Are you looking for a small token to give to funeral attendees? Consider a personalized funeral ribbon. These ribbons can be passed out to friends and family members as they arrive at the service. The recipients can choose to wear them on other occasions, such as the birthday or death anniversary. They may also keep them in a special place as a token to remember the life of a beloved person.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- What’s a Funeral Ribbon?
- How Do You Make a Personalized Funeral Ribbon?
- What Should You Write on a Personalized Funeral Ribbon?
Funeral ribbons can also act as added decoration funeral flower arrangements. These ribbons can be personalized to include your relationship with the person you’re buying the arrangement for, such as your mother, sister, or grandfather.
In this article, we’ll let know what to put on personalized funeral ribbons that families can pass out to funeral attendees.
What’s a Funeral Ribbon?
Funeral ribbons are small, looped ribbons that people wear over their hearts to a funeral or memorial service. They help memorialize a deceased person or draw awareness to a disease or situation. As mentioned, funeral ribbons can also work as a decorative touch for a funeral flower arrangement.
Sometimes, funeral ribbons are black or another somber color. They may be printed with the name, birth date, and death date of the deceased. They may also include phrases such as, “Always in our Hearts” or “Never Forget.”
At times, funeral ribbons may be worn to bring attention to a particular situation that may have caused the death. For example, if the deceased was a victim of violence, you might pass out a black ribbon with a white dove for mourners to wear. Yellow ribbons can designate that the deceased was a prisoner of war or had previously been missing in action. Yellow ribbons are also worn to raise awareness about suicide.
The funeral ribbons could raise awareness of the disease that ultimately took your loved one. For example, you might pass out a light pink ribbon for breast cancer victims and gray ribbons for those who died of brain cancer.
How Do You Make a Personalized Funeral Ribbon?
Are you a DIYer who wants to create flower arrangements for your loved one’s funeral? If so, you might be the type of person who can complete this project on your own, too. However, you can also work with a professional crafter to create your ribbons, instead.
Depending on how hands-on you’d like to be with this project, you have several options for creating personalized funeral ribbons:
- Option 1: Create simple, DIY funeral ribbons with plain satin ribbon in the color of your choice. Attach your ribbons to safety pins for people to wear, or to pieces of cardstock with a saying, verse, photo, or the name of the deceased. This project can be completed by a person with few crafting skills and minimal supplies.
- Option 2: Buy personalized ribbon on a spool from a company that prints on satin ribbon. Then, use your custom ribbon to create your DIY project. This project may be more expensive than the first, and it may require that you work quickly so that the ribbon arrives on time.
- Option 3: Purchase in bulk from a company or crafter that creates custom funeral ribbons. Personalize the items with your loved one’s name and/or saying. This is not a DIY option.
Here are some simple steps for creating a personalized funeral ribbon if you choose a DIY method.
Step 1: Determine the purpose of the ribbon
Are you hoping to give mourners a token to remember your loved one by, or do you wish to raise awareness of a disease or cause?
The purpose of the ribbon will help determine what type of ribbon you create. If you want to use it as a memento, you may choose to distribute either a black ribbon (symbolizing mourning) or a ribbon that was your loved one’s signature color. Attach a photo or other text to the ribbon to personalize the tribute.
If you want to raise awareness, you might need to do a little research so you can buy your ribbon in the appropriate color.
Step 2: Gather your craft items
For this project, you will need the following:
- Three-inch segments of satin ribbon for each awareness ribbon
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (make sure the sizes match up)
- Safety pins
- Printed cardstock with the image or saying you wish to attach to the ribbon (optional)
Step 3: Cut the ribbon in the appropriate length
Most websites recommend cutting the ribbon in three-inch segments, but you could play around with the length until you find one right for your situation. The completed project will be approximately half the ribbon’s length. A three-inch ribbon segment would create a memorial ribbon that is 1 1/2 inches long.
You can choose to cut your ribbon segments straight across or at an angle. Your finished product would look better if both ends of the ribbon had the same type of cut.
Step 4: Heat the glue
If you have never used a glue gun, be careful with it. The glue gets drippy and extremely hot. It will damage the surfaces it sits on and will burn your skin. The glue needs to be hot before you can continue onto the next step.
Step 5: Loop the ribbon
It’s tricky to describe exactly how to loop an awareness ribbon. If you need some help, refer to this video. Once the ribbon is looped, you’ll need to grab your hot glue gun and place a drop between the two ribbons where they intersect. Hold the ribbons in place between your fingers for a few seconds, and then let it dry completely before completing the next step.
Step 6: Attach the safety pin to the back of the ribbon
Now, put a drop of hot glue on the back of the ribbon (the side that will sit against the chest.) Carefully place the safety pin in the hot glue and let it dry in place. If you’re attaching your ribbon to a piece of cardstock as a funeral memento, use the hot glue to secure it in place.
What Should You Write on a Personalized Funeral Ribbon?
As mentioned, you might want to attach your funeral ribbons to small pieces of cardstock with either a photo of the deceased or a meaningful message. Alternatively, you could order custom satin ribbon that features a written message.
Consider the simple sayings below for your cardstock memento or for writing on the funeral ribbon itself. These messages are similar to what you might write on a funeral wreath or arrangement.
1. Forever in our hearts
Your loved one may be gone from this earth, but their memory will live on in the hearts of others.
2. Until we meet again
People of faith often believe that they’ll see their loved ones again in the afterlife. Share this message with the other funeral attendees.
3. Rest in peace
This classic sentiment may be the best option for your loved one’s personalized funeral ribbon. You can shorten it to R.I.P. and include the deceased’s birth date and death date.
4. Cherished and loved
Did the deceased hold a special place in the hearts of many? These two words would be perfect choices for the memorial ribbon for your loved one’s funeral.
5. In loving memory
If you hope that others will remember your loved one, create a token for the funeral attendees to keep.
6. Wishing for a cure
Did a disease without a cure take away the life of your loved one? This phrase may perfectly accompany the brain cancer awareness ribbon that you pass out at your loved one’s funeral.
7. Gone but not forgotten
This may sound like a phrase used on a headstone, but it would be appropriate for this situation, too.
8. We will miss you
This simple and heartfelt message will appeal to many.
9. Gone too soon
Did your loved one die young? Another option for this scenario is “Forever Young.”
10. Forever a (school mascot)
Are you making memorial ribbons for a student-athlete who died? You might want to attach the ribbons made out of your school’s colors with the phrase “Forever a Jaguar.”
Other Ways to Personalize a Funeral
Passing out awareness ribbons at your loved one’s funeral is undoubtedly a nice way to personalize the event, but there are other things you can do, as well.
Here are a few ideas:
- Give others the chance to write down memories of your loved one by providing index cards and pens.
- Create a photo slideshow with an accompanying soundtrack made up of songs that were favorites of your loved one.
- Pass out flower seed packets or tree seedlings, and ask attendees to plant them and think of your loved one as they grow.
- Distribute bookmarks or keychains with your loved one’s name and a favorite quote or verse.
One of the best ways to keep a loved one’s memory alive is by sharing stories. You can create an event each year to remember the deceased, reflect, share, laugh, and cry with family and friends. You can serve your loved one’s favorite foods and drinks and listen to their favorite songs.
And finally, remember that you’re not the only one mourning the loss of your loved one. It’s important to reach out to others who are hurting amongst your family and friends.