Reviews of Virtual Memorial Gatherings (Event Planner)

Dave and Sheila

I am so pleased with the Celebration of Life for my Dad that Willis Turner and Virtual Memorial Gatherings coordinated. It went better than I could have hoped. There are no second chances when honoring your Father's passing with a virtual service, and I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to do justice to his life and legacy. There is no way I could have done this myself and I will be forever grateful to Willis for facilitating this smoothly and professionally.

Graeme Dempster

An outstanding experience, high quality support to make our memorial happen as we wanted it. Fully recommended.

Steve McNulty

Wonderful experience during a difficult time. Very professional and worth a lot more than what they charge

Vanessa C. Kinzer

Virtual Memorial Gatherings hosted a beautiful memorial for my Grandfather. They organized it, assisted with any technical support, and made it a special event that was inclusive of all, but not long winded or excessive. Willis was so warm, calming, helpful, and communicative leading up to, day of, and during the ceremony. He was such a great presence, made all feel welcome and comfortable. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I almost prefer this to an in person memorial, because it allowed people from all over, and people that for health reasons can not travel to participate in honoring a loved one. Thank you

Carina Chocano

My siblings and I tragically lost our mom to Covid, and we weren't sure how we were going to mark her passing-- especially since our family is spread out around the world. Virtual Memorial Gatherings provided the blank page but also the structure and support that allowed us to create exactly the memorial we wanted, which turned out beautifully, and was attended by more than 250 people in 13 countries. Our speakers Zoomed in from five different time zones, in two languages, and everything went off without a hitch. We were very impressed and grateful. Highly recommend.

Pam Candelaria

Willis Turner and VMG are so professional and attentive to the needs of its clients in there time of need, there isn’t anything that doesn’t warrant a 5 star rating. They are so experienced in their service that it removes the stress and headache that comes with the inevitability of what every human experiences- end of life. Thank you VMG, you helped my family to navigate this extremely difficult time.

Fred Hoffmann

Thank you Willis, I want to thank you for doing an excellent job. I had no idea what a virtual wake would look like, or be like, but it turned out to far exceed my expectations. It felt very organized, I’ve had great positive feedback, and it gave our family the sense of closure that we needed. Thank you for a wonderful experience, Fred Hoffmann IV

Anthony Rosa

Thank you Willis and team at Virtual Memorial - for going beyond the call and working with us on such short notice to put together my brother's service online for the many family and friends that wanted to bid their final farewells but could not be present. It was because of your service they were able to do so in such a beautiful way. Thank you for helping to make my brother's celebration of life one to forever remember.

Elizabeth Davis

I worked with Willis Turner on the virtual memorial for my mom. Willis was very professional and responsive and made my mom's virtual service a truly memorable experience. I would highly recommend Virtual Memorial Gatherings for anyone considering a virtual memorial for their loved ones.

Cindy Callahan

I can't recommend Virtual Memorial Gatherings enough. They were very professional and handled all the details. It was great to have this option since our family and friends could not be together in person. I received numerous compliments on the program and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who is struggling with how to memorialize their loved one during this pandemic.

Kate Sandusky

Thank you Willis! You and your staff were so kind, helpful, and attentive to all of us while we pieced together mom’s memorial. We really appreciated your guidance throughout the planning, keeping us on task and organized. Your calm and kind nature was much appreciated, especially during the actual event. With your assistance we were able to create a memorial that was very personal with sharing of memories from family and friends, including a slideshow of her life. Our whole family is very glad we chose Virtual Memorial Gatherings for this most important day. Thank you so much!

Michael Taylor

i recommend this service to those who unfortunately might need it in these trying times. Mr Turner and his team were responsive during preparation and the event went off without any issues. Using this method allowed us to gather family and friends from around the country to share photos, music, and personal memories of our mom in a way that might have been impossible otherwise.

Lacie Watsonhughes

I recently had to navigate the hard road of preparing a send off for a beloved one. As with so many things, COVID-19 has demanded that we adjust the way we have traditionally done things. I am so thankful that I found this platform so that I could honor my beloved. Honestly, even if these weren’t pandemic times, this platform would be a preferred method of gathering loved ones, near and far and putting together an event that honors a loved one. Willis and his team were responsive, patient, understanding, and professional. Under these circumstances, I couldn’t have been more pleased to work with them.

Christopher Knott

100% recommend this service with zero reservations. From the initial consultation through the final deliverable, this team knocked it out of the park. They were professional, courteous and helpful. Staff politely reminded us of deadlines, encouraged feedback and were very up front about pricing. If you are even considering a virtual service, do yourself a favor and take the 15 minutes to consult with Willis, he has a calming demeanor that helped us feel secure in our decision do a remote ceremony. Fees were very reasonable, especially considering the cost of an in-person service, and I like the a-la-carte style of options. Multiple people who use Zoom for work told me they were blown away by the production values of the service. Bottom line, completely sold on this service.

Tanya Kern

We had a virtual memorial service last weekend. All of the attendees commented on the professionalism and value of the service. Willis and Sergei helped me get the an incredible program together in less than 2 weeks with a minimum of hassle on my part. We were able to have speakers from overseas and across the country and all of the video and audio feeds were crystal clear. Highly recommended!

Catherine Roberts Shteynberg

When my aunt died in early October, our family knew that we couldn't gather in person due to COVID, but I knew that my mom and the rest of us really needed some sort of celebration of her life for closure. Waiting for COVID to be over just didn't feel right. I wasn't sure what to expect with Virtual Memorial Gatherings as they seemed somewhat newer than other online memorial services. What I quickly found out in a free consultation call with Willis is that they had been organizing events online for decades. Their experience shows. Willis was compassionate, professional, and extremely organized, and his team was as well. Having someone on call for tech support for attendees, especially older friends and family members not familiar with Zoom, was SO crucial and allowed the rest of us to enjoy the service rather than answer emails and texts. My husband and I were surprised at how intimate the service felt despite being online and it was lovely to be able to see everyone in attendance while giving tribute--something that's actually more difficult in person. I also strongly recommend the virtual reception. I thought that it would be awkwards, but we heard fun stories about my aunt with this add-on. I think more and more people will add a virtual element to funerals moving ahead so more people can participate from around the world. We all were so pleased with the memorial and I highly recommend this service.

Jeff Clarke

We used Virtual Memorial Gatherings for a virtual Celebration of Life for a family member, and the entire experience was positive. The team was very organized and sensitive to our needs, and communication was both clear and responsive. The event was attended by more than a hundred separate connections, ranging across the USA, and in Canada, China, Russia, Germany, Japan, and Moldova, and the platform worked great for everyone. Willis Turner served as facilitator, and set the right tone to encourage people to contribute their memories. Friends and family are talking about how great it was to be able to share memories and emotions at such a difficult time, and how well the platform and format worked to give people a sense of who our son had been and what he meant to those who knew him.

Peter Ho

Finding Virtual Memorial Gatherings to host my Wife's Memorial Service was the best thing to happen during the trying times. From the first email contact with Willis through the planning and formatting stages, the assistance from Sergie in technical aspects, the entire process was worry free for me and my son as we went through the mourning process. I would highly recommend anyone who needs a service to look into Virtual Memorial Gatherings, call Willis, ask questions, he never tired of answering mine, and I think you will find your Memorial Service for your Loved One will be in the best hands possible. Thank you again Willls and Sergie

Dawn Cardi

Absolutely amazing memorial for our dad. Willis Turner and all of the staff of Virtual Memorial Gatherings assisted us in preparing a beautiful ceremony honoring our dad . Covid has stolen our ability to be together to honor our loved ones and this virtual memorial was so comforting . We had music and photos and songs and tributes. Willis and Serge helped us from uploading the photos and the music to overseeing the event Friends and Family raved about it. We cannot thank them enough and you will remain in our fondest memory when we think of our Dad.

Larry Gelb

Virtual Memorial Gatherings did a great job organizing and delivering my sister’s remembrance service. I highly recommend both the company and the “virtual” format. I interviewed a few firms before selecting Virtual Memorial Gatherings. Their presentation was the most straightforward and understandable without aggressive attempts to upsell me add-on features that I didn’t need (such as sending a camera crew to film the live gathering at our house). During the process of putting together the event, their guidance was helpful and let me (a 70 year old man) master all the technology pretty easily (e.g. setting up screen mirroring from my device to our TV, uploading photos, etc.). It was fun curating the slide show and selecting songs to match the mood. I asked Willis to moderate the event for me. He was perfect, making sure everything went smoothly and monitoring and managing who wanted to speak without ever being intrusive. After the event, I received lots of feedback about how the “hybrid” format was so effective. We had 10 local people at our house and 40 participants across the country. If we had just done a face-to-face local memorial service, so many of my sister’s friends would not have been able to attend, let alone recount their memories of good times with my sister. I think this is a wonderful example of how technology can actually improve on a traditional format. After the event, Willis sent me a number of screen shots from the Zoom recording, as well as a recording of the whole event. Again, I thought VMG did an outstanding job!

CruiseControlOne

When my mom recently passed away, I was going through some dark moments of emotional disarray and in trying to maintain a level of equilibrium and composure between my career and personal life. So, one day I set aside some time to roll up my sleeves and delve into this new awareness of seeking an online memorial service. I read into other people's experience they have have had. I pragmatically read not the positive reviews, but their negative experiences. It was then that I came across Virtual Memorial Gatherings' website. I thoroughly read every word regarding the services they offered and I struck gold when I discovered something. In addition to the many services that other similar business offered, they provided that well-bestowed accommodation of a professional bilingual translator. I must attest that if you are contemplating as to who should provide the best quality service for your beloved, please don't think twice. I have done all of the meticulous research for you and undoubtedly VMG will be the best choice. I must warn you, that they will reach out to you, but only because they want to ensure that every finite detail will meet you expectations. I must say that they will have the courtesy to contact you to ensure that that your names or that of your loved ones are properly pronounced during the service. Lastly, please be reassured that you will receive the utmost respect and attention for your dear loved one. I want to genuinely thank Mr. Willis Turner for his exceptional guidance, Ms. Bonnie and Tiffany Turner for the incredible and beautifully-made Memorial card, to Sergei Turner for the phenomenal slideshow, to Holly for her extraordinary ability to bring a wonderful and spiritual essence to my mom's service, and I must emphasize the amazing translation from English to Spanish. YES, IF YOU HAVE ANYONE ATTENDING THE SERVICE, THEY HAVE THE OPTION TO CLICK ON A BUTTON AND LISTEN TO IT ALL IN SPANISH VIA A SKILLED AND PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR. This was the game-winner for me. Let me just translate this in Spanish: SI DESEAS UN UN SERVCIO EXCEPCIONAL DONDE PUEDAS TENER UN SERVICE MEMORIAL PARA UN SER QUERIDO POR LA INTERNET, YO RECOMIENDO QUE ESCOGAS VIRTUAL MEMORIAL GATHERING. ELLOS PARA MI SON LO MEJOR QUE TODOS. SON MUY DETALLISTAS EN TODO PARA QUE SALGA A SU AGRADO. GRACIAS.

Ken Eeles

Willis & his family were very professional & kind. He guided us through the process with many helpful sugestions. Everything was done on time & turned out better than I could have hoped eventhough I unfortunatley didn't allow him or my family the proper amount of time to accomplish what we wanted. I am so thankful for all of their help through this experience.

Jen stewart

Willis and the Virtual Memorial Gatherings team were absolutely wonderful to work with. I didn't know where to begin planning a service that could truly honor my husband and allow his friends and family from around the country to participate. And even with local friends and family we had to be mindful of social distancing guidelines and vulnerable populations who did not want to attend in person. Willis held patiently held our hands throughout the whole process of planning a virtual service that allowed words from family and friends who weren't able to attend in person. Weeks later I'm still receiving such wonderful feedback from people who were so grateful to be able to participate given the state we are all living in today. Willis was extremely responsive, reliable, knowledgeable and patient as he worked with with & guided my family and me in setting up the service, and guiding the funeral home staff who was not actively hosting virtual services at the time. I see this service as valuable even beyond the pandemic as friends and family from around the world can participate in such special celebrations of life. I highly recommend Willis & Virtual Memorial Gatherings.

