Personal Touches for a Funeral Reception or Wake

Ways to Personalise the Gathering

The main purpose of a gathering after a funeral is to provide mourners with an opportunity to spend time together, share memories and support each other. Just providing a space to meet, perhaps with refreshments, is enough. However, sometimes adding a few personal touches can spark memories and conversations or lighten the mood.

A Life in Pictures

Displays of photographs of the deceased, their life, family and friends, or movie clips to a favourite song can help mourners connect to, and remember, the person they are saying goodbye to.

Gathering Memories

Consider ways to invite participation from the guests – writing a memory in a book of condolence or posting it in a memory jar or box can be cathartic and will create lasting memories for the family.

Reflecting Their Life and Loves

Think about reflecting the life and personality of the person you are mourning – for a gardener or nature lover, packs of flower seeds for loved ones to take away and plant as a living reminder of the person who has died; releasing balloons or doves to represent a free spirit; fireworks, for someone who loved drama and spectacle. 

It may be choosing the colours of the football team they supported, or a style of dress or mood that really captures the essence of the person. These things can bring comfort, and perhaps a smile, and help on what is always going to be a very difficult day.

Personalised Stationery Items

Bookmarks printed with a photo and favourite quote or poem for mourners to take away to use and keep can be a lovely touch. Or other printed stationery items such as postcards on which to write memories and reflection.

How whiteballoon Can Help

There are some beautiful ideas for Personal Touches in our Inspiration pages. If you would like to link directly to local or national suppliers, please visit the whiteballoon Provider Directory.

Details of Providers, plus items and images from our Inspiration pages can be saved to a personalised Ideas Folder in our Planning Tools section. All our Planning Tools are free to use. Just Register to securely save information to your folder.

This can be printed out and, if you wish, shared with family, friends, your celebrant or funeral director.