Monthly Archives: August 2021

cremation service in Newtown, PA

Memorable Celebrations of Life

Are you looking to really honor the memory and life of your lost loved one with a memorable and unique celebration of life after a cremation service in Newtown, PA? Everyone wants their lost loved one’s service to stand out and be remembered for years to come, but it can be hard to impress people when you’re not exactly sure how.

Use these ideas to help make your lost loved one’s celebration of life really stand out. You can start with live streaming. Social media has another connection-boosting feature: live streaming. Almost every platform from Facebook to Instagram can live stream your celebration of life allow guests that can’t attend in person the chance to celebrate the life of your lost loved one. You can also make a grand entrance.

Everyone loves to make an entrance, so make sure the gateway into the celebration of life is something to remember. Dress up your entrance with lots of decorations and unique touches to make it feel more special and memorable. You can add a red carpet, flower wall, step and repeat, or a balloon walkway to make your event feel just like a celebrity award show. Or you can create a large photo collage of the deceased or make the entrance themed to something that he or she loved in life.

Don’t forget about food. People love food, so it’s not surprising that one the biggest parts guests remember of any event is the food. So, make sure your food really shines! Talk with your caterer to create a menu that focuses on fresh, local, and high-quality food, and don’t forget to include plenty of options for common dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free and vegan. What about photo opportunities and art? It’s no secret that social media is huge these days. Take advantage of the craze for your loved one’s celebration of life by creating Insta-worthy photo-ops. You can rent out a photo booth or just set up a corner of the space with a backdrop and props. Not only will these chances to take photos help your guests have fun, but they will also help create more memories of your lost loved one that will live on.

You can even create a unique hashtag that guests can use when posting so everyone can see the photos. You want people to never stop talking about your event, and what makes people talk more than art? Hang unique and thought-provoking art pieces at the celebration of life. They double as décor and conversation starters. You can also choose to hang large pictures from the deceased’s life as a way for guests to remember big moments.

cremation service in Newtown, PA

Do you want more assistance with creating a memorable celebration of life? J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help. We are a Newtown, PA cremation service provider with the experience necessary to help you. Call today to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss or of preplanning.

funeral home in Newtown, PA

Send Your Support After a Loss from a Distance

No one likes to see their friends, loved ones, or family in pain after a loss and service at a funeral home in Newtown, PA, but it can be awful to see loved ones grieving when you’re far away from them. If you’re looking for ways to be there for someone in grief even from halfway around the world, these tips are here to help inspire you.

You might not be able to see and help them in person right now, but you can certainly plan a visit. This is especially helpful since the grieving process doesn’t end once the service is over, so the bereaved might need extra love and support a few months down the line after other people have moved on. You can also use technology. We are so lucky to live in a modern world with almost endless ways of staying in touch with people despite physical distance. From Facebook and Instagram to video chatting, and even the classic telephone, use technology to reach out to the bereaved. Reach out when you can so they know you’re available, but don’t be pushy.

Also, don’t feel like you have to talk or have meaningful words of encouragement. The best thing you can do for your friend is just to listen. What about donating or ordering deliveries? Cremations and funerals do cost money, and it might be very helpful for you to donate money to help the bereaved with some of the costs. You can also make a donation in the deceased’s memory. Choose a cause that was important to the deceased and let the bereaved know about your donation so they can feel something good has come from their loss. Even a small gesture can mean a world of difference to someone in grief.

And, thanks to modern delivery services, it’s never been easier to send those small gestures even from across an ocean. Place an order for grocery delivery so they don’t have to worry about shopping or order them some food from their favorite take out place. You can also send flowers, candy, gift baskets, thoughtful gifts like books, gift cards, and a whole host of other delivery items to show you care and are thinking about them in their time of loss. Finally, don’t ask what you can do. The last thing someone in grief wants to do is field a bunch of questions. So, instead of asking what you can do to help, just do it. Be proactive, whether that means sending over a cleaning service, flowers or food or paying for a grocery delivery. And remember, while it’s never preferable to be far away from someone when they’re grieving, it is possible to provide some comfort even though you’re apart.

funeral home in Newtown, PA

J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help if you want to learn more tips or information about Newtown, PA funeral homes. We can offer you more information beyond these tips for how to help your family member or friend when they’ve lost someone. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.

cremation service Langhorne, PA

Catering and COVID-19 at Memorial Services

Thanks to the pandemic, most of the conventional aspects of planning funeral, memorial, or wake after a cremation service in Langhorne, PA are gone or changed for a very long time. COVID-19 has even drastically changed the memorial and wake catering industry in the United States and beyond, so what can you do? There are tons of ways to keep guests safe when it’s time to eat, including individual serving ware rather than shared serving tools, temperature checks on all employees and outside caterers, mask requirements for employees and caterers, and individual plates rather than family style service.

