How does the Legacy Piece differ from the Premier Piece?
Our Premier Piece is the ultimate in customization and no two are ever alike. In contrast, our Legacy Pieces come in a semi-customizable book format, and the pages are printed rather than using letterpress or caligraphy. These differences allow us to produce a Legacy Piece much more quickly than a Premier Piece, and offer it at a substantially lower cost.

What does the term “celebrant” mean?
The celebrant is the person whose life is being celebrated through the telling of his or her life story. If the Legacy Piece is a gift, then the the person who receives the gift is the celebrant. If it is for yourself, then you are the celebrant.

What does the term “patron” mean?
The patron is the person (or group) who commissions a Legacy Piece. If you commission a Legacy Piece for someone else, then we would consider you to be the patron.

What will the Legacy Piece look like?
A basic Legacy Piece comes in a hand bound, hardcover book. Custom add-ons may be included, such as a handpainted portrait or a custom-built book to hold personal items and memorabilia (e.g. newspaper clippings, photographs, certificates, etc.). To view an example of a custom Legacy Piece we created for a man with a passion for music, please visit our gallery.

What are the steps involved?
Let us give you a brief tour of our creative process. Click here to get started.

What kinds of materials will be used?
Living Celebrations only uses archival quality and acid-free materials in the creation of our Legacy Pieces. We may also include, but are not limited to, premium silk and linen book cloths, handmade papers, letterpress printing, foil stamping, oil on canvas, and watercolor illustrations.

I prefer not to do the writing myself. Could you have a writer do it for me?
Yes, the services of a professional writer are included in the cost.

How much does it cost?
Our Legacy Pieces start at $5,000. This base price includes a professionally written and edited personal history (up to 7,500 words), digital printing, and archival and acid-free papers, all bound into a handmade, handcover book. Additional services are available upon request.

How much time does it take?
Generally, a Legacy Piece takes between three and six months to produce.

Can it be a surprise?
Absolutely! While the celebrant will know we are creating a Legacy Piece based on their life story, the actual outcome will be a surprise. This heightens the celebrant’s experience at the unveiling of their Legacy Piece. Find out what previous celebrants have said, read their testimonials.

My parents are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 6 weeks, can you help?
Of course! We will provide you with a beautiful handmade gift certificate to present on the occasion that will give them a small taste of what’s to come.

Do you protect the privacy of your clients?
Protecting the privacy of our patrons and celebrants is always our top priority. We respect the fact that we may receive sensitive information during the development process. You can rest assured that we will never present your personal history for public consumption. In fact, all of our artists and staff have signed contracts prohibiting them from divulging information about our patrons and celebrants to outside parties.

My father is a very private person. How do you handle that?
The beauty of commissioning a Legacy Piece is that the celebrant is in complete control of the story. Your father can decide what stories are told and how they are told. Then when his Legacy Piece is complete, he may share it with as few or as many people as he wishes.

Is the Legacy Piece a scrapbook?
While a Legacy Piece may include some of your old photographs, Living Celebrations does not create photo albums or scrapbooks. We are a fine art company and our award-winning artists use old world techniques to turn people's life stories into masterpieces of art.

Do you do videos?
If you request our interviewing services, Living Celebrations may videotape those interviews. However, we do not do video production or repackage interview tapes for sale.

Do you do portraits?
Yes, we certainly can include a portrait in your Legacy Piece for an additional fee. Visit our gallery to see an example.

How do we begin?
You’re ready to get started – that’s great! Contact us today so that we can discuss the particulars with you and begin the interviewing process.