There are now so many unique and special ways to celebrate the life of a loved one. If you haven’t yet decided what sort of service you would like, take a look at these ideas and speak to us at Gillman Funeral Service to talk them through, or anything else you might want to discuss, and we’ll see if we can make it happen for you. Let us support, guide and inspire you to create a funeral you never thought was possible.
Funerals should always be a celebration of life so consider holding a celebratory event at a hotel or farmyard barn, woodland retreat, a football stadium, club, on a boat, race track, even in the pub. There are now many uplifting venues available for celebratory services, we’d be delighted to talk through all the options with you and help find a suitable venue.
Truly reflect the character of the person whose funeral you’re arranging with a personalised picture coffin. You can choose your own photos or a theme that we have, anything from sports and hobbies to particular flowers or animals.
A Pathway Coffin which is a natural wood, biodegradable coffin allows for a truly unique, collaborative send-off where a number of people can design their own section, or each panel marking a different part of the life lost. You can then choose a frame colour and have the panels printed in spectacular printed padded fabric giving your coffin a comforting tactile finish. You can even choose lid options – blackboard for chalk inscriptions, whiteboard for permanent marker inscriptions or a lid covered in a full picture.
Funerals don’t just have to take place in ‘office hours’. If it suits you and your guests better, or will allow you access to certain venues which may be occupied during the day, have you thought about early evenings, night time ‘twilight’ and weekend funerals which are possible. That way you can enjoy the mystic the evening can bring, the soft warm ambiences that can be created using candle and fairy lights and also enjoy the outdoors in the summer months with fireworks, outside lighting, fire burners and lanterns.
Along with a selection of caskets and decorative urns specifically designed for keeping at home, we have pieces especially for the garden along with urns made from environmentally friendly materials including paper, sand and salt for water burials. You can also now incorporate your loved one’s ashes into a whole array of wonderful events and items. These include fireworks, going to the moon, jewellery, diamond rings and cuddlestones as part of our keepsake options. These come in a variety of styles and designs and each can hold a small amount of your loved one’s ashes and are ideal for sharing and displaying.
If you want to reflect your loved one’s personality from the very start of the funeral, think about the type of transportation you would like for them. It no longer has to be a traditional hearse, we can now organise alternative vehicles including a camper van, motorcycle, canal boat, vintage lorry and horse-drawn hearse amongst others. So if would like a beautiful horse-drawn carriage fit for a princess or a Harley curling the streets of your local home town to say something meaningful and significant about your loved one, we can now organise that for you.
A beautiful way to say goodbye that everyone can get involved in is through the release of doves or a firework display.
Absent friends and family can now watch the service live on the internet via live stream. This means that those who aren’t able to attend in person can still pay their respects. A videoing service and video scrolling stories along with photos and video diaries are also available.
You might feel that you’ll be reflecting your loved one’s wishes better with a less traditional service. Rather than limousines we can organise a 7 seater people carrier, a coach or minibus and rather than top hats and tails, the Funeral Director and pall bearers can wear more casual blue herringbone suits or a type of suit or costume that may fit your theme or guests style. You might also like to encourage guests to wear bright colours or a particular theme to make the whole occasion feel less formal and more celebratory.
Why not pick a theme for your funeral that best reflects your loved one. Themes include football, superheros, the army, fairy tales, motorcycles, country, golf, the circus etc with all elements being personalised. The Funeral Director and bearers can even dress up to be a part of the theme for you.
Flower arrangements for the coffin can take various forms to reflect the personality of your loved one. If you would like something in the shape of a football, a club logo, a name or made from fruit, vegetables, silk or dry arrangements let us know and we can help arrange this for you.
Flowers can add a bright and warm touch and reflect the love felt by those attending.
Funeral prices vary depending on the type of ceremony you would like for your loved one. There are many options to choose from to make it unique and special.
It is now really easy to plan ahead, making a huge difference by easing the burden on your family when the time comes, so they can focus on the arrangements.
Gillman Funeral Service can assist you in every step of the funeral so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.
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