Creating a Celebration of Life: Honouring a Legacy with Intention

Recently, I was asked to do something both humbling and profound: to help someone create their own celebration of life. At first, the idea may seem unusual. We’re used to memorials and funerals being arranged after someone has passed, often rushed and emotionally overwhelming. But this request was different,  it was intentional, empowering, and deeply personal.

Being asked to co-create a celebration of life in advance gave this person the rare opportunity to shape how they would be remembered. It wasn’t about finality…. it was about legacy. It was about love, joy, and storytelling on their terms.

Why Planning Your Celebration of Life Is Powerful

A Chance to Be Heard

Too often, we only hear someone’s favourite music, their life story, or cherished memories after they’re gone. When someone plans their celebration of life in advance, they get the chance to tell their own story. They can choose the songs that meant something to them, share photos that made them smile, and highlight the parts of their life they valued most ….. in their own voice.

 A Gift to Loved Ones

Grief is hard. Planning an event during that grief is even harder. By taking this on in advance, you’re offering an incredible gift to your loved ones, the ability to show up, breathe, and simply remember. Instead of logistical decisions and last-minute stress, they get to experience a ceremony that already reflects your love for them.

A Celebration, Not Just a Goodbye

When we’re able to plan ahead, the event becomes more than a farewell,  it becomes a celebration. There’s space for laughter, storytelling, music, dancing, favourite foods, and shared memories. There’s room for joy. The tone shifts from sorrow to gratitude, not ignoring grief, but making space for love to stand beside it.

Leaving a Legacy with Intention

We all hope to be remembered in a certain way — for our kindness, our humour, our passions. By planning ahead, we don’t leave that up to chance. We create a narrative that honours who we truly are, in the way we want to be remembered.

My Experience: An Honour and a Reminder

Helping create this celebration of life reminded me that death doesn’t have to be a taboo topic or a conversation saved for “someday.” It can be part of how we live. When we acknowledge our impermanence, we give ourselves the chance to live and love more deeply.

This process wasn’t sombre….it was deeply human. We laughed. We listened to their favourite songs. We remembered stories that would have otherwise gone untold. And most importantly, we made something that felt true.

Final Thoughts

Creating a celebration of life ahead of time isn’t about giving up. It’s about showing up — with courage, with clarity, and with care for the people we love. It’s one of the most meaningful gifts someone can offer to themselves and those they leave behind.

And for me, it was a reminder that honouring someone’s life doesn’t have to wait until the end.