What to Expect When Planning a Memorial Gathering

Reaching out to plan a memorial for the first time can feel daunting, especially if you have never had to do it before. This page sets out exactly what to expect, from what is included, to how the planning session works, to how fees and payments are handled.

Space to Speak and Be Heard

As a small, community led business, our focus is on the families we are currently walking alongside. This often means we are in the middle of a planning session, on site preparing for a gathering, or facilitating a memorial. Rather than offering fragmented conversations, we choose to give each family our full and undivided attention.

If you would like to speak with us, we invite you to schedule a time for a call below. This ensures we are in a quiet, private space and able to be fully present for your conversation.

If you feel ready to move forward, you are welcome to book a Memorial Planning Session. This is where we begin shaping the gathering together and guide you through the next steps with care and clarity. You can read more about who we are and the communities we work across if you would like a fuller picture before you call.

What's Included

Our service fee covers the practical work of bringing a gathering together, so a family never has to manage it alone. This is what that looks like in practice:

  • Venue Sourcing: finding and booking a setting that fits the story, the budget, and the guest count.
  • Storytelling Support: helping find the right words for reflections and eulogies.

  • Photo Tributes and Keepsakes: creating meaningful displays, printed cards, and slideshows.

  • Supplier Coordination: briefing and managing caterers, florists, celebrants, and musicians on your behalf.

  • Audio Visual and Run Sheet: managing all technical requirements and the minute-by-minute timing of the day.

  • On the Day Presence: a calm point of contact managing the flow of the gathering from start to finish.

The Planning Session

A gentle starting point, where your ideas begin to take shape.

This is an unhurried, dedicated conversation designed to help you exhale. We sit down together to explore what feels right, moving at your pace to build a roadmap for the memorial.

In this session, we will explore:

  • Tone and Style: identifying the feeling you want the gathering to carry.
  • The Perfect Setting: recommending and exploring venues that fit your story.
  • Logistics with Ease: choosing a date and working through the practicalities.
  • Structure and Flow: planning a gathering that feels natural and unforced.
  • The Guest Experience: practical advice on notifying guests and managing the flow of the day.

Personal elements we begin together:

  • Gathering Memories: sharing stories and beginning to shape them into a tribute.
  • Visual Legacy: reviewing photographs and meaningful elements for the day.
  • Collective Care: gentle guidance to help bring the memorial together meaningfully.

Our Fees, Clearly

Our full coordination fee is $5,500, including GST. This covers everything set out above, from the planning session through to the last guest leaving on the day. Venue hire, catering, and other third party costs are arranged separately, at cost, with nothing added.

Here is how we move forward together, step by step:

Step One: A Quiet Conversation. We begin with a scheduled call, so you can get a feel for us and ask any questions, including about cost, before committing to anything. This is also where we start to gently learn about your loved one.

Step Two: The Planning Session. This is booked with a $250 upfront fee, which is then deducted from your final invoice. Together we shape the gathering in detail: tone, venue, structure, and the personal elements that matter most.

Step Three: Payment. Once planning is complete, we provide a clear cost summary. The remaining balance is paid in full before the gathering takes place.

Step Four: The Gathering. We coordinate every detail behind the scenes, so your family can be fully present on the day.

Frequently asked questions.

  • A funeral home is built around a building. The gathering happens where their chapel is, in the format that suits their schedule, with whoever is rostered on that day.

    Banksia has no building to fill. Which means the gathering is shaped entirely around the person — their character, their community, the places they loved. A winery, a coastal club, a private garden, an RSL hall. Wherever feels right.

    The ceremony and the celebration happen in the same room, in the same afternoon. No moving cars. No starting over somewhere new. Just time to stay, to talk, and to remember — for as long as you need.

    The person you speak to at the start is there on the day. The pricing is clear from the outset. And nothing about the day will feel like it was designed for someone else.

  • Because when someone you love dies, the last thing you should have to feel is that the day didn't do them justice.

    Too formal. Too brief. Too unlike them. That quiet fear is one of the most common things families carry — and it is exactly what Banksia was created to change. Every life deserves to be remembered the way it was actually lived. That is the whole reason we are here.

  • Wherever you feel most at ease. Whether that’s the comfort of your own living room, a walk along the beach, or over a coffee at your favorite café, the choice is entirely yours. If you’d prefer to connect from a distance, we can jump on a video call. This is your space, and we’ll meet wherever you feel most supported.

  • The short answer is no. Because we specialise in memorials where the cremation or burial has already taken place privately, the traditional role of a funeral director isn't necessary for our events. We act as your event curators and "logistics shield." We handle the venue, the atmosphere, the food, and the flow of the day, so you can focus on being present with your family.

    If you do require support with a cremation, we do have a wonderful network of funeral directors we have worked with and can recommend.

  • One of the greatest benefits of our approach is flexibility. Unlike a chapel service, we can host a gathering almost anywhere that feels right, a local distillery, a favorite restaurant, a community hall, or even a private garden overlooking the vines.

    Over the past decade, we have built trusted relationships with a collection of exceptional venues across Adelaide and the Fleurieu. These are spaces that understand the care, sensitivity and detail required, and many offer a level of access not typically available to the public.

    We will guide you in selecting a setting that reflects your loved one and creates the right atmosphere to gather, remember and honour.

  • We are here to help you craft memories into a story. We can assist you in writing the eulogy or weaving together the highlights of a life well-lived. Public speaking is a lot to ask of someone who is grieving. If a family member or friend isn't comfortable speaking on the day, we can engage a professional celebrant to step in and deliver readings with the warmth and respect the occasion deserves.

  • Every life is unique, and the memorial should be, too. You provide the inspiration—the passions, the quirks, and the values of your loved one—and we handle the heavy lifting of the organisation.

    You are involved in the creative heart of the event, while we take care of the logistics to ensure everything runs smoothly.

  • We believe that during a time of loss, financial clarity is a form of support. Our fees reflect the time, care, and expertise involved in professionally curating a meaningful memorial. We outline all costs upfront, separating our professional service fee from any third-party expenses, so you have a clear understanding of where your investment is going. In the traditional industry, costs can often feel opaque or bundled into "professional fees" that cover things you may not even use. Because we don't have the overheads of a mortuary or a fleet of vehicles, our pricing is clear and focused entirely on the curation of your memorial. You pay for the service and the experience, with no hidden markups on local vendors.

  • Venue hire, catering, beverages, and floral artistry are third-party costs. Banksia coordinates these services on your behalf at cost, providing you with transparent invoices directly from the providers or as a clear pass-through. This allows us to scale the memorial to your specific budget and vision.

  • Absolutely. In fact, we encourage it.

    If you have a friend who is a musician, a neighbour who wants to provide flowers from their garden, or a favourite local wine you’d like to serve, we make it happen. Our role is to provide the structure and support so that these personal touches can shine, making the day feel truly authentic to the person you are honouring.

  • The Banksia is a symbol of resilience. It is known for holding its seeds safe through all seasons, only releasing them to create new life and growth. We see a person’s legacy in the same way. Our mission is to provide a safe, supportive space to hold those memories, so that when we gather, their essence is released to live on in the hearts of all who loved them.

  • We are a small, community-rooted service built on genuine hospitality. One family at a time, with one person leading the whole process from first conversation to the final farewell.