What Are The Difference Between Funeral Burial Service

Terminal Updated on February 7, 2022

What is the deviation between a funeral, a memorial service and a celebration of life? These are common questions. Which is ameliorate? When and why should you choose one over any of the others?

Let's take a look at each type of service and so that you know the differences and which will work best for y'all, for your family, and to honor your loved i.

Funeral vs Memorial Service vs Commemoration of Life

Afuneralis a service to accolade a deceased person with the body present, while amemorial serviceis a time to memorialize the individual without the body present.

A celebration of life can either have the trunk nowadays or not, but the emphasis and tone of the result focuses on joyfully celebrating and remembering the decedent'southward life, as opposed to mourning their death.

	Funeral	Memorial Service	Celebration of Life
Body	Torso present in casket	No trunk	Either; body or no torso
Mode	Traditional	Personalized; casual yet respectful	Informal and creative
Tone	Somber and dignified	Grief mixed with happy memories	Celebratory and commemorative – sometimes a literal party
Location	Funeral dwelling or church	Church, funeral home, fellowship hall, customs center	Anywhere

Side by side, we'll become in-depth on these three types of service and encounter what makes each one unique.

Funeral Service

A funeral is the classic, traditional anniversary to remember the expressionless and to lay their body to rest. Generally speaking, a funeral will be more formal, more circumspect, and more somber than a celebration of life.

Virtually often, the funeral will take identify at the funeral habitation, though sometimes you can do this at church or even at home. The reception tin can be at the same location or a different one, depending on the arrangements you brand and the available facilities.

Nearly funerals involve four elements: visitation, funeral service, committal, and reception.

1. Visitation

The visitation or viewing is a time before the funeral where family and loved ones can gather to offer comfort to one some other, share memories and oftentimes a calorie-free appetizer, and, if desired, pay respects to the decedent in an open casket.

This can be a private gathering by invitation only, or open to the public. Some families prefer to have it at home, but nigh ofttimes it is held at the funeral home or at the location of the funeral.

ii. Funeral Service

Next comes the funeral service itself, which can include readings, prayers, eulogies, music, and any memorial tributes the family finds appropriate.

For a funeral, most attendees wear formal clothes in black or nighttime colors. The auditorium can exist busy with flowers, and the casket will be up front, often alongside a large photo display.

The tone of the service is often restrained and somber, recognizing the gravity of the occasion. Weeping and other displays of grief as well as humorous stories are certainly permissible and even encouraged, only the overall sensibility of the funeral service is one of respect and decorum.

3. Committal

Immediately after the service the torso is laid to rest. This is known equally a committal, or graveside service. Near often this means a funeral procession to the cemetery where the body is buried in a short ceremony.

A clergy fellow member, funeral director, or family member will officiate the committal. The officiant volition say a few brief words about the person, read Scriptures or other texts, lead in singing hymns, and provide a time for last goodbyes prior to the lowering and burial of the catafalque.

Yet, with the increasing popularity of cremation, instead of a committal the torso may be taken to the crematorium and the ashes scattered, buried, placed in a columbarium niche, or taken abode in a cremation urn at a later appointment. In that case the funeral service moves immediately into the reception.

4. Reception

Afterward the service (and committal, if done at this time) the family typically invites attendees to a reception. At the reception, the formality of the funeral service slowly dissolves as relatives and friends break bread together, sharing the comforts of a repast and one some other'south company, along with stories and memories of the departed loved one.

The reception is an of import role of the grieving procedure and helps many in your wider customs to move frontward from sheer sadness at the loss of someone meaningful in their life.

Memorial Service

Memorial services can be very like to a funeral. However, with the body not being nowadays, memorial services allow for much greater flexibility. You have more options for the time and place.

For this reason, you can schedule memorial services weeks or even months subsequently the death, to accommodate traveling family members or other coexisting issues. Since the disposition will have happened inside near a week of the passing, every bit time and physical altitude from the expiry increases the somber formality typical of funerals tends to decrease. This means that just due to human being nature the memorial service tends to exist less solemn.

Community centers, result centers, parks, and fifty-fifty a family member's domicile tin be the venue. The time can be right away or months and fifty-fifty years later the death. The service can be long or short, elaborate or simple, formal or informal.

If the person has been cremated and the remains are present at the service, it is withal typically known every bit a memorial service. "Funeral" is reserved for when the body as such is present in a casket.

More than: 55 Creative Memorial Service Ideas

Celebration of Life

A celebration of life is simply a funeral or memorial service by another proper noun. However, when people utilize this term, they are usually consciously try to get away from the sorry and depressing element of death and focus on remembering and commemorating the person'south life.

This often results in more of a "party" atmosphere, a celebratory gathering of family unit and friends. Creative ideas like these are oft the focus along with telling stories and other memories about the individual.

Nutrient and drink abound. Yous'll also encounter art, music, and themes that showcase the person'south individuality, such as gardening, a favorite NFL team, their hobby collections, so on.

Now that y'all know the difference between funerals, memorial services, and life celebrations, yous can plan exactly what you want each step along the way to honor your beloved. Read our Funeral Planning Guide for everything yous need to know. (And yes, information technology applies to memorial services and life celebrations as well!)

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