How Much Does a Celebration of Life Cost? A detailed look with real budgets
Milou and Olin Photography
Life is a beautiful journey filled with moments of joy, love, and connection. However, it is also marked by loss and grief, which inevitably leads to the need for commemorative events to honor the memory of our departed loved ones. Celebrations of life have gained popularity in recent years as a more uplifting and positive alternative to traditional funerals and memorials. Many people have never planned a celebration of life, so one of the very first questions that families always ask me is: How much does a celebration of life cost? In this blog post, we'll explore the various factors to consider when thinking about how much the celebration of life you are planning is going to cost.
Planning a celebration of life is a large undertaking, it takes time yet it moves incredibly fast. Typically, my clients work with me between three weeks and three months. Usually, by the time a family calls me, they have already dealt (or started to deal with) the funeral home, cremation, and getting the deceased person's affairs in order. Many times, when the family calls me, they are starting the planning process for the celebration of life, and they may have a venue in mind or they might not. They are all curious about how much a celebration of life will cost and usually don’t have a specific budget in mind because they want it to be a nice event but not over the top.
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Lindsey Nickel, and I’m a celebration of life planner in the San Francisco Bay Area (I call Napa home and grew up in the East Bay). I help grieving families plan meaningful celebrations of life without feeling even more stressed out. Suddenly, things you didn’t think you cared about become important. That’s where a funeral event planner comes in to provide you with options, help you make decisions efficiently, and manage the event planning.
Lovely Day Legacies
Lovely Day Legacies
What Affects a Celebration of Life Cost?
The primary driver for the price of a celebration of life is the number of people attending the event. For example, a 100-person celebration of life will need twice as much food, flowers, and rentals (tables, chairs, linens, etc.) as a 50-person celebration of life.
Every celebration of life has at least these pieces:
Venue
Catering (food and beverage)
Florist
DJ / Audio Visual (AV) for a slide show and mic for people giving speeches
Then there are the “nice to haves” that make the event more special, more personalized, and more memorable. The nice to haves are:
Signage (welcome sign, guest book sign, bar signs, etc.)
A graphic designer to create and print your programs
Photographer
Videographer for the day of the event and to put together a photo slideshow
Photobooth or phone booth for people to record their memories of the honoree
Lovely Day Legacies
How Much Does a Celebration of Life Cost?
I looked back at the past celebration of life events and calculated the average costs for:
Catering
DJ/ AV
Graphic designer for programs and printing
Photographer
Celebration of Life planner
Signage
Venue rental fee
Florist
Guest count
Other
When I started to average the numbers, I immediately saw that the number of guests was a huge influence on the averages. The very first celebration of life I ever did had 300 people attend. Later on, another event had 150 people attend.
Another huge variable is how much the venue fee is.
In an effort to keep things simple, I’m going to use examples for a 100 person event.
Lovely Day Legacies
DJ and AV Cost For A Celebration Of Life
In today's digital age, it's common to have a tribute slideshow set to music to tell the story of the honoree’s life. Sometimes my clients make their own slideshow and sometimes they hire a trusted vendor. Either way, they need a monitor to play the slideshow, this is where a DJ or AV company comes in. Often, I find a DJ / AV company to provide the monitors plus a microphone for the presenters. On the day of a celebration of life for your loved one, the last thing you want to be doing is troubleshooting the tech to make sure the slideshow works and the microphone sound is clear. I always strongly recommend hiring a professional DJ / AV company to handle the slideshow and mic needs for you.
Overall average for a DJ (not including monitors) = $2,500
Average price for a DJ with monitors = $3,500
Graphic Designer for Celebration of Life Programs
Printed programs are still a very popular item for celebrations or life. Printed programs and other printed materials can be customized to reflect your loved one's personality and passions. Costs will depend on the design, quantity, and quality of materials.
Average price: $650.00
Photographer
A photographer is something that is always on the “must have” list for weddings, but for celebrations of life is considered more of a “nice to have.” You might want to consider having a photographer to capture family photos (for most families, it’s rare to have so many family members together at once) and to document the day (clients often say the day feels like a blur).
Average price : $4,500
Milou and Olin Photography
Celebration of Life Planner
As celebrations of life become popular alternatives to memorials and funerals, people are realizing they want the help of an event planner to plan this milestone event. This is where a celebration of life planner comes in. While hiring a celebration of life planner can be an added cost, it can also save you money by helping you make informed decisions, negotiate with vendors, and avoid costly mistakes.
A celebration of life planner can save you tons of time by researching vendors for you and making a recommendation about which one would be the best fit. Planning a celebration of life on your own can quickly become a part-time job (especially if you are planning with less than six weeks of lead time) and a celebration of life planner can manage the logistics, details, and timing of the event so that you can just focus on grieving, getting through each day, and making the personal decisions (like which photos will be in the slideshow, who will be the speakers, which food to serve, etc.).
