Funeral service at funeral homes Northern Cambria, PA, is as important to the deceased as it is to the bereaved family. Aside from honoring the lost loved one, it helps the surviving family to acknowledge the reality and begin the healing journey.
Planning a funeral service entails making dozens of important decisions within a couple of days – if the deceased hasn’t preplanned. Your funeral director serves as your guiding hand throughout the process but it’s important to have the basic information etiquette pertaining to the actual service.
Type and Location of Final Disposition
First and foremost, decide the type of final disposition you want for the deceased. Depending on your family’s tradition and the loved one’s will, choose either a traditional burial or cremation service.
The bereaved family can hold the funeral in a funeral chapel or a place of worship. Funeral services are also held in places that hold special meaning for the lost loved one.
Get in Contact with a Funeral Director
Funeral directors are experts in the field who have spent years helping bereaved families arrange a perfect service for their lost loved ones. Get recommendations from your family or friends and use online reviews and feedback to get in contact with a director.
Make sure the funeral director offers you flexible choices and responds to all your queries in an empathetic manner. He or she should be willing to assist you and take care of all other arrangements – no matter the time of the day.
Decide on Various Services
In coordination with the funeral director, make the final decision about:
- Who will give the eulogy
- Plan the Visitation service
- Who will perform the service? Have you already contacted the clergy
- Choose a casket, burying vault, or urn.
- Any special services to personalize the event such as music, photo display, catering, slideshow, or video tribute.
- Choose the pallbearers
- Any special arrangements for photography
- Get burial garments
Handle the Paperwork
A funeral comes with plenty of paperwork that the bereaved family needs to fill in. Luckily, the funeral director is trained to handle the necessary paperwork including insurance claims. All you need to do is provide the relevant information to the director and he or she will take care of all the paperwork.
With this, you put financial and administrative matters of the lost loved one to closure.
Reception
This event is held soon after the funeral service and it provides an informal or casual environment to gather together. The goal is to offer condolences to the bereaved family and honor the deceased. Reception is often arranged in a private place or the deceased’s family home. The religious families choose to hold it in the chapel or funeral home.
If possible, get a guestbook to allow the visitors to leave a thank you note. Research shows that reading positive comments about your loved ones provides solace and comfort and brings much-needed optimism in life after the experience at funeral homes Northern Cambria, PA.
