Summer-Inspired Funeral Personalization Ideas

Posted by: Erin Ward in Grief and Guidance, Memorialization | July 8, 2021
summer-inspired funeral service doesn’t have to just be for funerals during the summertime. If your loved one’s birthday was during the summertime or if summer was their favorite season, you can still create a beautiful summer-inspired funeral year-round.

For some inspiration, check out these summer-inspired funeral personalization ideas to honor your loved one’s life.

Summer-Inspired Funeral Service Locations


If the funeral is during the summertime, then an outdoor location might be the way to go. You can choose a local park, beach, garden, a loved one’s backyard, or another meaningful location. If you live in a warmer location, find ways to keep your guests comfortable. For example, consider having a tent for shade, providing water, and having sunscreen on hand. Also, remember to reserve the space beforehand, if needed.

If you’re having an ash releasing ceremony, this may impact your location decision. Make sure that you have permission to do a releasing ceremony at your chosen location. You also should choose an environmentally friendly option for your releasing ceremony, such as scattering wildflower seeds or releasing bio-degradable lanterns.

If it isn’t summertime, you can bring the summer indoors with the decoration ideas in the next section!

Summer-Inspired Funeral Decorations


If it isn’t summer or you prefer an indoor location, no problem! There are many ways to turn an indoor location into a summer-inspired service. One way is to use real or fake flowers as decorations. For example, if your loved one liked to garden, choose plants that they typically grew.

Or, maybe your loved one used the summertime to travel. If they were an avid traveler, make a photo collage or video tribute of their vacations. If they liked to go to the beach, consider using seashells as decorations. You can even incorporate your loved one’s possessions, such as their souvenirs or their go-to summer hat and towel.

There’s no wrong way to personalize a loved one’s funeral, so choose summer-inspired decorations that represent who your loved one was. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, have family and friends help make a list of ideas. You can start by listing your loved one’s favorite summer activities and see what ideas spark from that.

Funeral Personalization Ideas for the Funeral Reception


The summer theme can be carried into the funeral reception by choosing summer-themed dishes. If it’s an outdoor location, choose refreshing food and drinks to help people stay cool on a hot day. For example, you can have fruit salads and ice cream. Or, if your loved one loved to cook, make some of their favorite summertime recipes. Everyone could bring a dish to pass.

For some people, cooking may be a meaningful outlet for their grief. Understandably, for others, the thought of having to make dishes during this difficult time may be too much. Or, you may just be too busy with finalizing the funeral details to make a dish. Whatever your situation, you may want to consider finding a local caterer. Talk with your chosen funeral home to see if they offer catering services or have a local caterer they partner with or recommend.

Creative Gift Ideas for the Funeral Guests


Depending on the direction you go in for the other funeral personalization elements, you can choose funeral gifts that go along with your theme.

For example, these are a few small, yet meaningful funeral gift ideas:
  • Packet of seeds or fully-grown plants 
  • Seashells with a short message 
  • Summer-themed poem or quote 
  • Framed photo of a loved one

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