Three Funeral Etiquette Rules … And How To React To Them

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If you attend enough funeral services over the years, you'll undoubtedly witness someone who's obviously unaware of funeral etiquette. As a result, he or she is acting in an embarrassing fashion and might even be taking attention away from the solemn occasion. The last thing you want when attending a funeral is to be this person. The good news is that by taking a little time to understand some subtle funeral etiquette conventions — and knowing the best way to approach them — you won't find yourself acting in an improper manner. Remember, following etiquette rules shows your respect to the family grieving a loss. Here are three ways you can avoid breaking a funeral etiquette rule.

Sympathy Cards

It's a nice gesture to buy an appropriate sympathy card upon hearing about the death of the individual and put together some thoughts that you can share with the family. However, many people make the miscue of arriving at the funeral home with their sympathy card and trying to pass it off to a family member. Good intentions aside, this isn't the way to deal with this situation. It's proper etiquette to send your sympathy card in the mail to the family's home so that the family members can read your message at a later date. It's not practical to think that the family will be able to read the card at the funeral service and, furthermore, it could get lost in the proceedings.

Visitation Line

At a visitation, guests form into a long line and wait for a moment to share a message of condolence and a hug with the bereaved family. Even if you have a particularly poignant message to share or you have a close relationship with one or more of the family members, proper etiquette in this situation is to keep the line moving along. This means making sure that your remarks are brief; after all, you can follow up with each family member in greater depth at a later date. Remember that this is a trying time for the family and the more you hold up the line, the longer this challenging experience will be.

Time Management

Showing up late to a funeral event is extremely disrespectful. In fact, it's advisable to take the approach that if you arrive to the funeral home late, you shouldn't enter at all. Manage your time by aiming to get to the home about 15 minutes early. Don't be earlier, though, as you might disrupt the family's quiet reflection time before the event.

If you have further questions about funeral proceedings, visit a site like http://geilsfuneralhome.com/.

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29 January 2016

Have You Planned for Your Future?

When my father passed away a year ago, my mother didn't have any problems with the funeral or burial. My father planned his funeral in advance. He didn't want to burden my mom with any problems during her time of grieving. That hit me. I realized that I didn't have any plans for my own future, which would make it even harder on my wife and kids. So, I contacted a funeral home online and requested information about burial services. The funeral home provided me with many options that I could afford to pay over time or upfront. My wife also helped select burial plots for us because we didn't want to be separated — even after death. I encourage you to read through my blog. It offers great tips and advice on how to plan for your own future. Don't wait. You never know what life holds for you.