A celebration of life planner is also the point person on the day of the event for all the vendors so that they are not coming to you with questions like: When do you want to start the slideshow? Where should people put cards?
Average investment for 100 people = $9,500 (before travel fees)
Signage
Creative signage is a thoughtful way to add a celebratory touch to the celebration of life and differentiate it from a memorial. It’s very common to see a hand-written welcome sign that says something like “Welcome to Jane Doe’s Celebration Of Life” and doodles of something she loved (like hummingbirds or butterflies). The more signs you have, then the higher this number will be
Average price for sign artist (including renting the signs): $300
Lovely Day Legacies
Lovely Day Legacies
Venue Rental and Catering
The choice of venue can range from a beautiful backyard gathering to a splendid hotel. The cost of renting an event venue can vary widely based on its location, size, and amenities. Some venues, such as a hotel, provide catering. Some venues, like a home or event center, do not provide catering.
The type and scale of catering can significantly impact the overall cost. It is most common for a celebration of life to have heavy appetizer-like bites. Guests do not expect a full meal, though it is a good idea to provide something yummy and plentiful for guests to eat. I always recommend using a full-service catering company that will set up the tables and chairs, set up the buffet, set up the bar, provide servers, provide bartenders, and clean up everything at the end of the event.
To make it as apples to apples as possible for the prices, I combined the catering and venue costs:
For a full service caterer you can expect to spend $100 - $200 per person, before rentals (tables, chairs, oven, etc.)
At a venue that provides catering (such as a hotel or private dining room at a restaurant) the catering price maybe part of the overall venue quote
Celebration Of Life Flowers (florist)
Transforming your venue into a beautiful and celebratory setting often involves floral arrangements, centerpieces, and other decorative elements. Typically a florist will provide flowers for each guest table where people are sitting, the bar, the buffet, the podium, the welcome table, the welcome sign, and anything else you have in mind. The price of flowers varies largely depending on the type of flowers, what is in season, how full the arrangements are, and how many arrangements are needed.
Average investment for 100 people = $2,500
Other Celebration of Life Costs
Officiant / celebrant - If you choose to have someone lead the celebration, such as a celebrant or officiant, their fee will be an additional cost. However, having a professional guide the event can ensure it runs smoothly and meaningfully.
Photo video booth or phone booth for people to record their memories of the honoree
Transportation or valet
Permits such as special event permit or liquor license
Event insurance - many venues require the client to purchase event liability insurance
Live musicians - Live music with the honoree’s favorite songs can enhance the experience. Costs can vary and depend on how many musicians, how long they are going to perform, AV needs, and if they need to learn new songs.
Specialty entertainment - There are many options to add personal touches to a celebration of life. For example, if the honoree loved cigars, have a cigar bar. If the honoree was really into their Scottish ancestry, hire a bagpiper to play music.
Quick Summary of How Much a Celebration of Life Costs
The overall average includes two celebrations of life that had very large guest counts. I found that they skewed the numbers a bit so I also did an average for a celebration of life with 100 guests.
It is important to note that events at a private home are more complex since it is not a venue doing events regularly and typically infrastructure needs to be brought in (tables, chairs, tent, bathrooms, patio umbrellas, etc.)
Average prices for 100 guests at a venue:
Venue - This varies greatly based on the venue (private home, hotel, private dining room at a restaurant, community all, etc.)
variable
Catering
For a full-service caterer, you can expect to spend $100 - $200 per person, before rentals (tables, chairs, oven, etc.), fees, gratuity, taxes, etc.
$175 x 100= $17,500
DJ that also includes the slideshow monitors
$3,500
Graphic designer for programs
$650
Photographer
$4,500
Celebration of Life planner
$9,500 (starting point)
Signage
Average = $300
Florist
$2,500
As you can see there are a lot of variables that go into the budget for a celebration of life.
Very generally speaking, for a guest count of 100 people, you can expect to spend between $15,000 - $50,000 on a celebration of life that is nice, yet not over the top, and at an event venue (such as a hotel or event venue). Another way to look at it is about $300 per guest as a starting point.
The cost of a celebration of life can vary widely depending on your choices and preferences. It's essential to remember that the true value of such an event lies in the meaningful tribute it provides to your loved one's memory, rather than the monetary cost. By carefully planning and budgeting, you can create a beautiful and heartfelt celebration without going over the top. Ultimately, the goal is to celebrate a life well lived and to find comfort in coming together to remember and honor the person who touched your heart.
Feeling overwhelmed? Let’s chat about the celebration of life you are planning, start by filling out the form below.
