What are the important elements to consider when planning a farewell service?

Having spent many hours with families planning farewell services, I've created a process that works well for me and I suspect it can work for anyone. Firstly, we establish there is a current 'process or precedure' that most services follow. We also establish that you can follow the process as much or as little as you choose to. As I say, Íf it's legal, let's do it'. 

I then wander through 5 steps which I call PLACE.

P- Personalise the Experience

L- Location

A- Arrange the Details

C- Celebrate with Stories

E- Express Gratitude and Say Goodbye

I say 'wander' through the steps because we will often move forward and backward through the steps rather than follow a linear plan. It's a little more fluid than a strict step-by-step approach but I believe this brings about the best outcome. Feel free to ask me more about this process if you're interested.