Phil Olsen

We just held a memorial service to honor a remarkable football coach. He lived a full life and recently passed away at age 92. He had been the head coach at seven different universities, small colleges and 2 service academies. The Memorial Service was spectacular and it went off without a hitch. VMG was incredibly helpful to us in organizing all the details for the Order of Service, matching music with pictures, coordinating pre-recorded videos of our speakers and handling the technology necessary to deliver the service to hundreds of people around the world. I highly recommend VMG! We would not have been able to make this happen without their help!

Connie Sanchez

Virtual Memorial Gatherings allowed us to honor my mother virtually in a wonderful way and keep family and friends safe during these challenging times. Once we found their site, we were in great hands. They walked us through the process step by step and made sure we were comfortable with every detail. Their process provides all the foundational and technological support, while allowing it to be very personal. The service was beautiful. Thank you Virtual Memorial Gatherings.

Bill Maniscalco

We were extremely pleased with the whole process, from the planning stage to the final product and even the follow-up afterwards. Both Willis and Sergei guided us with professionalism and were always responsive to our many questions. They were very organized and made the process as easy as possible for us. Without hesitation, I would recommend Virtual Memorial Gatherings.

Debbie Preacher

My Mother's passing was a difficult and emotional time for my family. We turned to Virtual Memorial Gatherings to help make my mother's celebration of life a memorable one even thought our family could not all be together. Willis and his team were very responsive, professional, fair priced and kind. Our virtual celebration was well run and was smooth and seamless to those who participated. I appreciated their high quality of work and would highly recommend their services.

Michelle Mulligan

Entering uncharted waters is always scary. Although a virtual memorial service wasn't what I would have chosen, I can now say unequivocally that I would never want a service for a loved one any other way. We were able to connect family and friends from near and far in a very intimate and well designed program. Dozens of folks have reached out to me post service and said it was the most amazing and gorgeous service they have ever attended! Willis Turner took care of all details and I would absolutely recommend his expertise. You will not be disappointed!

Linda Cadzow

Virtual Memorial Gatherings helped us craft a wonderful and fitting tribute to our mother. When our original plans were knocked sideways by the pandemic, we reviewed various options for a virtual service and chose Virtual Memorial Gatherings. We were more than satisfied with the services they provided. What stood out about their approach was that it was so flexible and customizable. We were able to purchase those parts that we needed and not pay for those we didn’t. Every time we said, “Could we do this?” – they said, “Of course. Here’s how it works.” Perhaps what I appreciated most was that they were incredibly and reliably responsive. Questions were answered – every time – and with great promptness and patience. This is a process that carries a lot of emotional freight and VMR was consistently available and reassuring. Every single thing they promised – they did. There were no glitches, no misunderstandings and no unpleasant surprises. I have reflected that, although we didn’t consider a virtual ceremony pre-covid, I now would very seriously consider it, particularly where family and friends are geographically dispersed. I give VMR my highest recommendation (and I am not always easy to please….)

LeMarie Laureano

Overall, the service was exceptional. They were quite responsive and sensitive to all my inquiries and concerns during this difficult time. Highly recommend them.

Amanda Jefferson

We reached out to Virtual Memorial Gatherings after my father passed away and we weren't able to have an in-person memorial service. We were a bit nervous about using a new platform, but we felt really encouraged by all of the wonderful feedback their prior clients had shared. We also loved that we could view actual ceremonies on their Facebook page so that we could get a feel for how it would all work. I cannot overstate how incredibly responsive and professional Willis and his team are. The ceremony was beautiful, and at one point it felt like all of the technology just melted away, and we were able to enjoy the connection to our loved ones and feel like we were honoring my father in the way he deserved. We've been inundated with messages from attendees telling us how impressed they were. Thank you so much to Willis and your team for being an asset during such a difficult time.

JESSE F. AGUIRRE

When my mom unexpectedly passed away we were faced with the challenge of holding a proper memorial for her during these difficult times. Fortunately we found Virtual Memorial Services. Even though I am technical and have conducted remote meetings for years, I did not want to concern myself with those areas. My goal was to focus on the content and prepare a fitting memorial for my mom. Virtual Memorial Services allowed me to achieve that. They are professional, knowledgeable, and flexible. I would recommend them to anyone.