TRADITIONAL FUNERAL SERVICES

A traditional funeral is usually directed by an officiant of a church or a director of a funeral home. Traditional funerals tend to be formal in mood and are traditional in their structure. Typically, they include hymns or traditional songs, eulogies and readings. Traditional funerals may be held at a funeral home or at a religious place, such as a church or temple. Often there is an open casket. However, funerals may be held with closed caskets or with an urn present, if cremation was chosen.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

A memorial service is a more personalised service with much less limitations involved. These services are usually held by the family themselves at a location more meaningful to them and their loved one and can include a range of personal touches to celebrate the unique aspects and personality of the person being honoured. These services are usually held after a person has been cremated or buried, and with or without an urn present. These services are one of the most popular choices for families as they allow the service to be as traditional or non-traditional as a family desires- from a formal service displaying special pictures and slideshows, to a barbeque by the beach where friends and family gather in a location much loved by their loved one.

WAKE

The atmosphere at a wake is typically less formal than at a traditional funeral. A wake may occur at a home, in a venue or at a funeral home and can happen either in the days before or in place of a traditional funeral. Often, wakes are held in an “open house” format, allowing people to come and go within certain time frames, casually visiting, relaying memories and comforting one another. There may be food served and music played.
The casket or urn may or may not be present. Some cultures hold wakes immediately after traditional funeral services, after their loved one has been interred, as a way of sitting down with friends and relatives in a less formal setting.

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