It is not the same as a funeral or a celebration of life. Those services are held after a death. A living funeral happens while the person can still take part. Some families later hold a funeral or a celebration of life as well. One does not replace the other unless that is what the family wants.
How a living funeral is different from a celebration of life
A celebration of life is a service after someone has died. It often feels more personal and less formal than a traditional funeral. Our guide to celebration of life services explains that kind of gathering, and our celebration of life program examples show how a printed program can look.
A living funeral has a different starting point. The person is present. The tone can still be warm, even joyful, or it can be quiet and simple. What matters is that the day is shaped around the person who is there, and around the people who want to be with them.
Pre-planning a funeral or memorial is different again. Pre-planning is about recording wishes for a service after a death, such as music, readings, or burial plans. A living funeral is a gathering now. Some people do both: they plan a day they can attend, and they also write down wishes for later.
What the day can look like
There is no single right way to hold a living funeral. It can be a small afternoon at home, a gathering at a place of worship, time in a favorite park, or a visit with family. You can keep it private, or you can invite a wider circle of friends.
Many of the same personal touches that help at a memorial can help here too: photos, favorite music, a meal the person loves, a chance for people to speak, or a short reading. Our memorial service ideas and ideas for personalizing a funeral are written mainly for services after a death, but those kinds of details can work at a living funeral as well. Change the wording so it fits a gathering where the person is present.
If you want a poem or a short reading, our memorial poems are a place to start. Choose pieces that feel right for the person and for a day they will attend.
A printed program, if you want one
You do not need a printed program. If you want guests to have a name, a few words about the day, a simple order of events, or a poem to take home, a funeral program template can be a starting point. Change the language so it fits a living gathering, not a service after a death.
Our bifold funeral program templates are a common format for a printed program. Every published template comes in Microsoft Word 2007 or higher. Some designs also come in Canva, and many older designs also come in Apple Pages. If you want to edit in your browser, start with our Canva funeral program templates.
For a larger program, the Celebration of Life 11x17 booklet comes in Word and Canva. It does not come in Apple Pages. You can keep the layout and change the wording to fit a living funeral. More booklet designs are in our large funeral booklet templates.
If you would like to see how a program is laid out, the celebration of life program examples page walks through a sample. Use it for structure, then write the text for a day the person will be at.
If you are thinking about one
Talk with the person, if you can, and with close family, about whether a gathering feels right and what they would enjoy. Some families plan it on their own. Others ask a funeral director or a place of worship for help with the room, the schedule, or the guest list.
This page is not medical or legal advice. It is only a plain look at what a living funeral is, and how it differs from a celebration of life after a death.
