Gone are the days of routine funeral services and memorials. Carbon copy services don’t offer as much solace or comfort to grieving families and friends, compared with services that honor the unique individuals that have died. In recent years, funeral services and memorials have become personalized affairs that pay tribute to the uniqueness of each person.

There are a number of ways that a family can personalize funeral or memorial services. Displaying a collection of photos and favorite items of the deceased helps others connect with shared memories and stories. Families may also choose to have a loved one’s favorite music play or create a slideshow of pictures and video that will play during the memorial. Displaying photos and other personalizations help to generate reminiscing and storytelling, allowing family members to hear stories they may not have heard before. Sharing memories creates a bond and honors the memory of the person.

Personalizing a funeral doesn’t have to end with the service. Items such as caskets and urns can also be personalized. Customized wraps for caskets can display anything from your loved one’s favorite baseball team to their life-long hobby. Recently, actress Carrie Fisher’s family chose her prized possession, an oversized, antique Prozac pill as her urn. If these examples are too extreme, you can personalize more items such as thank you cards, readings or programs that reflect your loved one’s personality.

The sky really is the limit in terms of personalizing a funeral. If you have an idea for personalization, talk with your funeral director about it to see if it’s feasible. Even better, if you know how you would want to personalize your own funeral, make an appointment to make pre-arrangements so you know that you are remembered in the way you want to be remembered.