Traditional Funerals

The traditional funeral is still the industry standard by which all other burial services are measured and compared. This is because it is the most comprehensive kind of service. The traditional funeral generally follows in a sequence of services which begins with the visitation, viewing or wake. A funeral service follows, where the body is present for viewing again and loved ones pay tribute. Guests immediately proceed (often by motorcade) to the cemetery, where there is a short graveside service. After the formal services are completed, the group of mourners reconvene at another location, often the family home, for food and fellowship.

The funeral director is usually entrusted with the task of orchestrating these services. Funeral Directors arrange and prepare everything from the transport of the deceased shortly after death to the details of burial. One of the funeral director's most important responsibilities is preparing the body for viewing. This mainly involves embalming, dressing and arranging the body in the casket.

There are several variations within the traditional funeral model. A family may decide that instead of burial, they will have the body cremated. If the family still wants to have a visitation and a funeral service, they would cremate the body after these events. If the family decides to forego the viewing, they could have the body cremated shortly after death. But by doing so, they are no longer pursuing a funeral in the traditional sense, since, by definition, funerals involve viewing the body.

Other Funeral Choices

Other choices involving the traditional funeral elements include a funeral with memorial service, and funeral with encryption in a mausoleum. Some families find it necessary to hold a memorial either before or after the funeral to accommodate additional or specific sets of loved ones. Encryption is an alternative to burial. Many people assume that placement in a mausoleum is much more expensive than grave site burial. This is not necessarily so.