subject: Differences Between A Funeral Service And A Memorial Service [print this page] If you have lost a near and dear one suddenly, it is possible that you may not know the difference between a Funeral Service and a Memorial Service thereby making Planning a funeral or memorial service an overwhelming task.
There are several differences between a Funeral Service and a Memorial Service.
However, one common factor between the two is that both celebrate and honor the life of a loved one.
A Funeral Service is traditional whereas a Memorial Service is non-traditional.
The body of the deceased is present at the Funeral Service, and the Funeral takes place within a few days of the individuals death.
In the Funeral service it is up to the family members to whether to have an open casket ceremony or a closed casket ceremony.
The Funeral Services are more expensive than the Memorial Services as the Funeral Services usually involve the purchase and display of a casket, transportation of the body to the church and burial ground including embalming of the body.
The Funeral Service involves the services of a Funeral Director and a Funeral Home, who can really be a source of comfort to the family as they are very experienced in the grieving process. Moreover, they can handle the supplies and details of the funeral whereas this is not the case in a Memorial Service.
On the other hand a Memorial Service also pays tribute to the life of the deceased; however in this, the body of the person that has died is not present. Since in this type of service there is no body present, the Memorial Service can be held at a variety of locations. The Memorial Service can take place days, weeks and even months after the person has died.
Memorial Services are becoming increasingly popular as the people are in search of more and more unique and personal ideas to celebrate the life of their loved ones. These services are more economical as they do not involve the tedious and stressful process of embalming, caskets, urns, or transportation.
If a burial occurs before the service for a loved one, it is known as a Memorial Service.
A memorial service is a gathering to honor the deceased without the body present. A memorial service
may be held near the time of death or another time such as a birthday, anniversary, family reunion or other occasion that the family feels to be appropriate.
In spite of these limitations, the Funeral Home will still handle either the cremation or burial of the body, and can participate in any part of the Memorial or Funeral Service as deemed appropriate by the family.
Traditionally, the family and friends of the deceased tend to be very sentimental while planning a Memorial Service optimizing its personalization.
Lastly, armed with this knowledge, you can now easily distinguish for yourself the difference between a Funeral Service and a Memorial Service
