Not
Your Typical
Blog
Unique approach, unique insight, and unique options from compassionate souls who’ve been where you are.
Ready for a rollercoaster of life-giving hacks – we got you covered! This is where we assemble unique peeps, plans, and party favors for your Grand Finale. We love leveling up everything you’ve been accustomed to in the industry. Beyond the fresh flowers we infuse joy into farewells. Bookmark the blog to get free resources and a fresh take on celebrating you, your life, your legacy. Together, let’s rewrite the script – in tasteful respectful fashion of course!
Uplifting
Celebration Types
We’ve Found Another Way (A Little Less Gloomy)
Checklist
3 Layer To-Do Cake (Before, During, & After) to Savor What Truly Counts
Experiences
5 Nature Elements to Explore
Ideas & Faves
40 Celebration Ideas to Raise Your Spirits
Celebration Types
We’ve Found Another Way (A Little Less Gloomy)
Checklist
3 Layer To-Do Cake (Before, During, & After) to Savor What Truly Counts
Experiences
5 Nature Elements to Explore
Ideas & Faves
40 Celebration Ideas to Raise Your Spirits
Furbabies
Unique Approaches to Celebrating a Furry Friend or Beloved Pet
Click and Discover Through Nature Your Ideal Celebration Type
Name a Star After Them
Buy a star in your loved one’s name where you’ll choose the constellation, receive a sky chart and certificate. In ceremonious fashion with friends and family, or when you desire to connect with them in memory, simply view the star online through the Worldwide Telescope.
Walk or Run for a Cause
Do a walk/run in the name of your loved one’s favorite charity or illness that led to their passing. Increased endorphins and a sense of community is a great way to ease the pain and fully celebrate how precious life is – one breath, one step at a time.
Dedication Tattoo
These days, tattoos are a popular way to memorialize a loved one. For those who are interested, have a tattoo party where each participant designs a tattoo that reminds them of their loved one. Then, visit the tattoo parlor together.
Make Recipes or Exchange
Feed your soul by asking friends and family to choose recipes that their loved one enjoyed making and sharing. Give a keepsake of appreciation by presenting friends and family with a recipe book that includes photos of the deceased, and/or their signature recipes.
Cocoa Ceremony
Set the mood for ultimate healing. Host in a backyard garden with wildflowers and other ambiance. Enjoying ceremonial cacao can help you connect with your heart in gentle loving way. Usually led by a facilitator, and involves a communal gathering with a sacred circle, music and of course, cacao.
Mountain Meditation
Give you and your loved ones the gift of a mountain meditation. While meditation cannot eliminate the cause of your grief, it is proven to change our brains and our lives; reduce pain, anxiety, confusion and stress; boost the immune system; increase concentration, focus and compassion, among other benefits.
Glamping/Camping Time
Spending time outdoors may be just what you and your friends and family need during the grieving process. More than roasting marshmallows. Glamping resorts and dude ranches offer luxuries such as chef prepared meals, running water and lavatories, spa experiences, and other healing activities.
Tea Party
A gathering for tea in the afternoon makes for an elegant celebration of life. Choose an informal intimate setting or a full formal tea experience with flowers, fine china, etc.. Have caterers/servers assist with the tea service. Request guests to wear special attire like their best tea hat.
Confetti on a Rooftop
Eco-friendly paper of course! People write a word on paper to describe how their feeling; then tear it up, & all at once throw confetti in the air; in your own way choosing to release the pain
Release Doves
For centuries, doves have symbolized the Holy Spirit, love, peace, hope, and the soul. Releasing doves offers a soothing touch for those present.
Aerial Funeral
Cremains can be taken by drone to places people can’t easily access and released with glitter all while streaming live for a nearby viewing; often includes musical accompaniment. A full production, sure to captivate your family and friends, as you all gather to honor the departed.
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Small group celebrations via hot air balloon ride is nothing short of magical; especially if done upon a sunrise or sunset. Releasing cremains is optional and varies by state laws, but if permitted, can be the finishing touch to loved ones saying their goodbyes.
