It has been said that ceremony is part of human life.

However, many people today have little or no formal religious allegiance, and have moved away from traditional services. Because people still desire some form of spirituality, there is a real need for marking life’s milestones with non-denominational celebrations.

When our own mother recently passed away, my sister and brothers wanted to honor her while complying with her wishes of “no funeral.” We planned and carried out a beautiful, personalized memorial service in our home, inviting friends and relatives to enjoy an informal, comfortable day in the sun. We wrote and delivered a humorous, yet poignant, eulogy, and invited guests to share their thoughts and memories about Mom.

Because we wanted to go a step further in sharing Mom’s life, we collected, scanned and edited a number of photographs spanning her 81 years and created a lovely “digital” slideshow including her favorite songs that played during our event. Afterward, CD’s were made available to those wanting them, complete with beautiful, custom labels bearing Mom’s likeness.

Our event was perfect in every way. Many of our friends suggested that we make a career of memorializing others in a like fashion. A little research revealed that there is, indeed, a need for “professional celebrants” and that we could very well offer our these services to the public as well as photo restoration and art products.