Today, as a funeral director, you have a new-found freedom to introduce unique and meaningful elements into funeral services. More and more people are becoming comfortable with actively celebrating the life of their loved one during the funeral as opposed to the expected traditional service.
This opens up effective ways for you to help grievers begin the healing process during the funeral, instead of merely supporting them as they try to “hold it together” until after the funeral is over. A creative element to bring to the funeral celebration is a “Tribute Cake.” This is a layered or large sheet cake decorated with edible decorations and objects that symbolize all the things that the deceased loved, from grand-kids to hobbies, travel and vacations, and favorite foods. Include religious symbols if faith was an important part of the person’s life, photos of special moments, and objects that remind family and friends of the deceased’s personality and propensities. Even quotes and favorite sayings of their loved one can be added to the cake, like “Now when I was your age…”
Family photos can be made into edible cake decorations. Words, phrases, even poems can also be transformed in the same way from a sheet of paper into edible decorations—much easier and neater than trying to hand-write them with an icing nib.
Once the cake is decorated, have a family member who is a photography buff take close-up shots to capture every inch of the cake. These photos can be placed in a “Tribute” album or scrapbook with notes reminding everyone of how much these symbols meant to their loved one and those closest to him or her. With the album or scrapbook, there will be a permanent loving record of the special moments of the deceased’s life, and a tangible way to encourage family and friends to want to go on living to honor their loved one by how they themselves live.
The “Tribute” cake can be shared at the end of the funeral service or during the post-funeral gathering. The symbols on the cake can be great conversation starters for funeral attendees, some of whom may not have seen each other or the deceased in years. The fact that a cake is being served will help relax everyone and encourage genuine sharing of memories and feelings.
On your website, you can have pictures of “tribute cakes” from cake decorating websites. Of course, there are mostly for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, but they will give grieving families an idea of what can be done on a cake and spark their own creativity. Watching TV shows like “Cake Boss” are also a great inspiration. Another idea is to have links available on your site to cake decorating websites so that your visitors can browse as they plan their tribute to their loved one.
