Are you aware that 92% of people say personalization matters when planning a funeral?* That stat isn’t just interesting, it’s a signal indicating that today's families expect meaningful memorials that reflect the unique lives of their loved ones. 

The ability to create meaningful memorials is a marked skill of great funeral directors. Offering creative approaches to personalization can improve the services you provide and set your funeral home apart from others (International Cemetery, Cremation, and Funeral Association).

Ideas for Funeral Directors:  

 
• Talking about ways that the service as well as memorial products can be personalized to align with families’ values. 
• Presenting examples of how memorial products can be personalized through engraving and artwork.
• Helping families brainstorm possible sentiments to be engraved like silly nicknames, phrases often used by the deceased, or words/artwork that nod to a favorite memory.
• Offering color as a simpler way to personalize memorial products. (Our 2025 data review indicated that many families opted for solid color over imagery when it came to cultured marble urns; with deep blues, greens, purples, and white/grey rising to the top of our best sellers list). 
• Collaborating with florists, caterers, and venues to offer unique tributes from pretty seed packets to custom guitar picks.
• Sharing relevant, innovative ideas that other families have come up with. 
• Suggesting families hold memory circles: guests can share an anecdote or favorite memory they have with the deceased. This can foster connection and shared remembrance. It can also bring new memories to light. 
• Identifying ways for friends and family to be part of the ceremony.  

Ideas you can suggest for families to do on their own:

 
• Sew a quilt out of t-shirts or other clothing for a cozy keepsake to hold close and keep in the home.
• Paint rocks that can be left at the grave or placed in a garden or walkway. 
• Have friends and family bring a photo for the family to compile into a collaborative memorial scrapbook
• Create video tributes through a collection of photos or having friends and family share videos from the deceased’s life to be compiled into a memorial video.
• Ask friends and family to create a playlist of songs that remind them of the deceased. For Spotify users: use the collaborative playlist feature to easily create and share playlists with others, even from a distance.
• If the deceased was a lover of books, have a table with books to share and invite family and friends to take one.

Helping families shape meaningful, deeply personal, and memorable funeral services is one of the most significant ways your funeral home can provide the deepest value to today’s families.