New Narrative Events - Celebrations of Life

New Narrative Events - Celebrations of Life New Narrative is an event planning company for celebrations of life. In-person, hybrid, virtual.

New Narrative was founded in 2017 by Christina Andreola, an event planner thrust into coordinating the logistics of her uncle's celebration of life. After planning for her own family, see saw first-hand the difference an event planner can make on the peace of mind of a grieving family. New Narrative embraces every planning meeting and every event with a blank notebook and an open mind; from life s

ized cutouts to group TikTok dances, no idea is off the table. New Narrative is excited to combine our virtual expertise and in-person event planning skills toward Hybrid Events - the way to connect family and friends from all over the world to celebrate the life of a loved one.

That’s a wrap on 2026! Grateful to have had the opportunity to take the stage and speak on the ways we can personalize ...
05/29/2026

That’s a wrap on 2026!

Grateful to have had the opportunity to take the stage and speak on the ways we can personalize and custom-tailor services of all kinds to reflect the stories of the people we have the privilege of honouring.

Now I’m back in Vancouver feeling inspired, affirmed, and very motivated to continue in the work. Having recently completed the school portion of my licensing requirements, I felt so proud of the profession that I am now (officially) entering as a Funeral Director.

The parts not everyone sees (until they need a Director) is full of the warmest, most caring, compassionate, and motivated people. New relationships were made, existing ones were strengthened, and I’m looking forward to continuing to see where I can keep making my mark in the sector.

And, again, no changes are happening at New Narrative. If anything, I’m excited to continue these talks, workshops, and speaking in other capacities!

Onward!

(And, thank you & for the action shots 🙏)



When our client shared her husband’s drink of choice was a classic martini, welcome drinks and a cocktail-style memorial...
05/08/2026

When our client shared her husband’s drink of choice was a classic martini, welcome drinks and a cocktail-style memorial service were in order. Many thanks to the team at for their hospitality last night to make J’s celebration so special and to for this brilliant capture. So much more to share about this experience!

This past Sunday, over 300 guests joined together at the beautiful in Vancouver to pay tribute to J; a poet, an artist,...
04/17/2026

This past Sunday, over 300 guests joined together at the beautiful in Vancouver to pay tribute to J; a poet, an artist, and a young yet old soul.

Family, friends, and many members of the community gathered together to share stories, pay tribute to his incredible 17 years on earth, and to experience some of what made him, *him.*

Blue hydrangeas (his favourite - from the amazing ), a world map to show his travels, handwritten poetry, live music from Johannes & Elias Grames, childhood photos, and a whole wall dedicated to words that described him.

The experience started from the first invitation, where we asked guests to share the one word that best described him. During the event, 90s hip hop blasted over the speakers, family photos rotated on the screen, and guests were invited to take photos of themselves to contribute to our memory wall. With the specific images as a backdrop, they strategically positioned themselves close to different words. One of my favourite elements to make our guests feel comfortable and able to share their memories.

So grateful to have had the trust of J’s family to hold the space for everyone to gather together and just *be.* I know that J’s legacy will always be kept close and we are honoured to continue to share his story.

celebrationoflifeeventplanner celebrationoflife

Hi! I’m Christina and I’m the owner and Principal Planner of New Narrative, a vancouver-based event planning company that specializes in Celebration of Life events and memorial services.

03/21/2026

This morning, we facilitated a virtual gathering for friends and family of a woman who was very well loved. From pre-recorded remarks to an interactive quiz, to a beautifully red eulogy, no matter where friends and family were in the world, they were participating as they were able.

With a trusted team at the helm, virtual memorials can still be a fantastic solution together friends and family together to be present and celebrate a life and of course, if you need someone to help with that, you can always send us a quick message and we’ll be here to chat

In life, we gather objects that eventually define who we are. Yes, even the minimalists….. Especially the minimalists. S...
02/11/2026

In life, we gather objects that eventually define who we are. Yes, even the minimalists….. Especially the minimalists.

Some items are collected over time as part of a series or set, others are chosen with care, and some items are passed down to us for us to continue to share their story.

