Living memorials are becoming popular across the country. A living memorial is when the deceased is presented at the viewing with a slideshow of their life viewed above the body. Friends and family members can say their last goodbyes and at the same time rejoice and remember the good things of the deceased's life. If you really want to honor your passed love one, you might want to think about buying A/V equipment to host the event. It is a solemn gathering, but with proper lighting, video, and audio equipment you can give the passed love one the honor and respect they deserve and at the same time give the guests a memory that they will cherish for a lifetime.



If you don't want to buy audio and visual equipment, you can rent it. Most funeral homes will have a reference to an audio and visual equipment dealer who will be able to setup, service, and take down the equipment before, during, and after the service. They will be able to put up one of the many sizes of optical front projection screens where the happier times of the deceased and family can view in either video or slideshow format. As the grief stricken pass by the body to give respects, they can look into the screen and remember the love and life of the one who has gone on. A visual memorial can invoke memories of the person that mere words and conversation never would.

The audio and visual professional will also install the proper audio equipment for the occasion. You do not want over bearing audio drowning the effects of the memorial, but you want a respectful volume that will fill the room with the sounds of love and admiration of those who would speak about those who the crowd came to honor. The eulogy will be heard in reverent tones and the sound will be just loud enough for the person in the back row to hear the words and to feel the emotion. Additional audio equipment can be added if there is to be a choir or singer at the memorial. Feedback and other electronic noises would be an embarrassment to the occasion and to the memory of the deceased. A professionally installed audio system would eliminate that chance of occurrence.

If your funeral home does not have a recommendation, you can find a live production event coordinator in most areas. They usually can set up anything from a business conference to a live stage performance, but most have had some experience with live memorials and can help you pick out the right equipment and right package to fit your live memorial event. They can install the video and audio equipment for you and stay with you during the memorial to make sure the equipment runs properly. They can run the soundboard and fix any distractions in the volume or tone of the audio quality. The sound person can also block out background noise that might be picked up on the microphone. They also can video tape the memorial so that you can take home the memory of your last good bye with your loved one.