To stay true to this blogs theme of celebrating events large and small, and to events that I am planning in my life, I want to show you some of the details of my grandmother’s services last week. I don’t mean for this to be sad, but to share some things that I was able to do to honor my grandmother, and to support my family during this difficult time by putting my event planning skills to use.

My mom asked everyone to gather photos of my grandmother, so we ended up with a wonderful selection, despite my grandmother’s best attempt to stay out of them for the past 40 years or so. I bought 2 large frames at Michael’s and hinged them together to create a screen to serve as her memory board. As you can see from the picture above, the effect was much more organized than a photo collage. I was able to tell the story of my grandmother in a beautiful, dignified way. Also, taking note from numerous movies, we were able to take a photo from my wedding {one of the few high resolution images we had}, crop it, and blow it up. The effect was amazing– and brought me to tears immediately upon seeing it.

My stepdad is a wonderful orator and gave a eulogy that was both funny and touching, sharing stories and remembrances. He also put together these personal cards which summed up my grandmother in all aspects of her life.

My parents hosted lunch at a golf club nearby {with printed directions, naturally} that offered guests the opportunity to share their own stories and memories. The idea was for guests to share publicly, but in the end, most of us shared at our tables, and it felt just right. We also gave a “toast” of sorts, using my grandma’s favorite little debbie cakes, with many guests wearing the badges out.

It turned out beautifully, and I was happy to contribute to the day by organizing and adding thoughtful touches I knew my grandmother would like, from using navy and beige {her favorite colors} to her favorite food. We celebrated her life  and I hope we made her proud.