4 Reasons Why You Need A Celebration Of Life Event Planner
Planning a celebration of life can be stressful on its own, but when you add grieving on top of event planning, it can feel very overwhelming and daunting. This is why hiring the right vendors and event planner is so important. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help and hiring an event planner could also turn your event into something even better and more special than you imagined (and with less stress!).
What is a celebration of life?
Celebrations of life are an event that gathers people together to remember a person's accomplishments, relationships, and share stories. It has a more lighthearted feel than a funeral. It is often very personalized with decor, activities, and the honoree’s favorite cocktail that might be served. The focus is on happy memories and being grateful for the joy the honoree brought to their friends and family.
Hi! If we haven’t met yet, I’m Lindsey Nickel and this is Lovely Day Legacies. Lovely Day Legacies is the go-to event planner for families planning celebrations of life, memorials, and funerals.
We help families to plan meaningful events to honor their loved ones, without feeling even more stressed out.
Milou and Olin Photography
How long is a celebration of life?
A celebration of life usually happens in one day. Typically celebrations of life last three to five hours. The timeline might look like this:
1 hour for to guests arrive and mingle
1 - 1.5 hours for the program with five to seven speakers and a slideshow
1-2 hours for heavy apps or a meal, mingling, sharing memories and entertainment
Though guests do not expect a full meal it is expected that there will be refreshments and beverages. Of course, buffet or sit-down meal is always a nice addition, especially for a longer event.
4 Reasons Why You Need To Hire A Celebration Of Life Event Planner
Jen Phillips Photography
Vendor Recommendations And Relationships
A celebration of life planner that knows the best (and worst) event vendors in the San Francisco Bay Area can help you pick the best people to ensure your event is a success. Whether you’re planning a celebration of life with a wine tasting at a winery in Napa or a winter event in a hotel in Oakland, your event planner can refer you to the best vendors for your style and budget. Trusted vendor referrals can save you hours of time scrolling the internet and hoping you booked a reliable vendor.
2. Managing your vendor communications
Hiring an event vendor is more than just signing a contract. There is also a lot of back-and-forth emails and phone calls. From reviewing contracts to brainstorming the right wording for the margarita sign to keeping track of which vendor arrives when and more there is a flood of emails that goes into communication with your team of vendors. Handling all the logistics and vendors can start to feel like a full-time job. Thankfully, a huge part of a celebration of life planner’s duties is to handle all of that for you, so that you can focus your energy in other places.
3. Creative ideas to personalize the celebration of life
Most people planning a celebration of life do not have the time or energy to spend hours scrolling through Pinterest and scrolling the internet in search of creative ideas to highlight their loved one’s personality. However, an event planner will have countless brilliant, cute, and original ideas for your event many of which can't be found online. Whether you want a tropical floral centerpiece or polka dot them or a beach theme that doesn’t feel like a nautical vacation your celebration of life planner is your partner in brainstorming ideas.
Looking for creative ideas for your event? Contact us to schedule a call.
Jen Phillips Photography
4. “Day Of” Set Up and Event Management
When the celebration of life day emotions often run high for the family and friends. You'll feel better knowing that your event planner is taking lead with the venue and vendors, coordinating logistics, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. If any issues or questions arise during the program or reception, they will be the first ones on the scene and you won't need to worry about anything except being with loved ones.
Of course, your event planner is there on the day of the celebration of life. They can set up items like photos, a guest book, pens for the guest book, and personal memorabilia items so that you can simply show up to the event. This is extremely important because it allows you to be present, greet guests, and talk to people. Your only job on the day of the event is to celebrate and remember your loved one.
In conclusion
Planning a special event like a celebration of life can be stressful, especially during grief. There’s so much that goes into organizing the event and it can be hard to make decisions after someone dies. Event planners are there to take most of the responsibilities off of your plate, so you can focus on other tasks and be present on the day of the celebration of life.
Have more questions? Visit our frequently asked questions page
Lovely Day Legacies is based in Napa, Calif., and is pleased to provide event planning for the San Francisco Bay Area including Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, wine country, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Piedmont, Marin County, Tiburon, Sausalito, San Francisco and more.
