Chicago-Based Lighten Offers Inexpensive Memorial Planning
Traditional funerals are expensive. The costs of a burial plot, casket, memorial, funeral home visitation, and headstone leave many people unable to afford it all. The present economy is causing people to seek lower-cost options.
Lighten, a Chicago-based, nationally-facing startup, says many families are seeking inexpensive options for funerals and memorial services. Lighten offers modern, personalized memorial services, held either virtually or in uplifting locations outside the funeral home environment.
CEO Alexandra Koys, who founded Lighten in 2019 during her MBA studies at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, says that even when finances are tight, a memorial service for a loved one is not something many families feel they can go without: “They tell us it is still so important to create something meaningful and dignified for their loved ones. Coming together for a memorial service is the way that they honor their loved one’s life. It is also often an important part of the healing process for family and friends.”
Lighten offers 5 recommendations for consumers who want to create inexpensive memorials:
1. Virtual memorials offer substantial flexibility and cost savings. Out-of-town participants may not be able to afford travel expenses or the time away from work. Virtual memorials allow people to participate fully with little expense.
2. Cremation is cost-effective when compared with a casket burial. Not all cultural observances permit cremation but where it is an option, consumers can save money.
3. Pot-luck meals during a memorial at home can be more affordable than planning a large reception in a restaurant. Attendees can prepare dishes that remind them of their loved one.
4. A digital display of photos is often less expensive than spending money to print a photo display.
5. An online memorial page that allows guests to sign their name and leave a condolence note is often more affordable than purchasing a hard-cover guestbook.
Virtual memorials provide welcome relief to grieving people who want to celebrate a life well-lived inexpensively.
The NFDA lists the median price of a traditional funeral and casket burial as $9,420. Lighten’s virtual memorials can be held for as little as $1,900. Cremation in many cities can be found for less than $1,000.
