Planning A Memorial Service
Service Logistics
If you would like to utilize these completely free services please contact them right away:
*NowILayMeDownToSleep Photography
*Angel Gowns
*Schedule photos right away and during the session be sure to take some of your own pictures too so you can use them at the funeral if you would like to, in case they don’t have their professional ones back to you before then.
*This is especially important to do if your child is a micro preemie and the hospital you are at doesn’t already work with Angel Gowns or hasn’t provided you with one.
Choose A Funeral Home
Choose Burial or Cremation
Choose Casket or Urn
*Hospitals usually give you a mandatory 24 hours that you must notify them of what funeral home you will be using, and 48 hours that the funeral home must pickup your baby into their care by.
*A lot of companies offer major discounts for services for babies, so be sure to ask about that.
*Trappist Caskets offers free caskets for infants. Click here for more info: Trappist Caskets
*Audrey & McKenna offers free cremation boxes. Click here for more info: Audrey & McKenna
Choose Funeral Location
Set The Date & Time of Service
Make Announcement/ Send Invite
*Click here for more info: Create an online memorial
*Free hand painted portraits for infant loss families: Finding Feathers
*Include in the announcement if there is a color theme that you would like everyone to wear to the services (we did not want the traditional all black, so we requested that everyone wore pink or light colors to our daughter’s service)
Choose the Officiator or Pastor
Notify Any Family or Friends You Might Want To Participate In Additional Things
*This could include asking someone special to be the pallbearer, or also possibly welcoming Baby’s grandparents and aunts/uncles to submit a simple, short, and sweet loving statement from them if they would like that would be included with the other messages to be read at some point during the services.
Arrange For Service To Be Photographed and Recorded
Choose What Music You Would Like Played
*Usually having around three to four songs picked out is a good amount, so that you will at least have one song to play as family is being seated, one at the very beginning of the service that others might want to sing to, one at the very end of service, and another one if you would like something also played at any graveside service.
Design Service Program Template
Design Bookmark or Prayer Card Keepsake
*Feel free to check out Lambie’s Love’s Pintrest account for possible helpful ideas with these: https://www.pinterest.com/lambieslove
Purchase Items
* This could include buying a funeral outfit for yourself, a guest book for attendees to sign in, picture frames to display special photos during the service, a hat or headband for Baby to wear
Additional Funeral Resources: