Building Your Funeral Playlist

Building Your Funeral Playlist

From the time we first connect with music, it becomes a part of us. Many people have a wrap sheet of the songs that influence their moods, and remind them of some of the best moments in their lives. Many of us also learn to play instruments as children or love to sing and learn the lyrics to our favourite songs.

Music holds our memories for us and gives us the chance to revisit them when we hear that familiar song. It's incredibly powerful. In some ways, our songs of choice tell a story about our lives.

That’s why a funeral playlist doesn’t need to be a morbid topic of discussion. In fact, exploring potential songs for a funeral can be an insightful experience for our loved ones, full of opportunities to celebrate all the ups and downs of our colourful lives.

Almost everyone we’ve spoken to has had at least one song that was to be played in their memory. In our friendship circles, we’ve had conversations over a coffee that revolve entirely around the songs we’d love played for our funeral - it’s almost the only factor that is conversational.

Have you considered your what you would put on your own funeral playlist?

 

Why build a funeral playlist?

 

Remember the movie Love Actually? It’s one example of when a funeral playlist has played a major role in the schedule of the funeral.

 

 

Whether you would like to build your own playlist of traditional classics, or more contemporary and personal songs, building your own funeral playlist can really help those in mourning to celebrate the life you lived. Furthermore, simply taking the time to reflect on the music that resonates most within can be an insightful experience.

To help you choose music for a funeral, we’ve compiled a few tips below for getting started.

 

Where to begin

 

The days have passed where every funeral was accompanied by classical hymns as a matter of course. Whether you’re into these religious hymns or more of an alternative rock fan, pre-selecting the music to be played at your memorial service makes for a touching way of connecting with your loved ones.

 

Turn to your childhood

Some of us look to the movies of way back when and remember tunes woven into our childhoods and youth. Eva Cassidy’s ‘Over The Rainbow’ along with Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ are beautiful songs for a funeral.

 

 

Love told through lyrics

For those seeking tales of love told through lyrics, Van Morrison’s ‘Have I Told You Lately That I Love You’ and a cover of ‘God Only Knows’ by John Legend and Cynthia Erivo are two options.

 

Back to the classics

Others look to classics with lyrics that echo with life, such as these favourite tunes from The Beatles: ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’

 

Uplifting anthems

While contemplating the chorus to accompany their precious moments post life, many more choose uplifting tunes that whisper of hope. Some beautiful songs for a funeral include ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by Gerry and The Pacemakers and 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra. In many ways, a funeral is a celebration of a life. In many ways Sinatra's song is an ode to life well lived.

 

 

Beyond the music: other considerations

 

We’ve helped many Australians with their post life preparations, and a lot of them choose other ways to personalise a memorial for themselves or their loved ones. Some prepare slideshows, photos or even videos sharing snapshots of a life well lived. This can be played in tandem alongside the music soundtrack you’ve selected for your service.

Then there are the more fundamental questions. While many have an idea of their preferred funeral music, you’d be surprised by how many people haven’t thought in advance about where they’d like their service to be held!

There are quite a few options for most basic of questions: would you prefer a funeral service in your home? A graveside service? Or wake, visitation or gathering, before or after the cremation or burial? With a preplanned and prepaid funeral, the choice is yours to make — alleviating the stress of that decision from your family.

Other things you may like to give thought to include whether there are any poems, readings or prayers that resonate with you. Consider whether you’d like to be shared with your guests – and who would be your pick to deliver them. You may also consider asking people to donate to a charity or a cause you care about in your memory instead of bringing flowers.

And then there are the guests. Do your loved ones know everyone you’d like to attend your funeral, or could there be a few old friends that have for whatever reason you’ve lost touch with over the years? Preparing a list of their contact details in advance will make all the difference.

 

Don’t stop yet

 

No one likes to think about the end, but when the time comes, it’s helpful for your loved ones to have a plan for your wishes. It could be as simple as taking 5 minutes to write down what you’re ideal scenario would be in an email and sending it to the person that would oversee the arrangements. If you’re feeling like you’d like to put a plan in place to take care of both the planning and the expense of a funeral, then preplanning your own funeral is a good option for you.

If you’d like in-depth advice on the other steps involved in planning a personalised service for yourself or a loved one, see our Life Celebration guide below. If you have any questions, our team of funeral directors are always on hand to help you arrange your ceremony – reach out to us at anytime.

 

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About us

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Our compassionate all-female team are dedicated to supporting families in their times of need. We arrange beautiful personalised funeral services in the Gladesville & Sydney area.

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We're here to help

Lady Anne Funerals is here to support and assist your family through what can be a difficult time, with a ladies touch. 

We are available to discuss a range of services to support your family, including: 

  • Personalised memorial services
  • Cremation and burial services
  • Religious services catering to all faith's
  • No service, no attendance 

Please get in touch - night or day - via the form or you can call us on the number below.

Phone: 1300 74 00 74

206 Victoria Road, Gladesville 2111

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Our Success Stories

I am truly grateful for the help and support from Lady Anne Funerals. They made everything clear and took away all the uncertainties about what needed to be done.

A special thanks to Yvonne, who was the celebrant for our ceremony. The respect and honour she showed in delivering the eulogy were fantastic. Many attendees commented on how well she spoke about my wife Glenda, as if she had known her personally.

Yvonne, thank you. You were exactly the person we needed during this difficult time in my life.
Ray - Google Review 4 months ago
Hi Yvonne, Just a personal note from me to say how grateful we all were for the gentle, magnificent way, you helped Janie make her mother’s funeral such an authentic, warm, loving, and memorable celebration.

Especially, your work has helped create a wonderful “first impression” for our grandchildren. You’ve gifted them the tools to actually celebrate a life, that I’m sure will help them cope with the inevitable sadnesses of living.

Who would’ve thought a funeral could be such a genuine, respectful, celebration.

Thank you again Yvonne.
Janie and Greg Page - Google Review 3 months ago
I am overwhelmed with the feedback on how beautiful it all was from all who attended. You and the other ladies were wonderful, looked so elegant, and made the day so very special for all who loved Paul.
Barbara Sommerville Enright
Karen has supported my Mum and me through the most difficult week of our lives as we not only planned a funeral, but interred my Dad to his new home. I will be forever grateful to Karen for her ongoing support, guidance, kindness, empathy and friendship over the last week. Karen has now become part of our extended circle of close family friends.
Daughter of the late Sveta Dordevich
Yvonne, thank you for your gracious, patient and calming presence and the time you took with our family to fully understand how we wanted to celebrate our Mothers life. You were responsive, caring and professional - but with an authentic warmth that shone through. Beautiful woman, inside and out.
Lydia Hamilton - Google Review 2 months ago
Karen and her staff treated us with the utmost respect we could not have been in better hands during this difficult time. My mum had organised her funeral with a prepaid funeral plan which she had purchased from Karen almost ten years ago this also made this upsetting time much easier to deal with and she got all the things that she wished for.
Malcolm Ellis
Karen and her team are lovely to deal with. They are highly professional and empathetic which is what you need when you are grieving the loss of a loved one. From the first call, I felt like I could trust Karen as she genuinely cares and guides you through the process step by step. Her team was highly accomodating and moved fast. I am so grateful to the support and service I received from the team at Lady Ann funerals.
Tina Kaur - Google Review 2 weeks ago
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank Lady Anne Funerals for a beautiful service yesterday for my aunt Dot. All who attended commented on how lovely the service was & the professionalism of all the staff. Thanks again very much for helping making a sad day one of celebration of Dot’s life.
Judith Neville
The Lady Anne Funerals team went above and beyond what I anticipated. Navigating funeral arrangements for the first time can feel overwhelming, especially amidst grief. Karen and her team were outstanding, managing essential tasks and collaborating with my family to create a meaningful celebration of life that truly honoured my mother's memory. Although you hope to never require their services, if you do, I wholeheartedly endorse reaching out to Lady Anne Funerals.
Jeremy Cooper - Google Review 4 months ago
“I just wanted to send you our sincerest thanks for everything you and your incredible team did for us in making the most perfect day, celebration and farewell of our beautiful Harper.

I have given a lot of thought to your business and the industry and I think it is perhaps the most important business for families to get it right when it comes to planning a funeral which may be sudden or may be a long time in the making. Either way, when one is faced with the unfortunate situation of needing to arrange a funeral, only then do you realise the importance of getting it right.

We experienced first hand the polar opposites the industry offers. It is not just about the cars, the booklets, the music and all the things that make up the day - its about the service, the care and most importantly it’s about the people.

From our very first conversation we could sense your genuine care to our situation and your attention to detail was obvious - this was very different to the previous conversations we had with others we had been referred to. Those other companies wanted to commence meetings with the paperwork side of things upfront which is a very confronting thing to do just days after losing your loved one - and when one of the others that I am referencing couldn’t even refernece our daughters name as our meeting started - we were horrified of how poor the service of care could be.

This is where you and your team shine. After feeling very lost in our search to secure the perfect funeral director to create the perfect day, my wife all of a sudden recalled you standing out the front of your office each morning watering the surrounding gardens to ensure a beautiful front of house. Well, I can assure you, it is not just the front of house that is beautiful - its the entire package that is beautiful.

Your manner, your direction and your expertise is evident from the get go. Nothing is too hard for you or your amazing team. The personal care made us feel like we were the only funeral you were working with at the time, and that’s exactly how it should be.

The finer detail, such as driving past our house so our daughter could go past our house one last time, then leaving the most beautiful flowers on our doorstep, to bumping into us at the Church because you were just doing your own research to make sure the day was seamless. This combined with your recommendations from every aspect as everything was very foreign to us, you were able to guide us to achieve the most beautiful farewell.

The day itself was simply perfect. Not once did we have a concern. The car was shining, your team dressed beautifully, cold water provided for us, directions for our guests, directions for us. Everyone commented on how amazing the day was and how incredibly your team were. Seamless is the only word I can use. It doesn’t stop here.

Your personal care and guidance then allowed us a more intimate farewell the following day (we are so grateful for for this recommendation and possibly would have missed this special day if you had suggested it was the best idea). Again, you and your team made us feel like you had nowhere else to be, and no one else to help. Just us. The setting was beautiful, the celebrant (that you arrange and recommend) is a delightful, your team make this day even more special than the last.

This is something we never want to go through again but there will be so many others, that like us, have no idea where to start to look for the right funeral director for their own special day. All I can say is that I hope that they appoint Lady Anne Funerals. We learnt a lot quickly and it is again a business many do not ever consider needing but without question one of the most important businesses to select the right person and the right team.

I welcome any of your future potential clients to contact me if they wish to discuss our experience with the amazing Lady Anne team. We thank you for giving our beautiful baby the most incredible farewell that was exactly how we imagined it, you just made it happen.”

Lee Dowdall
Lady Anne Funerals did an amazing job of organizing my Mum's funeral. Yvonne was caring and listened supportively to create the perfect day; I'm sure mum was watching and smiling. Everything was organised and coordinated perfectly, from ceremony, burial to catering. I am truly grateful to the whole team for making a difficult time of our lives so much easier.
John Jencek - Google Review 3 months ago

"I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your amazing team. I couldn’t have asked for things to go any better. Everything was perfect. And your ladies were beautiful. Your Yvonne is amazing. She is patient, compassionate, caring and delivers perfection in all the elements of the proceedings. She has been an absolute Gem.

Once again thank you so very much. I would highly recommend anyone to use your company if they want a perfect funeral service. 5 star service. 5 star outcome.

There were multiple compliments on the service, on your ladies and on the care from the attendees. I’m more than happy for you to post this on any media platform as a compliment and tribute to your company.

Thank you."

Anne Leslie
Lady Anne Funerals has the compassion, understanding and empathy that many of the larger funeral homes do not possess. My aunts funeral was dignified and classy everything she deserved. I would highly recommend Lady Anne (and have) as they go above and beyond.
Joanne Marks
Our whole family would like to thank Karen, Therese and all the staff at Lady Anne Funerals for their kindness, compassion and the personal service given after the passing of our dear dad. The guidance in choosing Mandy Fischer as the celebrant was the perfect fit. We highly recommend their services
Janelle Maber - Google Review 4 months ago
I would like to thank you and the whole team at Lady Anne Funerals for making mums funeral the perfect goodbye. The funeral was everything and so much more than mum wanted. Nothing seemed to be too hard and that made my time far simpler than i had expected. 
The whole day was perfect and we noticed with love all the special touches from the bookmarks to the candle to the display screen with Iris's. Thank you so much. Your team felt like part of the family rather than people doing a job.
That i believe is what sets Lady Anne apart.
I cant thank you enough.
Pete
One of the most difficult and heart wrenching moments of my life was made easier by the beautiful team at Lady Anne Gladesville. The time, the respect and the support given to me and my family, not only for the ceremony but from the moment we contacted them until weeks after was truly incredible. Thank you so much!
Jo-ann Kennedy - Google Review a month ago
My family and friends were very happy with every aspect of the preparation and celebration of the end of my wife. When I knew the end was near I spoke to Yvonne who explained to me what would happen and this was done with delicacy and tact. When the end came Yvonne came to our house and explained every aspect of what would happen. We explained what we wanted for Margaret's farewell and nothing was too much trouble for Yvonne to explain or discuss. On the day of the funeral everything went like clockwork and all my relatives and friends told me how impressed they were. So thank you to Yvonne for being celebrant and MC at the farewell and thank you to all the Lady Anne team. If I were asked to score the service my family received  it would be ten out of ten.
Dick Hodge

“We wish to thank you for having helped us put together a beautiful farewell for our mother, one which she would have been delighted with.

It was a difficult day and it would have been worse without your synchronised, seamless and consistent presence as well as attention to detail.

We value your candour as the people you are and the very sensitive manner in which you conducted the service.

Thanking you from the bottom of our hearts,

The Pastore Family

I want to send a heartfelt 'thank you’ to you both, and your team, for your compassion and your assistance in taking meticulous care of Dad and arranging such a beautiful end of life service for him. Within a matter of only a few days, which included a weekend, you were able to organise the perfect service tailored to our requests.

Not only did you organise the attendance of the RSL representative, you also went to considerable trouble to download the music and videos we had chosen, in a format that could be utilised in the service.We greatly appreciated your guidance too with organising the order of service and arranging a printed copy of the tributes for one of our friends who was deaf.

Thank you Yvonne for doing a magnificent job as the celebrant. We greatly appreciated you reading our tributes to Maurie on the family’s behalf. Thank you too for reading the poem, 'The Dash’ so beautifully.

It was comforting for our family and friends to come together in a more intimate setting, which your chapel provides. The light refreshments, which followed the service, were ideal, allowing the family to stay on and share their memories.

Dad quite often had high expectations of the way things should be done, bless him, so I was particularly mindful of doing him proud with this last expression of our love for him and a tribute to his long and meaningful life. We achieved this, with your help, and I know he would have been deeply touched and honoured. Thank you for you for all you did.

Annie

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