Picaluna is about choice, time, flexibility, and honouring people in an authentic and personal way. An appropriate venue choice could be anywhere from a place of worship, a local crematorium or cemetery chapel, to perhaps conducting a non-traditional funeral service at a favourite surf or golf club, or even having the funeral at the family home.
From Sydney to Newcastle, Wollongong to the Blue Mountains, we are fortunate to be able to offer many beautiful spaces and locations for funeral ceremonies and wakes, whether they be indoors, or at an outside funeral location. Picaluna believes in offering choice to their communities.
Organising a funeral at a meaningful location can often bring great comfort to the bereaved. There are also many benefits for the mourners in holding the funeral service and funeral wake at or nearby the ceremony location.
When contemplating the funeral venue that will suit your needs best, Picaluna strongly suggests consulting with a funeral arranger and funeral celebrant about the timing of a funeral service. A simple way to bring respect and dignity to a funeral service is by taking away the element of ‘rushing’. All crematorium and cemetery chapels have a time limit of 30-45minutes for a Chapel Single Booking. Picaluna highly recommends taking a double booking to alleviate some of this timing stress.
Another way of reducing the time pressure for a funeral service, is to hold the ceremony in a venue that will host you for a longer block of time. If the coffin is to be present for the funeral service at a venue other than a cemetery or crematorium chapel, it will usually be taken for cremation or burial directly following the ceremony, and family and friends can consider remaining at the venue for a wake. There is much to think about.
Perhaps your person was a member of the local surf lifesaving association or loved the beach and the ocean. In this case, it may be worth considering holding an outside funeral overlooking the ocean, or at the local surf lifesaving club followed by a wake function at the club. Outdoor funerals also bring a deeper connection to nature, which can be part of a healing funeral service.
Was your loved-one part of the local Church community, or did they attend a place of worship or a location that allowed connection with their spirituality? Picaluna honours all faiths and beliefs and can work alongside your family in arranging a funeral that respects the places where solace and comfort can be found, supporting the funeral rites and rituals of your particular doctrine.
For many non-traditional funerals, Picaluna looks to find unique locations that bring meaning to family and friends of that person. Some outdoor funeral locations like local parks can bring great connection to nature and community. Even indoor funeral venues like wedding venues or community halls that may have never hosted a funeral service before can be an inspired choice of funeral venue. Picaluna gains the necessary permissions from the local council or venue hosts, before such events take place.
Picaluna can also advise on the right style of catering company to suit the requirements of your wake celebration.
When choosing the right venue option for a funeral service or memorial ceremony, there are many elements to consider when creating the style of ceremony you would like that would work best for your chosen venue.
What is the capacity of the venue?
Will there be rituals that need to take place outside? (E.g. smoking ceremony before entering a space, burning notes or planting a tree..)
How will the music be played?
What area will form the backdrop to the ceremony?
Will slideshows be part of the ceremony or wake or both?
Will the space be connected to nature?
Will there be tributes involving candles, coffin decoration or live music?
Will the location be a part of religious services?
Will there be catering or refreshments for attendees?
What is the access like to the ceremony location? (E.g. is there wheelchair access required?)
Is there sufficient parking?
Is the location easy to find?
