Deciding on a Memorial Service

Although any memorial service follows initial handling of a body, it will affect decisions on how to handle the body.

If the decedent’s remains will be present at the memorial service in a public venue such as a church, it is almost always necessary to preserve the body through embalming. This is true whether the casket is open or closed at the memorial service. If the casket is open, the body will also need to be prepared for viewing with wardrobe and make-up.

Note that it is possible to have a private viewing without embalming or a memorial service, at a funeral home, crematory, or even at home.

An alternative is to hold the memorial service after final disposition, i.e. after a body has been buried or cremated.

Finally, a memorial service is not mandatory. Some people prefer to forgo a memorial service and allow loved ones to remember the decedent in personal and private ways.

Lisa S.
July 29, 2010