Collecting memories at a celebration of life
A celebration of life memory collection puts a QR code at the service. Guests scan it with their phone and leave photos, stories, and short videos of the person being remembered. Contributions reach the family first and appear only once approved, building one private album the family keeps. On Karera, this is the Event Wall.
At a memorial, almost everyone arrives holding something they want to say. Most of it is said once, to whoever happened to be standing nearby, and then it is gone. Families often tell us afterwards that the stories they most wanted to keep were the ones told by people they barely knew.
A way for people to leave something
A card with a QR code, placed where people gather, lets anyone leave a memory in their own words — a paragraph, a photograph from years ago, a short recording. It asks nothing of them at the time and nothing afterwards. People who cannot speak in front of a room will often write something.
It also gives the people who could not attend a way to contribute. A link sent to those who are too far away, or too unwell to travel, brings them into the day rather than leaving them outside it.
Nothing is public
The album is private, and the family can lock it with a passcode. It is never listed and never indexed by search engines. Contributions come to the family first, and nothing appears until they approve it.
There is no obligation to look at any of it quickly. It will still be there in a month, when it may be easier.
Afterwards
What the family is left with is a single private album containing what the people who came actually remembered — not a book of signatures, and not a folder of photographs nobody has captions for.
It is hosted for two years, renewable after, and everything in it can be downloaded at any time.
Which keepsake fits
Event Wall
For the service or gathering itself. One code, any number of contributors, moderated by the family.
Group Keepsake
For a keepsake given to one person — a parent, a partner — with contributions gathered quietly from up to ten people beforehand.
Questions
Is this appropriate for a funeral or memorial service?
Families use it both at the service and in the weeks afterwards. There is no sound, no screen, and nothing on display unless you choose to display it — it is a card on a table that people may use if they want to.
Can family review what people leave?
Yes. Every contribution goes to the family first and appears only once approved.
Can people contribute if they could not attend?
Yes. The same link can be shared with anyone, so people who could not travel can still leave a message or a photograph.
Can we download everything?
Yes, at any time. The album is hosted for two years, renewable after, and the full contents can be downloaded whenever you want them.
Read more
- Your Camera Roll Has 8,000 Photos
We photograph more than any generation in history and give away less of it than ever. On the difference between posting a memory and handing someone one.
- What Is a QR Memory Card?
A QR memory card is a printed card that opens a private album of photos, videos, and messages when scanned. How it works, what it costs, what it replaces.