a new altar

Wouldn't this DIY lily backdrop make any memorial more gorgeous? I imagine how it would gently sway in the breeze, adding movement and a sense of lightness. Here are the DIY instructions as they appear in Ruffled.

Although this was originally designed by My Hands Made It to be displayed at a wedding, I think it would be a lovely addition to any memorial service. These draped strands of lilies, especially if draped in front of a window or even outdoors, are simply gorgeous as a luminous and ethereal cascade. (For what it's worth, lilies are one of the most traditional memorial flowers, symbolizing the soul's return to innocence.)

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I encourage anyone who is faced with planning a memorial service to visit wedding blogs like Ruffled for inspiration. There are so many wonderful (and easy!) ideas that could just as well work for a memorial service. If you think about it, many of the components are the same - guest books, altar, photo displays, flowers, and table centerpieces. Memorials should be just as meaningful and pretty as any wedding!

Vintage Funeral Chair

I love the stoic nature of this vintage French funeral chair, offered by Hindsvik on Etsy. So practical and modest and rustic. Most vintage furniture evokes a narrative for me, and with this folding chair I wonder how much grief this fragile chair has beared over the years. I think of all the people who must have taken a seat here at one point, and wonder what they were thinking. It seems like an extra chair, stacked in the corner for those who arrive late. Perhaps delayed in the rain, or ambivalent about attending the service, or kindly giving up their more stable seat to someone who needs it.