During the past 38 years of my event planning career, I have assisted clients with all
types of celebrations including weddings, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries,
gender reveals, graduations, reunions, births, and celebrations of life. When I started
Class Act Events it really did not occur to me that clients would reach out and need help
with planning and coordinating celebrations of life. It turns out that, out of all the different
life celebrations that people need assistance with planning, a celebration of life is the
one where I truly feel that I provide the most significant assistance.
At a time when clients are grieving and have so many tasks to perform i.e. writing an
obituary, dealing with burial plans, handling legal matters, banking, family dynamics,
and more; they also are seeking to honor their loved one and celebrate their life with
family and friends. This is where I find myself assessing how I can be of the most help
to my client when they reach out for event planning services.
Early in the planning process I try to discover as much about their deceased loved one
as I can, which can be very inspiring on its own. It is amazing to read three or four
paragraph descriptions about the deceased’s life experiences and accomplishments. I
often find myself in awe of their life well lived as well as how many people they touched
and inspired. Once I have a sense of the person we will be celebrating, I then move
forward to work with my client to help them create the celebration that they are hoping
for.
Many times, the approach that I take is to highlight the various facets of the life we are
celebrating. For example, displaying family moments via photos and identifying and
displaying items that could represent career, hobbies, civic involvement, military service,
awards, etc. Often, we can honor starting with venue selection, favorite music featured,
favorite food served, decorating with favorite colors and flowers, and of course,
featuring special people who will come forward and share their favorite memories.
In helping to create a special celebration of life event I am always sensitive to what my
client feels will best honor their loved one as well as what they think he or she would
have wanted. Being able to assist my client with all of the details and help with
suggestions to shape an event that truly honors the life we are celebrating, has proven
to be one of the most surprisingly rewarding and inspiring of my career.