Personalise the experience
Celebrate with Stories
Arrange the details
Express Gratitude
put it all together
Location
P.L.A.C.E. Framework
personalise the experience
Make it personal. In spite of farewell services you've been to before, there are no rules about how to say 'goodbye'. Choose the songs they loved, decorate with memorabilia that was important or suggest attendees whare a certain colour or item of clothing.
Make sure the service reflects their personality.
location
Choosing the most appropriate venue is an important decision. If your guest of honour enjoyed their church or felt comfortable in a chapel- that may be the ideal venue.
If they loved the beach or a park, maybe an outdoor venue is more appropriate. Some locals have a favourite surf club, pub or sporting club which meant so much to them. The venue you choose reflects what was most important to the guest of honour.
Whatever your choice of venue, we can help arrange room hire or permits as required
arrange the details
Small details can make a huge difference.
Traditionally, funerals are held during business hours. This suits many people but certainly not everyone.
Perhaps a Sunrise or Sunset service would be more appropriate. Mother Nature often has a spectacular background on display. How about a weekend?
What would your guest of honour want?
If it's legal, let's do it.
Celebrate with stories
Tributes focused on dates and locations are boring. No one is really concerned about which primary school the guest of honour went to.
Celebrate with stories.
What is your favorite memory?
Why was that person important to you?
What did you learn from them?
We humans connect to stories much better than locations and timelines.
express gratitude and say goodbye
It’s important as a society that we take time to acknowledge the life that’s been lived. It’s an opportunity to grieve in a healthy manner, to reconnect with family, friends and community and to show the next generation that every life matters. Old, young, healthy, unwell- everyone should be shown some gratitude for having lived their life.
This is probably the last opportunity to express your love for someone you've lost, at least in a formal environment.
Honour their life by giving the service they would have wanted.
put it all together
Follow the PLACE framework and you'll create a service you'll be proud of, that your guests will enjoy and that the guest of honour would have appreciated.