The Claremont Hotel Celebration Of Life For A Mother and Nurse
It was an honor to work on this thoughtful, classy, and sweet Claremont Hotel celebration of life. The honoree was a nurse, mother, and avid shopper, and her friends and family gathered in the Skyline room of The Claremont Hotel to remember, celebrate, and share stories.
If we haven’t met yet, I’m Lindsey Nickel. Born and raised in the East Bay, I’m a wedding planner turned celebration of life planner based in Napa, California. I’ve planned 100+ events since 2010 and I specialize in celebrations of life (and Napa weddings). I help grieving families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area plan meaningful celebrations of life, without feeling even more stressed out. Suddenly, things you didn’t think you cared about become important. That’s where an event planner comes in to provide you with options, help you make decisions efficiently, and manage the event planning.
The family put together a very thoughtful memories table that was brimming with tributes to her life lived to the fullest. It had funky socks (which she loved to wear and handout), old Macy’s credit cards (from her shopping days), nursing memorabilia from her career as a labor and delivery nurse, her wedding photo album, candy jars filled with her favorite candy, and much more.
The celebration of life started with guests being greeted by a large handwritten sign with hummingbirds (she loved hummingbirds) outside of the Skyline room door so that guests knew they were in the right place.
As guests made their way inside the room they visited the memories table, signed a guestbook, and picked up programs.
The Claremont Hotel Skyline Room
The Claremont Hotel was the perfect place for this celebration of life because the family lives only a few miles away, so it made it easy for them to attend event planning meetings and drop off items for the memories table the day before the event. The celebration of life was held in November, so an indoor event space was a requirement due to the colder weather. Thankfully, the Skyline room has floor-to-ceiling windows and a stunning view of the Bay Area skyline, so guests can enjoy the natural light and views while still being warm and comfortable.
The celebration of life was from 2 pm - 5 pm, so the Claremont Hotel had a spread of delicious cheeses, savory dried fruits, whoopie pies (one of the honoree’s favorite desserts), fruit kebabs, and house-made chocolate chip cookies. To drink, the Claremont Hotel provided fresh brewed coffee (regular and decaf, of course), iced tea, and lemonade. It was the perfect food selection because people could enjoy something tasty between lunch and dinner.
The Claremont Hotel Celebration Of Life
For the program, people spoke and shared memories of the honoree. The speakers included fellow nurses, her daughters, her granddaughter, and her husband. There was not a dry eye in the house, especially after her granddaughter shared many loving memories. It was clear that the honoree was a very talented and well-loved nurse, a devoted mother, and fully embraced her role as a grandmother.
There was also a beautiful slideshow, set to meaningful music, that her daughters put together. Thankfully, the Claremont Hotel has an in-house AV company which ensured a seamless transition from people using the mic to the slideshow with music playing.
PRO TIP: One of the biggest mistakes that families make is trying to DIY the audio-visual needs (mic, speaker, and slideshow). Save yourself the headache of all that work and the stress of running it that day by hiring a professional to handle this so that you can focus on your family and friends and not have to deal with tech situations.
Picking a Celebration Of Life Venue
Initially, the family was going to host the celebration of life at a local funeral home chapel, but after the second visit there, the family realized it wasn’t the right fit for the lighthearted vision they had for a celebration of life. Thankfully the Claremont Hotel was available on their date, and the funeral home was very gracious about the change of venue. It was meant to be that the event was a Claremont Hotel celebration of life.
The Claremont Hotel checked all the boxes that the family was looking for in a celebration of life venue:
Near their home in Oakland
Indoor space for their November event
Catering on-site
It didn’t feel like a funeral space
Out-of-town guests can stay on site
Easy to get to
Ample parking
Celebration Of Life Flowers
The daughters were the creative hearts behind the color palette and flower choices. They wanted to avoid it looking like a funeral, so they chose colorful, bright, and cheery flowers that matched the demeanor of their loved one. For the celebration of life flower inspiration, they looked online at colorful wedding flowers as they knew this better matched what they wanted and would be the perfect touch for the guest tables.
Pro Tip To Plan A Celebration Of Life
One thing that stood out to me about this celebration of life was the importance of having one main decision-maker and point of contact. In this case, the husband was the main point of contact and made decisions after talking with his daughters. He summed up the decision-making process perfectly by saying he had to run decisions by the committee, but that, ultimately, he was the chair and decision-maker of the committee.
After we would have a call or meeting, he would say, “I’ll take this back to the committee and get back to you.” It worked really well because it was clear what the decision was and, therefore, the next step. I think it also helped for everyone to be able to focus more on grieving rather than flip flopping on decisions, and on the day of the celebration of life, they were able to focus on their guests.
The Claremont Hotel Celebration Of Life Ideas
I made a suggestion that they have a handwritten welcome sign and add doodles to it, and it ended up being one of the touches that the family liked the most. The sign maker also made a small sign for their guest book and for the memories table.
PRO TIP: Don’t skip a welcome sign! A welcome sign tells people they are in the correct place and sets the tone for the celebration of life. It’s an easy place to add a doodle of something the honoree loved or was passionate about allowing for the event to feel even more personal.
“I retained Lovely Day Legacies and Lindsey to help plan and support a celebration of life for my wife. This promised to be a stressful and emotional day for our family. We retained Lindsey to reduce the burden on the family to plan and implement the event.
First, the event was a well attended and successful one. We occupied a beautiful room at the Claremont Hotel and there were over 80 attendees. Lindsey took care of the following : room plan and layout , catering, flowers, linens, videography, signage, memory table, table setting. She assisted with set up and breakdown of the event. She managed the schedule and kept us on track through coordination leading up to the event. Her attention to detail is impeccable and her ability to relate to our needs was very responsive. She handled last minute issues and changes with grace and understanding.
Lindsey is a professional who knows her business; and in our experience , she delivered more than promised and much more than anticipated.
I unequivocally recommend and endorse Lovely Day Legacies and Lindsey for your events. You will be pleased with the result.” - Ken, husband
The Claremont Hotel Celebration Of Life Vendors
Celebration of life planner: Lovely Day Legacies
Photos: Lovely Day Legacies
Celebration of life venue: The Claremont Hotel
Florist: J. Miller Flowers
Signs: Miss Dee Designs
