A celebration of life is different from a funeral. The room is lighter on purpose. The song that lands there is one that holds the loss but lets the gratitude be the louder voice. A custom song for a celebration of life is the family's decision to leave their loved one with the song they would have wanted.
What this kind of song holds
These songs hold the YEARS, not just the absence. They hold the laugh that made the room. They hold the moments the deceased would have wanted everyone to remember. The best ones make the gathered crowd feel that they got something specific to take home, not a generic remembrance.
What to put in the intake
Tell us about the gathering — backyard, restaurant, beach, memorial garden. Tell us the years you want celebrated. Tell us the one thing they would have laughed at. The forge tunes the song to the room: lighter than a funeral song, but no less specific.