Most memorial services are held inside. While many families choose to have a graveside service as well, the traditional option is to have a memorial service in a funeral home, church or private home. Having this memorial service indoors makes it easier to control the event and means you don't have to be concerned about the weather. However, it is becoming more common for memorial services to be held outside so as to take advantage of a natural setting and to carry out a more eco-friendly burial. Certainly, if the departed spent a lot of time outdoors and loved nature, this approach might be the best possible tribute.

The Challenge in Doing This

Because you can rarely know that someone is going to die on a given date, it may well be that an outdoor memorial service at the last moment will be impossible or extremely difficult because of the weather. However, if you can get a solid prediction of what the weather is going to be on the day of the memorial and it seems adequate for the service, you can move forward with your planning.

At the same time, weather prediction is hardly an exact science. This means you need to have contingency plans. You might want to have an alternative indoor location that you can switch to at the last moment. Or, you could simply rent an enormous tent to cover your outdoor location in case of bad weather. On the other hand, if the body of the deceased is going to be cremated, you can put off the memorial service as long as is necessary.

Choosing the Time and Location

There are any number of locations that might be appropriate for an outdoor memorial service, such as beaches, parks, family owned land or a garden. In fact, many outdoor wedding venues are also appropriate choices for a memorial service. Actual wedding venues can often provide sound equipment, seating and even catering.

Since summer months usually provide the clearest weather, if the body is going to be cremated, you might want to postpone the memorial service until the summer. Having this extra time will make it easier to book a venue. Even if you're going to inter the body, you could still hold the memorial service later. This has the advantage of making it easier for people who live well out-of-town to attend.

Create a Permanent Legacy

In keeping with the idea of tying the outdoor memorial service to nature, you might want to place the cremated remains at a particular location, perhaps one that was special to the deceased. Of course, you should make sure that you have authorization before you do this. Along with this (if allowed at the site you've chosen), you might want to plant a memorial tree or garden.

For more information, contact J Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel or a similar location.