These pieces become our prized possessions, and at a celebration of life, they offer another portal into learning about someone’s life. Now there is a tangible and tactile accompaniment to the stories and the photos.

Last year, we had the opportunity and privilege to work with C’s family to honour him in a unique way: by specifically inviting our guests to pick up these items and interact with them, just as C had.

Guests tried (very hard) to solve the Rubik’s Cubes, they held complex wooden puzzled, and were invited to take the hackey sacks to create a circle and play, just as C had done during his life.

What could have been a ‘look, don’t touch’ observation of someone’s hobbies and interests became something active. It became another shared experience for guests.

There were so many thoughtful touches to honour C and tell his story, but this one - the invitation to see, touch, hold, and play with his items - created a very unique form of connection that you could actually *feel* in the room.

With gratitude to C’s family and our vendor partners for the day:

Just over two years ago, we produced one of the most logistically complex celebrations of life we’ve ever taken on — and...
01/29/2026

Just over two years ago, we produced one of the most logistically complex celebrations of life we’ve ever taken on — and it completely reshaped my understanding of accessibility in memorials.

The honouree was a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), which meant designing the gathering around accessibility from the ground up.

Here’s what that looked like:

👥 12 translators, including signers for spoken tributes, speakers voicing signed tributes, and specialists in close-visual and tactile signing.
All signers received full scripts (speeches + song lyrics) in organized binders.

🖥️ Live-streamed on Zoom with a picture-in-picture setup:
• One camera on the speaker
• One camera on the signer
Displayed both online and in-room.

👩🏻 | 🙋🏻‍♂️ Virtual speakers joined live, including two from Australia were paired with an on-screen signer in real time. The signer was located at the back of the room, with a computer dedicated to the signer’s video. It was perfect!

🥙 Thoughtful catering details
Menu cards on canapé trays + full menus were shared in advance with signers so that signers could share details about the menu for those who required tactile signing and close visual range but still wanted to know what they were eating!

🪑 Intentional seating design
Guests needing close visual or tactile signing sat with everyone else. Signers simply rotated chairs when needed. Guests were all sitting and experiencing this day together.

This experience taught me that accessibility isn’t an add-on, but it’s an essential aspect that deserves attention.

Understanding the honouree’s community matters just as much as honouree, themselves.

Watching everyone experience this tribute together still gets me emotional. I love the work we do!

More on the special touches we created (and still use today) coming soon 🤍

Venue:
Catering:
Audio-Visual:
Printed materials:
Event day team: .andreola &

The dichotomy of by day, and student (Canadian College of Funeral Service) by night. (And Lead Event Planner for t...
10/28/2025

The dichotomy of by day, and student (Canadian College of Funeral Service) by night.

(And Lead Event Planner for this weekend’s upcoming celebration of life)

I am always so impressed by how florists and designer can create arrangements that feel so natural and comforting for a ...
10/15/2025

I am always so impressed by how florists and designer can create arrangements that feel so natural and comforting for a celebration of life event.

provided beautiful greenery, textures, and moody fall colours at Friday’s service. Whether hanging from wood pillars, accenting the thoughtful mementos, or being a focal point for guests to focus on during the service, it was a welcome comfort, bringing a quiet yet strong beauty to the room.

With more groups opting for “flowers that don’t feel like a funeral,” we are so thankful for Vancouver’s super talented florists who easily approach each memorial service we work on with the same care and attention to what each family needs, whether traditional or not! 🌿

10/15/2025

Super excited to be presenting at on Sunday, October 26th!

https://bit.ly/nfdasunday

💡Not Your Grandma’s Funeral: Secrets from an Event Planner’s Playbook

In this hour-long, interactive session, I’ll share the exact strategies and creative tools that help me guide families and planning groups in creating the meaningful, modern, and deeply personal that define a event.

I promise you’ll leave with fresh inspiration and *at least* one or two practical ideas you can put into practice right away!

Forget the cookie-cutter memorial service and come see what makes our events (er - unless it’s your grandma’s funeral!)

See you on October 26!










10/10/2025

A moment of calm before our guests arrive at the 💕

Grateful to be here with a team of pros.









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