It’s important to note that recent CDC findings suggest that the virus that causes COVID-19 doesn’t grow or live on food or drinking liquids, so handling food or consuming food is generally safe when it comes to transmission. You can still have a wonderful service to honor your lost loved one with catering ideas like these to keep people safe and fed. The bereaved and their guests still need to eat. Luckily, there are several catering trends that are safe for memorials in the time of COVID.

Here are a couple of the best options. The first is food stations. Food stations have been around for a while and they aren’t going anywhere. From appetizers and cocktails to ice cream bars, taco stations, and even mashed potato bars, food stations are delicious, easy, and safe. Pre-poured, pre-plated and even mini servings of station foods are ideal for minimizing guest and server contact, especially since they help keep lines moving and spread out the guests for better social distancing. There are also passed hors d’oeuvres and individual desserts. While grazing boards, like those with charcuterie spreads, fruits and desserts are classic, they’re not ideal for COVID safety. Luckily, passed hors d’oeuvres are back in style.

They allow for masked servers to bring food directly to the bereaved to minimize people unnecessarily touching food. While large, shared desserts lovely and always will be, more and more people are moving towards décor cakes. Décor cakes are smaller cakes that are placed at each place setting to serve as both decoration and a tasty dessert. The small individual cakes are also better for social distancing. You can also opt for other small desserts like pies, macarons or even donuts.

These are just a few of the current COVID-friendly catering trends. While memorials, funerals and wakes might not be like we pictured for the foreseeable future, they are still possible with safety measures and a little creativity.

cremation services Langhorne, PA

J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help if you want more wake tips or information on Langhorne, PA cremation services. We’re a funeral home with the experience and compassion necessary to help you plan an honorable, respectful, and memorable memorial for your lost loved one. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss or of preplanning.

funeral home in Langhorne, PA

Looking for Affordable Monuments?

Memorials are usually permanent fixtures like large headstones or statues used to memorialize the deceased. However, there are other kinds of monuments that are just as special but more affordable. Many people want to set up a monument to their lost loved one after a service at a funeral home in Langhorne, PA, but can’t afford the more traditional structures. This list of ideas for affordable monuments can help you memorialize your lost loved one while staying on budget.

To begin, you can use your memories. Your memories of your loved one are always with you and are also completely free. Use your memories as a monument to the deceased by telling stories about them to younger generations and by asking friends, family and other loved ones to share their stories as well.

Make these memories more permanent by asking people to write them down in a journey or, for more the more tech-savvy, making a video compilation of them telling their memories. What about pictures? Everyone has many pictures of loved ones, so it’s easy to use photographs as a monument when someone you love passes away. Simple framed photos and scrapbooks are equally meaningful and help you remember them. You can also write a memorial or repurpose belongings. Even if you’re not a gifted writer, it can still be meaningful to write some kind of memorial for your lost loved one.

Try writing a poem, memoir, short story, or even just an essay about how you feel about their life and loss. You can repurpose almost any of your lost loved one’s belongings as memorial. For example, you can turn a shirt or blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal. What about making a mixtape? Music is very powerful and can help us work through difficult emotions. Make a playlist or a mixtape that reminds you of your lost loved one so you can listen whenever you’re thinking about them or you miss them.

Don’t forget to share it with family and friends. You can also give to charity. One of the best ways to honor the deceased is to help their good legacy live on through charitable giving. Even a small donation will go a long way towards helping a cause that your lost loved one believed in or cared about. Or plant a memorial garden. Flowers, trees, bushes and other living things are always a beautiful reminder that life goes on and there can be beauty in the wake of loss. Plant a memorial garden for your lost loved one at home in your yard or work with your local authorities to plant a garden or even a tree in a public place. Finally, there’s cremation jewelry. Cremation jewelry takes part of the deceased’s cremains and turns it into jewelry that you can wear or carry with you at all times.

funeral home in Langhorne, PA

J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel is here to help if you want more tips on memorialization or information on Oakland, CA funeral homes. After all, these are just a few of the many ways you can memorialize your lost loved one without spending a large amount of money.