Lighten, a Chicago-based, nationally-facing startup, has launched Your Memorial, Your Way™

CHICAGO, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to increasing consumer demand, Lighten has created a pre-planning package for individuals to plan their own memorial services before they pass away.  Many people today are interested in including this type of plan as part of their estate planning decisions. 

There are major benefits to pre-planning a memorial: 

• Allows individuals to have input into how their legacy is defined and how their life is remembered. 
• Offers guidance to loved ones who, when faced with a death, are often overwhelmed by the array of decisions to be made.  Your Memorial, Your Way^™ removes the guesswork and offers clarity as to one's wishes after passing away. 
• Lighten offers professional insight focused on unfamiliar aspects of planning a memorial. 

CEO Alexandra Koys founded Lighten in 2019 during her MBA studies at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, in response to the challenges she faced when planning a memorial for her uncle.  "Lighten empowers families to plan uplifting memorials that celebrate their loved ones' authentic personal, cultural, and spiritual identities. We've started receiving requests from individuals who want to plan their own memorials before they pass, so they can have a say in how their unique life and legacy are remembered."

Each Your Memorial, Your Way^™ package offers:

1. Pre-planning the details for one's own  virtual memorial or  in-person memorial
2. Access to Lighten's online Planning Center, which allows individuals to plan from the comfort of their own homes, stay organized during the planning process, and retain their desired memorial details
3. Access to Lighten's planning professionals, for planning consultation
4. Creation of a personalized memorial ceremony, which may include speakers, readings, prayers, personal reflections, music, poetry, quotes, and other immersive experiences
5. Planning for additional personalized details, which may include elements such as decor, floral arrangements, display of memorabilia, keepsakes for guests, etc.
6. Creation of a personalized photo montage that can be displayed at the memorial 
7. Creation of a memorial webpage, which functions both as a beautiful tribute to one's life and as an invitation to the memorial, when the time comes 
8. Ongoing storage of one's desired plans, which can be shared with family and/or estate planning professionals

Learn more about how to plan a memorial in advance and uncover the benefits of pre-planning.

Press Contact:

Rebecca Hoffman
[email protected] 
Mobile: 312-282-4254

SOURCE Lighten