Release Paper Butterflies
Releasing butterflies fills the sky or room with a memorable and graceful display creating a peaceful, soothing, quiet, and moving experience reminding all of the departed’s family and friends that while their physical body is gone, their spirit lives on.
Sailboat Escapade
Inspiration for a Sailor or Fishing Enthusiast. Take to the water or celebrate on a beach or pier; preferably a place that had meaning to the person being honored. Hanging a personalized sail or decorating the boat with flowers and memorabilia is sure to elevate family and friend’s experience.
Fly Kites on a Beach
Choose to create or buy memorial kites to fly in a park or by water where winds are promising. Very symbolic and a great reminder that memorials can be a positive experience. Can also repeat each year on the anniversary of their passing.
Watch a Sunset
Watch a sunset oceanside or on a boat excursion. Simple, elegant, and serene pretty much sums up this celebration. Add some personal touches such as flutes and bubbly to toast their memory. Cheers to you and your loved ones!
Light Up The Sky
Bring family and friends together to simultaneously lift off eco-friendly lanterns. Before releasing, write personalized messages or wishes on the lanterns. A beautiful way to commemorate a loved one while illuminating the night sky.
Fireworks Show
Choose an intimate setting via country home or over a lake; do right away or wait for a special moment like their birthday or favorite holiday. To ensure your celebration goes off with a bang, hire a fireworks company or pyrotechnician who specializes in creating cremains displays for you.
Gather for a Vigil
A candlelight vigil is the gathering of friends and family members uniting everyone that has been affected by sudden death or tragedy. A healing event where loved ones have dedicated a space for photos, flowers, cards, mementos, tea lights, or memorial candles to be placed.
Farewell Sparklers
Let their memory sparkle by including these thoughtful favours/keepsakes at your celebration. Customize with tribute tags/messages and give your guests a quiet, light-filled moment of reflection while they light the sparklers up ceremoniously.
Around a Campfire
As the sun sets, reflect on their life with a memorial fire dedicated to them. Share stories and place color changing crystals with ash scattering tubes in the flames to ignite your celebration. Reminders: before spreading ashes seek permission from private campgrounds or get permits for national forests/parks.
Silent Tealights
Tealights are a symbol of hope and faith. They make a heartwarming candlelight display and can be held while sharing memories. For years to come, keep their memory burning bright by reusing on a table, mantel, or in a beautiful centerpiece.
Fire Ceremony
A fire ceremony is a healing symbolic event held to embrace new beginnings and honor their life itself. It starts with gratitude and the willingness to shift our perspective. Hire a healer who is trained to conduct your ceremony in a heart sensitive way.
Fireman Dedication
There are many ways to pay tribute to fallen fire heroes and make sure they are not forgotten. One memorable way to honor a fallen firefighter, is to dedicate a fire truck or other apparatus in the firefighter’s honor.
Memory Garden
Channel your grief into planting a long-lasting tribute to a loved one. Memory gardens can be a helpful outlet, providing a sense of ease, and the finished result will give you a peaceful place to retreat anytime you need it.
Decorate a Tree
Decorate a tree where one crossed or their favorite place, like a park. Add a plaque in their honor and place at the base of the tree. Revisit whenever you like. Bonus is the keepsake or message you left behind could touch the heart of a stranger walking by.
Tree Cremation
Plant a tree and sprinkle cremains around the roots. Opt to get support from a professional bio or living urn company who specializes in dispersing ashes in natural holistic ways by offering “done for you” kits or pods so you can focus on the celebration.
Hang Memorial Messages
A delicate gesture of unity, this craft of remembrance combines the memories of all those who care deeply for someone and gives each person the opportunity to express their love in writing; hang in a beautiful display of your choosing such as a tree, centerpiece, or other heartfelt object.
Pottery or Unique Activity
Take a Painting or Pottery Class with a small group and create a work of art that symbolizes the person you are celebrating. For example you all make, paint, and sign a vase adding in their dates of life lived. This could become a centerpiece used in your home.
Hike to Favorite Lookout
Embrace a unique experience of celebrating a loved one in the vast openness of nature's beauty by hiking to a favorite lookout. A heartfelt journey to a special place becomes a touching celebration of life, especially for those who were avid hikers, climbers, or...
