Tips To Keep In Mind When Planning A Funeral Memorial Service

Losing a loved one is always tough, but a funeral or memorial service is a good opportunity to come together with other people and get through your grief as a group. If you are planning a funeral memorial service for a loved one, here are some tips to keep in mind that might make the event more memorable or easier to manage for you and the rest of your family. 

Decide if You Want a Separate Memorial Service From the Main Funeral

A funeral service will typically include the deceased's body or ashes in some way. This is typically the last type of service that is held prior to the deceased being taken to their final resting place. It is possible though to hold a memorial service that is completely separate from the funeral service. A memorial service is typically held after the funeral and burial. This could be ideal if you want the funeral and burial services to be more intimate and personal with only immediate family and those close to you, but you want to provide a larger service for other friends or members of the community who knew the deceased. 

Having both a funeral service and a memorial service might make sense, for example, if your loved one was a public figure or well-known in the local community and will be mourned by many.

Work With the Funeral Home or Memorial Service Provider to Find the Right Location

If you're planning a memorial service where you expect a lot of people to show up, you might want to talk to the funeral home or memorial planner about the accommodations in advance. You could also consider moving the memorial service to a public park or some location where more people could gather than could fit inside a funeral home. Another idea might be to hold the public service in an area that had some special meaning to the deceased. Maybe you could hold it at a hall owned by the rotary club they were a member of or you could rent a boat and hold the memorial service at sea if your loved one was in the Navy or otherwise fond of the water.

Bring Photographs and Other Mementos to Make the Memorial a Celebration

Regardless of whether your loved one's body will be present for the memorial, bring photographs and mementos of their life to add additional meaning to the proceedings. Photos of your loved one looking happy or spending time with family and friends can make the occasion more of a celebration of their life instead of a sad occasion.

Contact a local funeral memorial service to learn more.