Funeral Services
What Is A Funeral?
A funeral service, sometimes called a memorial service or a celebration of life, is a meaningful way to acknowledge, celebrate and honour the life of a loved one who has passed away. A funeral can bring solace and peace to those who mourn and bring people together to comfort one another and share memories to celebrate the joy of having known someone.
Specifically tailoring a celebration to the individual being honoured, as well as their family is one of many ways to memorialize someone who has passed. When a loved one has passed away, you may have questions as to what kind of funeral service to have. Understanding the difference between a traditional funeral and a memorial service will help you make these important decisions. Some people pre-arrange their own service to ease the burden on their family and to help make sure it reflects their life.
What Are The Types Of Funerals?
How do you decide what kind of funeral service you’d like, whether for yourself or a family member? Service options include traditional funerals, wakes, visitations, memorial services and celebrations of life. Many people choose to include more than one of these events when remembering their loved one. It’s about honouring the person through a unique service.
Types of Services
Traditional funeral
A traditional funeral is often presided over by an officiant of a church. Traditional funerals tend to be formal and are traditional in their program. Typically they include hymns or traditional songs, eulogies and readings.
Funerals may be held at a religious place, such as a church or temple; or sometimes in a hall. Sometimes there is an open casket, but many funerals are held with closed caskets or with an urn present.
Memorial service
A memorial service can be held with or without a casket or urn present. A memorial service is typically less formal. A church officiant is not always chosen to preside over the service; it can be a friend, family member, or anyone of your choosing. Video tributes are a common addition to memorial services. It is similar to a traditional funeral, in that it honours the life of a loved one and can take place months or even a year after someone has passed away.
Wake
The atmosphere at a wake is typically less formal. A wake often occurs at a funeral chapel and can happen either in the days before or instead of a traditional funeral. Often, wakes are held in an “open house” format, allowing people to come and go, casually visiting, relaying memories and comforting one another. The casket is almost always present.
Visitation
A visitation or viewing, is an opportunity for the family to receive visitors and spend some time talking with and being comforted by friends. Visitations or viewings may have an open casket. Many times, a visitation period may occur the day before a funeral and again immediately preceding a funeral service.
Celebration of life service
“Celebration of life” is a term used to describe a personalized funeral or memorial service, and is open to the extent of your imagination. These types of services are often more celebratory in nature than somber and formal. Celebration of life services include personal touches celebrating the uniqueness and personality of the individual being honoured. These services can be as traditional or non-traditional as a family desires. A service with special photos displayed to a farmyard service where friends and family gather in a place loved by the person who has passed.
How do I plan a funeral?
You can combine different types of services. Families may choose a wake or visitation to receive friends and the community to offer condolences, then have a more intimate gathering of close friends and family to celebrate their loved one’s life in a more unique and private way—a celebration of life.
It’s about choosing a service, or combination of services, that is befitting of your loved one’s wishes. Once you have settled on a style for the funeral you are planning, you may be unsure how to organize and execute the service.
Outlook Funeral Chapel and Megan are here to help. We start by inquiring about your loved one—their passions, interests and personality. We then offer to help you plan the details by walking you through the process. This is a stressful and difficult time, and it is our promise to celebrate each life. With a checklist to organize the details of the service along with other helpful resources, we can help you with planning a fitting tribute.
