Gathering photos for a funeral, memorial, or celebration of life
When someone dies, the photos of their life are scattered — in siblings' phones, cousins' old albums, friends' computers, across decades and distances. OakDrop gives your family one gentle place to bring them together: a shared album anyone can add to from any phone, with no app to install and nothing to sign up for.
One link the whole family can use
Create the album and share its link in the family group chat, or include it in the service announcement. Everyone — from grandchildren to lifelong friends who live far away — opens it in their browser, picks photos, and adds them. Each person can add their name, and, if you choose, a few words about the memory a photo holds. People who can't travel to the service can still be part of remembering.
A slideshow for the service
Photos collected in the album can play as a calm, full-screen slideshow during the visitation, service, or reception — on a TV, projector, or laptop. It moves gently through the photos with the pacing, border, and captions you choose, and you can set an opening photo. If family members add photos during the gathering itself, the slideshow quietly includes them.
Only what you approve
If you'd like to review photos before they appear, turn on approval and each new photo waits for you first. You can also set a password on the album so it stays within the family, and add a sibling or friend as a co-host so the coordination doesn't rest on one person. OakDrop's wording on the album page follows the occasion — choose "Celebration of life" and guests see gentle, appropriate language throughout.
Keeping the photos afterward
The album remains after the service, and photos can be downloaded individually or all at once as a single zip — many families pass the collection to whoever keeps the family archive. Members can connect Dropbox or Google Drive so originals are kept in the family's own storage. Photos belong to the people who took and shared them; OakDrop is just the place they gather.
Questions families ask
Is this hard for older relatives to use?
It's one link or QR code that opens in the phone's browser — no app store and no account. Unless the host chooses an optional album password, they can add photos as soon as the page opens.
Can we collect photos before the service?
Yes. Most families share the link a week or more ahead so the slideshow is ready for the service, then leave the album open for photos and memories added afterward.
Can people write a memory with their photo?
Yes — you can allow a short caption with a photo, so a picture can carry the story that goes with it.
Can we keep the album private?
Yes. The album is never listed publicly, search engines are instructed not to index it, and you can add a password so only people who have both the link and password can view or contribute.
What does it cost?
You can create the album and preview everything free. A single $39 Event Pass covers the album with unlimited contributors, uploads open for 6 months, and hosting for a year — no subscription. Details on the pricing page.
Create the album when you're ready. It takes a few minutes, and you can see exactly what family will see before sharing it.
Create a memorial album