A Keepsake Book is an integral part of my service as it is a memento, it can be part of the healing process, it lets family and friends overseas see the funeral and it is rich in its imagery.

Keepsake Books are not restricted to photos and can include eulogies, poems, family trees, favourite songs and photos of the loved one during their life.

Keepsake Books are normally 12″ x 12″ but they can be smaller if you prefer.

Families can order additional copies of their Keepsake Book. One family ordered fourteen copies of their Keepsake Book to give to each great-grand child so they could remember their great-grandmother.

Selecting images for the Keepsake Book gives a bereaving family a purpose.

Choosing images from your loved one’s past and deciding which eulogies and tributes will go into the Keepsake Book are all part of being actively involved in the Keepsake Book’s design and this activity can be very healing.

It really is a practical form of grief therapy because it allows you to mull over the funeral.

When overseas I met a fellow funeral photographer and was shocked to find out they didn’t involve the family in the Keepsake Book’s design. Somehow, that seemed wrong to me, that denial of grief therapy.

So often the actual day of the funeral goes by in a whirl and there is no time for reflection.

One woman said she had only just got around to looking at the keepsake book months after the funeral because she hadn’t felt strong enough to look at it. She said it was wonderful to see what had actually gone on during the actual service and wake and how precious the book was for her.

One family member told me their Keepsake Book had helped heal the rift between the extended family; the simple process of having the two families in the one book had an impact and began the slow process of encouraging communication. All the family had taken ownership of the Keepsake Book and, in doing so, had made it part of their healing process.