Earlier this year, a close friend of mine passed away. This sweet woman was incredibly unique. Besides adoring vintage clothing, she always had extremely short hair. After her death, her son wanted to plan a funeral service with her unique style in mind. So, he immediately started working with the helpful staff at a respected funeral home in our hometown. After relaying his desires to the professional employees at the funeral home, my friend’s son decided to omit a viewing on the night before the funeral. Instead, he had the funeral home staff bring his mother’s body to the church two hours before the funeral service. He also gave anyone who wanted to speak at the funeral service an opportunity. On this blog, I hope you will discover the wonderful ways the staff at a funeral home can help you plan a unique funeral for a loved one.
When your loved one chooses cremation, you may still want to have a viewing before the cremation process occurs. There are many options you can choose from to make this part of the funeral one that provides closure for your family. Here are a few options to consider when planning a viewing before cremation.
Family Viewing
For some families, having a viewing at the funeral home directly before the service is performed provides the closure needed. For this option, only the closest family members will typically attend. You get a chance to say a final farewell to your loved one, and they you can plan to have the memorial service at a later date. This option is ideal if you don't want to hold the memorial right away or if you don't want to hold a public viewing.
Church Viewing
While more and more religious institutions are becoming more accepting of cremation as an option, they may not all allow for an urn to be part of a funeral service. You can arrange to have a viewing and funeral service performed at the church before the cremation process is performed. This allows family members to have a more traditional funeral experience while still honoring your loved one's wishes. You'll still want to speak openly and honestly with the leaders of your church or synagogue about your relative's decision to be cremated, as this will help ensure you are still following the tenets of his or her religious beliefs.
Funeral Home Viewing
Some people still prefer the more traditional option of a wake held the day before the funeral. You can still choose this option even if your loved one has chosen cremation. For both the funeral home viewing and the church viewing, you can rent a casket from your funeral home to use at the viewing. You can also opt to purchase a casket specifically designed for use during the cremation process. Cremation caskets come in a variety of designs that look just as beautiful as traditional burial caskets. Work with your funeral home to make arrangements for the cremation to follow the viewing and funeral, and be sure to let mourners know that there will be no traditional graveside service after the funeral.
Your funeral home director can help you to understand the cremation process, and he or she can also assist you with finding an urn or urns. Together, you can plan a viewing, memorial, and funeral home cremation that honors your loved one's final wishes.
Share17 January 2018
