Planning a funeral service can be overwhelming for surviving family members. There are so many decisions to make, all while you’re mourning the loss of your loved one. It’s even more stressful if the deceased didn’t communicate their end-of-life wishes.

If you’re not sure how funeral services work and how to arrange these for your recently deceased loved one, here’s a guide to help. It covers the events during a funeral service and includes some planning tips.

What Happens in a Funeral Service?

There are various stages to a traditional funeral, but families can choose to omit any of these parts. Here’s everything you can expect at a traditional funeral:

Visitation

The visitation or wake is usually held the day before the funeral service. It’s when friends and family can pay their last respects to the deceased. The body is typically inside an open casket at the front of the room, and visitors can view the remains.

Ceremony

The ceremony or service is the main highlight of the entire funeral. Loved ones come together to pray, sing hymns, read passages, and give eulogies to honor the deceased. Most ceremonies come with religious components to give grieving friends and family hope and comfort during this difficult time.

Committal Service

The funeral committal is a short service after the funeral ceremony attended by close relatives. It’s when loved ones say their final goodbyes to the deceased before they’re lowered into the ground or cremated. Led by an officiant, committal services usually include music, speeches, and prayers to make them more personal.

Reception

The last stage of a funeral is the reception. After the burial or cremation, the deceased’s family can invite the funeral guests to their home for food and drinks. The reception can also be in another room in the funeral home.

How to Plan a Funeral

Funeral planning can be draining, but you can get through it with the proper strategy. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Check If the Deceased Made Any Prior Arrangements

If your loved one made funeral arrangements before they passed, you don’t have to make as many decisions. There will also be fewer expenses for the surviving family. Find out if they purchased funeral insurance or already paid for funeral lots. Maybe they communicated their last wishes in letters or other documents as well.

Select a Funeral Home

The best way to choose a funeral home is to get recommendations from friends and family members. Once you have a couple of options, you can call each funeral home and ask about their packages. Select the one that best fits your family’s budget and needs.

Choose the Type of Funeral

There are several kinds of funerals, so it can be hard to make a final decision. There are ground burials, above-ground burials, green burials, cremations, and more. You can ask a funeral director to explain the various methods, including their processes and costs.

Select a Casket or Urn and the Interment Location

Funeral homes typically offer caskets and urns, but you can buy a casket or urn from a third-party source if you want to save money. The law requires funeral homes to accept caskets and urns from other shops without an additional charge. The next step is to finalize the interment location. It can be an existing family funeral plot or a new one.

Iron Out the Details of the Funeral Service

One of the most tedious parts of funeral planning is figuring out the details of the funeral service. You must think about decorations, food, photos, videos, and music, among other things. If a friend or family member is willing to share the load, don’t hesitate to accept their help.

The Bottom Line

Losing friends or family is one of the hardest things in life. It hurts even more when you have to plan their funeral. But with the proper steps, you can give them the burial they deserve. For more information, contact Wyuka Cemetery at (402)-474-3600.