Personalizing a funeral is a beautiful way to celebrate the life of a loved one and honor their legacy. At Sunset View Cemetery Association, our experienced staff members help families in El Cerrito, Berkeley, and beyond craft personalized funerals for their loved ones, highlighting their interests, accomplishments, and hobbies in unique ways. Oftentimes, personalizing a service involves choosing a theme and building the funeral around this central concept.

Planning a Themed Funeral

A themed funeral often entails more foresight and planning than a traditional service and thus takes longer. Planning a themed funeral, especially when coping with difficult grief, can be stressful and involve more decision-making than crafting a traditional funeral service. Oftentimes, when a family plans a themed funeral, the loved one is involved in a preplanning capacity. The loved one may even request a themed funeral and put their specific wishes in writing.

Selecting the Theme for the Funeral

The first and primary thing a family will do when planning a themed funeral is to select the theme. There is virtually no limit to the themes from which families can choose. A funeral theme can revolve around football, beach vacations, motorcycles, fishing, or gardening. A funeral theme may inform the dress code for the event, such as disco or black tie, and as a result, bring guests together in solidarity. When considering potential themes for a loved one’s funeral, think about how your loved one spent their time and what they loved doing. 

Personalizing a Themed Funeral

The theme of a funeral can inform the mood, decorations, activities, music, and food (in the case of a reception) selected. Perhaps you wish to incorporate special readings or a themed playlist into the service. Maybe your loved one was a baking enthusiast, so you decide to decorate the service space with baking supplies or serve homemade cupcakes at the reception. Funeral directors are used to accommodating special requests for families, so feel free to contact our team to learn more about how we can help you craft a themed funeral for your loved one.