Are you considering a virtual memorial service for your loved one?
If so, we’re here to help. We know how overwhelming it can be to organize the logistics of a virtual gathering when you’ve just lost someone close to you. That’s why Lighten is here to guide you every step of the way, with our personalized care and innovative technology.
Although the idea of a virtual funeral may be new, it is becoming increasingly popular. A virtual service is no longer only for those social distancing due to Covid restrictions. Rather, a virtual memorial is becoming an increasingly popular option for families who are spread out across the country. Family and friends from all around the country – or even all around the world – can gather together on Zoom to honor their loved one’s life, comfort each other, and share memories together. With a virtual funeral, distance is no longer a barrier to bringing your community together in your loved one’s memory. Each guest only needs internet access and a computer, tablet, or mobile device to join.
Virtual funerals can also provide a more manageable planning and gathering experience for those who are balancing work, mourning, and caregiving responsibilities for children or elderly relatives. With our video conference planning sessions and our online planning portal, you can plan from the comfort of your own home. Lighten’s step-by-step, structured planning process also streamlines the planning process. On the day of your loved one’s ceremony, you don’t have to worry about any of the technology or audio/video controls. Lighten handles everything for you, so that you can be fully present with your family and friends.
How Lighten helps
Lighten helps you translate your desired end-of-life gathering into the virtual environment. This means every service is customized to your loved one’s unique identity, values, and traditions. Whether your desired ceremony is formal or informal, traditional or nontraditional, celebratory or contemplative – Lighten is here to help you bring your loved one’s ceremony to life. At Lighten, our goal is to make the planning process as easy as possible for you, and to help you create a gathering that feels true to your loved one’s spirit.
Lighten also handles all of the technical details. This includes setup of the Zoom gathering, managing the guest RSVPs, providing technology support for you and your guest, and preparing the audio and visual materials for the ceremony.
What to expect from the Lighten Virtual Memorial Planning Process:
When you are ready to plan your loved one’s virtual memorial service, Lighten will help you work through the planning steps. The Lighten Planning Center, our online planning portal, will help you keep everything organized. Your dedicated Lighten team member will be there to guide you every step of the way. Below are the major steps to planning a virtual service.
1. Choose a date and time
A virtual memorial ceremony can take place at any date and time. Weekends and weekday evenings tend to be the most popular times to hold a virtual memorial service, as it allows many family and friends to attend outside of work commitments. Most families choose to hold a memorial ceremony within three weeks after their loved one’s passing. However, there is no rule on when the memorial service must take place and it is never too late to honor your loved one’s life if you did not plan a memorial ceremony immediately after their passing. Some families choose to gather on a date of special significance, such as their loved one’s birthday, anniversary, or an anniversary of their passing.
2. Invite your family and friends online
As part of each of our packages, Lighten creates a Memorial Webpage for your loved one that functions as the invitation to the memorial service. The Memorial Webpage includes the date and time of the ceremony, as well as a button your guests can click to register for the ceremony. You can send this Memorial Webpage to your family and friends to invite them to register for the virtual ceremony. The link to the Memorial Webpage can be sent to your guests via text, email, or social media. Many families choose to post the Memorial Webpage to Facebook and LinkedIn to invite family, friends, and colleagues to the ceremony.
The Memorial Webpage includes your loved one’s name, photo, obituary, a guest book for family and friends to leave written condolences, and an optional donation area where you can select a charitable cause to recommend donations in your loved one’s honor.
3. Plan the elements of your service
Virtual funerals often contain many of the same elements you would see at an in-person funeral. Lighten helps you tailor the content of the ceremony to your loved one’s life and identity. Virtual services may include eulogies, speeches, personal reflections from family members and friends, prayer, scripture readings, poetry, meditation, photos, musical selections, candle lighting ceremonies, celebratory toasts with a beverage of choice, and more. Some families choose to include “open mic” time, when any guest in attendance can come forward to share a memory, story, or condolences with the family.Lighten will help you organize your chosen ceremony elements into a Program or Order of Ceremony for the virtual memorial service.
4. Gather photos of your loved one
Many families choose to include a photo montage as part of their virtual memorial service. Lighten gives you a place to easily upload and order your photos so our team can prepare them for the gathering. We can create a polished photo montage, set to the music of your choice, to show as a featured portion of the ceremony. Prefer to create the photo montage yourself? No problem. Send our team your finished .mp4 file, and we’ll incorporate your video into the audio and visual materials for the service.
Lighten is here to help you every step of the way with these planning steps. We meet with you for an initial Planning Session, collaborate with you to finalize the service details in your Lighten Planning Center, and hold a Final Walkthrough to give you a chance to review all final plans, audio, and visuals for the virtual ceremony before the day-of. We are also with you in the virtual ceremony itself to facilitate the order of service and provide tech support for you and your guests.
We hope that explaining these steps have helped you understand the planning process. If you have any questions or are ready to get started, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