Picnic
In the gentle embrace of nature's beauty and the art of a picnic, there exists a timeless opportunity to honor the memory of a loved one. More than a simple outdoor meal, a picnic can be transformed into a glamorous and tasteful celebration, filled with thoughtful...
Memory Ornaments
The holiday season can be a challenging time for those who have lost someone dear to them. Amidst the joy and festivities, there is often a sense of longing and remembrance for the loved ones who are no longer with us. One way to honor their memory and keep their...
Lanterns Floating
Lanterns offer a comforting illuminated experience. As the sun sets, gather friends and family by a nearby river bank to release lanterns into the water. Beforehand, create and decorate in honor of the deceased sharing stories about their loved one and/or say a prayer and share special memories.
Paper Letter Boats
A beautiful ceremony where you release boats down a river or stream. In advance, ask friends and family to write a personalized letter or note to their loved one on seed paper and fold into boats; or buy pre-made boats that come with tea lights to sprinkle ashes in.
Memorial Voyage
Grief Cruises are created specifically for grieving families. For all loss types no matter how much time has passed. Includes creative activities, helpful seminars, night of remembrance candle lit walk, burial at sea (optional), and additional luxuries to aid in the healing process.
Eternal Reef
Eternal reefs are made with cremains to memorialize the passing of a loved one while preserving marine life for the benefit of future generations. Friends and family are invited to participate and/or boat to the placement site to watch the Eternal Reef be deployed to its final ocean rest.
Dolphin Sunrise
A memorial at sea is a fitting tribute and farewell to a loved one. Dolphins can offer a peaceful calming quality to your celebration and are most active at sunrise. Set out by boat and request an officiant to join/offer your group comforting words during your cruise.
Get a Watercolor Made
Get your loved one’s photos turned into unforgettable memories via watercolor. This personalized artwork is a wonderful way to keep a lasting memory by displaying in your home. Also makes the perfect gift for someone close to you.
Sightseeing via Pagoda
Enjoy a full-day tour to some of the most sacred places. Admire the spectacular scenery as you drive through the countryside before paddling through lush paddy fields. The perfect yin and yang when needed most.
Private Riverboat Cruise
Something about a cruise that is comforting. Host a lunch or dinner with family and friends while taking in the beautiful views along the river (or lake). Incorporate some heartfelt touches such as personalized centerpieces, pictures, readings, prayers, music, memory shares, and/or keepsakes to honor your special person.
Our Featured Faves
The LUNABRIO family is full of experts ready to help you create unforgettable moments where your loved one’s life and legacy is center stage. Here’s some of our favorite picks to feed your curiosity.
10 Reasons Why We Love Life Celebrations
Trying to learn more about Celebration of Life Experiences? Thinking of how they differ from funerals, comparing costs vs. benefits of each, wondering if both and is possible, considering if a more personalized and uplifting tribute is right for you. Here’s our breakdown including top ten reasons to Celebrate a Life!
Unique Approaches to Celebrating a Furry Friend or Beloved Pet
The relationship with your pet is a treasure that deserves to be celebrated with those who were impacted by their life.
Dedication Tattoo
These days, tattoos are a popular way to memorialize a loved one. For those who are interested, have a tattoo party where each participant designs a tattoo that reminds them of their loved one. Then, visit the tattoo parlor together.
Aerial Funeral
Cremains can be taken by drone to places people can’t easily access and released with glitter all while streaming live for a nearby viewing; often includes musical accompaniment. A full production, sure to captivate your family and friends, as you all gather to honor the departed.
Hey, Let’s Celebrate Together!
Good-bye spam and old funeral norms, I’m bringing “honest-to-goodness” to your inbox. Fresh perspectives, exclusive content, tips, and insights that will help you discover a new approach, where celebrating your life takes center stage. You in?
BEST LIFE BEST LIFE BEST LIFE
Hey, Let’s Celebrate Together!
Good-by spam and old funeral norms, I’m bringing “honest-to-goodness” to your inbox. Fresh perspectives, exclusive content, tips, and insights that will help you discover a new approach, where celebrating life takes center stage. You in?

