Why can't memorials be more like weddings?

Vintage keys as remembrance favors (from Bustled Events)

It's my goal to make death pretty again. And I believe memorials deserve to be as beautifully styled as any wedding. Like a wedding, memorials are ceremonies devoted to love. And love, whether it's earthly or eternal, always merits gorgeous and affectionate design.

Vintage card cabinet and photo display from Martha Stewart Weddings

Of course, the primary reason for the lack of style with memorials is the weight of grief. Who wants to think about design at a time when they can hardly function? So it's my hope to create templates of memorial ideas that can be easily recreated. These services will have many DIY components, which I believe not only makes the memorial more personal, it allows family and friends to contribute in a meaningful way.

Right now I'm working on different themes - vintage, rustic, beach, garden, classic, and neo-Victorian. In time I hope to have photo shoots highlighting each theme, but for now I've been collecting ideas on my Pinterest page. I spend a lot of time on DIY wedding blogs like Forget Me Knot Weddings, 100 Layer Cake and Grey Likes Weddings looking for inspiration, and I encourage others who are planning memorials to check out these sites.

Memorials are all about remembrance, so it's nice to bring in vintage items that are also meaningful - from tea tins to doilies, crockery to cookbooks. Here are just a few display ideas incorporating easy-to-do vintage elements from Ruffled, Bustled Events, and Hazlitt Vintage Rentals:

I hope that we can reinvent how we think of memorials, and treat them with the same love and affection that we do with weddings. Why not?

vintage cigar box for photos and flowers

Can you think of anything more nostalgic, colorful and cheery than vintage cigar boxes? I was so excited to find these at Sunday's Alameda Flea Market, only $20 for the entire batch! The rips and scuffs only add to their well-loved patina of time. Someone cared enough to store these for all these years, and I now hope to give them new life as potential memorial displays.

Vintage cigar boxes are ideal displays for photos, flowers, or both. Especially remembrance services for men, where you don't want to go too frilly with the floral arrangements. I've placed old photos directly inside the box alongside succulents and airplants, but you can use mini clothespins to attach the photos inside the raised lid. These boxes make wonderful centerpieces, or can be the center of attention on a memory table.