Most families planning a celebration of life are doing it for the first time, on about a week's notice, while handling everything else that comes with a death.
This page is the practical part. What a room costs, how fast we can hold a date, what you need to decide, and what you do not.
We have hosted these at Schoolhouse Brewing. They do not feel like a funeral home, and that is usually the point. People tell stories, the slideshow runs, kids are underfoot, and nobody has to whisper.
We can move fast
We can often hold a date with about one week's notice, sometimes less, depending on what is open. Weekday afternoons are the easiest to get and usually the cheapest.
If your date shifts because of travel, the obituary, or the funeral home, you can reschedule at no charge as long as the new date is available and you tell us before the original one. Your deposit carries over. Families need that flexibility and we are not going to make it a fight.
Call Thomas at 770-361-5247 and we will tell you what is actually open today.
What it costs
Semi private space. Up to 50 guests, starts at $400 for 3 hours. You get the production area among the tanks. The taproom stays open to the public, which most families find fine for a weekday afternoon.
Whole facility buyout. Up to 225 guests, starts at $3,000 for 3 hours. We close to the public and the building is yours, including the patio.
- Extra time on a semi private is $75 an hour
- Deposit is $100 semi private, $1,000 for a buyout
- Cash, check or ACH adds nothing. Credit cards add 3% on the rental
- No cleaning fee, no booking fee, no drink minimum
A typical afternoon for 60 to 80 people with light catering and open soft drinks lands in the $1,200 to $1,800 range. We will quote you honestly before you commit to anything.
You do not have to serve alcohol
Plenty of these gatherings are dry, and that is a normal request, not an awkward one.
- Drink tickets cover soft drinks and non alcoholic options, not just beer
- You can run a limited bar, a one drink ticket, or none at all
- Coffee and water service is easy to arrange
If the person you are honoring would have wanted a pint poured in their name, we can rename a tap for the day. Families do this more often than you would guess, and it tends to be the moment people remember.
The slideshow and the sound
We have a full AV setup with multiple displays. Bring a laptop, a thumb drive, or a shared folder and we will get it running before guests arrive.
- Keep the slideshow to 60 to 90 photos on a loop. Longer and people stop watching
- Bring it a day early if you can, or arrive 45 minutes before guests so we can test it without an audience
- Pick the music ahead of time. Nobody wants to be the person choosing songs that afternoon
- Decide in advance whether anyone is speaking. Open mic sounds nice and often runs long. Name two or three speakers beforehand and tell them five minutes each
Food, flowers, and the small stuff
- Catering. Bring any licensed and insured caterer you like. They handle plates, napkins, cutlery and food ice. A grazing table works better than a seated meal here, because people get up and talk
- No outside alcohol. Ever. This one is not flexible
- Decorating. Photos, flowers, memory boards, signs and balloons are all fine. No glitter or confetti. Everything comes down at the end of your time
- Kids. Welcome, supervised. There is an arcade, which usually solves the kid problem for you
- Parking. Onsite, free and easy. Put the address and a parking note directly in the invitation
- Cleanup. Bag your trash and we handle the rest. You should not be wiping tables that day
A simple run of show
Three hours is enough. Here is a shape that works.
- First 45 minutes. Arrival, food out, slideshow looping, no program. Let people find each other
- Next 20 minutes. Short remarks. Two or three named speakers, five minutes each, then one open invitation for anyone who wants to add something brief
- The rest. Back to open. Most of the real talking happens here, and it is the part families say they are glad they left room for
Put one person who is not immediate family in charge of the door and the schedule. The family should not be running logistics that day.
What to bring and what to skip
Bring photos, the slideshow file, a guest book if you want one, and anything personal that starts a conversation. One table of objects from their life does more work than a room of flowers.
Skip a printed program, assigned seating, and a tight schedule. None of it survives contact with a real room.