Centerpieces for a Celebration of Life or Other Type of Celebration -- Crafty Sunday Post

 

My father passed away in January. He had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for over ten years. It was hard to watch his decline all those years. When he died, I truly felt he was finally in a better place. However, the Friday he died was right before one of the big snowstorms we had this past winter. My mother had just gotten out of rehab for her latest hospitalization and was still struggling. We decided to put off any services for our dad. We wanted our mother to be healthier and thought the springtime would be better as Dad loved flowers. We talked about where we wanted to have a celebration of life for him. I came up with the idea of a park, Elizabeth Park, in Hartford/West Hartford because it was a special place for our family growing up. We would ride our bikes there and my father loved the rose garden. In fact, my sisters and I wonder if this is where his love of roses came from. It is the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States and the third largest. Everyone loved the idea. Then came the question of having it at the restaurant/facility center there or outside. We decided to have it at the Pond House Cafe there. It was a beautiful setting and close to the rose garden in case anyone wanted to visit. In fact, I took Hazel and Steve to the rose garden before we began setting up for the celebration.

We took a few minutes to walk through some of the rose garden. Steve started to complain of the heat, but we got a few pictures there. We got someone to take family pictures in the gazebo. I also took this picture of Hazel in the beloved arches. Unfortunately, the arches' flowers were not in bloom yet. 

Then we went into begin the set-up. I was in charge of the centerpieces. I had seen on Amazon these photo centerpieces. I liked them but we were having big circular tables and thought these would be too small. I decided to make my own. The event planner at the Pond House suggested we use plants rather than cut flowers for ease. I started looking at all the spring plants that would work and what size we might want. Eventually I decided on ten-inch potted plants that had detachable hangers. I got a special deal on them at a local farm when I explained what I was doing and why. I picked out different colors and flower types so it would look like a garden in the place.

Next, I picked up some black poster boards from Dollar Tree. I cut seven-inch strips of them the long way. I found one was not quite long enough to go around the pot and had to attach pieces together. I did this part with glue. I originally was going to cut slits in the poster board for the photos to work like photo corners, but I decided to use double-sided tape instead. The photos I used I had copies printed by Shutterfly since using the app I only had to pay for shipping. 

I tried to use pictures on each one of Dad at different times in his life and with different people and solo. After I made the strips, I decided to use my extra strong double-sided tape to make them a ring around the pot. I put this on at home and then we took off the protection layer at the facility. 

Each table had a different centerpiece. People loved them!! I know at our table we turned the plant around so people could see all the pictures. After the event, we gave one pot of flowers to our father's boss and friend since he spoke and then we divided the rest up to take home in remembrance of Dad. I had extra photos, so I also made the photo boards which were also displayed. I tried not to duplicate too many pictures around the room. My sister brought some of the older photos that were already framed and put them on the mantel of the fireplace in the room. It was beautiful! Then we each had a part in the service and Hazel's speech brought tears to many eyes. It was wonderful. 

Everything was amazing at the celebration. The musicians my sister hired for the first hour, the food, and the speeches. People raved about the centerpieces, speeches and food. We truly feel we got to say goodbye to our father with luxury and love. Plus, it was in a place he loved. 

As people commented on the centerpieces I realized they would work in many different types of celebrations and they are easy to make. I used 4 x 6 photos and a few 4 x 4 when the older pictures were clearer at this size. I cut the strips to have a height of seven inches to ensure each photo being framed. These would be wonderful for retirement, graduation, or a birthday party. It could even be used for a wedding shower or baby shower (think ultrasounds and pregnant mom photos). I decided I should share my inexpensive idea with you! Enjoy!!