Get on the band wagon with a full range of emotions when creating a goodbye celebration. Embrace it all!
Sadness should not eclipse everything. Think about the gratitude for this life, the gift of time spent together, the likely wishes that the deceased doesn’t want you distraught, and of course the voluminous evidence that we’re all taking our leave one day.
It’s so dang normal, natural, and inevitable.
Really and truly, if there’s no smiles in your planning… stop right now and rethink it. Make a little joy. Create some love. The fullness in your heart should absolutely be bursting with some smiles.