A Life to Celebrate, Inc. planned a memorial for a beloved matriarch of a large Irish family. Fifty of her family members were invited to get together for an evening of dinner, memories and laughs to honor her amazing life.
The location: Promontory Point, an historic building on the shore of Lake Michigan, was selected as the venue. We proposed this site to the family because it is a few blocks away from where their grandmother was married. The private castle-like room was outfitted with round tables draped with autumn colored linens, candles, and centerpieces.
The dinner: The evening began with a cocktail hour and passed hors d'oeuvres. They then sat down and were served a lovely 3-course meal as the sun set over the lake. A soundtrack of their grandmother's favorite music played in the background.
The special touches: Photo boards and special family items were on display when guests arrived. Each place setting was fixed with a reminder of their grandmother's favorite saint: a St. Benedict medal and prayer card. The table centerpieces hid questions about their grandmother, which people pulled out and used to share stories over dinner. Next, we presented a 20 minute documentary including photos, interviews, music and narration of the life of their grandmother. After the presentation, we invited anyone to come up and share stories or memories that were uncovered during their table's discussion. As her children and grandchildren took turns retelling their favorites, the room filled with laughter and a few happy tears were shed. At the end of the evening, each guest left with a piece of their grandmother's famous "sunshine cake," wrapped with a copy of her recipe.
The results: Family members had the following comments:
"I'm so glad my kids were here tonight. It was a tremendous opportunity for them to learn about their great-grandmother and their family history."
"It was absolutely fantastic. Thank you for an evening I will never forget."
"It was an amazing presentation that words cannot express. It was like Gram was present tonight."
"What a beautiful tribute. It was extremely well planned and beautifully presented."
"Such a moving and fitting testimony to her life!"
