hobbies or interests. Urns can be placed in a wall niche at a memorial park, or you may prefer to bury the urn.

Involve friends

Having close friends share a few words and some memories is a valuable personal touch. A special poem, quote or message that was meaningful to the person who passed could be read during or after the service.

Music and visuals

A great way to personalise a funeral service is with music. A person's favourite music could also be played in their honor at either the wake or funeral service when the casket and attendees are leaving, or invite a family friend or relative to perform a piece of music.

Videos can also be used within the funeral service and are a simple and expressive way to make use of the great photos and videos you have. This can be done using a slideshow, video montage (which can also be accompanied with music), or even live streamed to family and friends who may not be able to attend.

Dedicate memorials

Park benches, also known as celebration benches, can be placed in a favourite scenic location, with a plaque dedicated to your loved one so family and friends can pay tribute and enjoy the view for many years to come (remember to seek approval from your local council first).

Planting a tree is an increasingly popular tribute to someone special, that can be revisited over many years. You can also offer a small token of plant seeds to guests after the funeral, or attach them to the order of service.

This story is from the new edition of the Personal Details & Funeral Planner. Click here to read the entire magazine online.