Planning a funeral involves more than choosing a venue and arranging the service. From coordinating travel and supporting guests with additional needs to considering children, refreshments, and other practical details, there is a lot for families to manage.
The grief of losing a close one can consume you easily; one minute you’re struggling to deal with the deepest levels of grief, and the next, it’s like you’re a planner who needs to organise a whole lot of people to the funeral venue.
Here is a list of very important practical things, yet people tend to forget about them when the funeral plans are underway:
1. Account for Weather Conditions
Outdoor funeral receptions are common, but weather can be unpredictable. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Weather: Rain is a possibility, specifically in a country like the UK. The best solution to deal with the situation is to keep umbrellas in the trunk of your ride, even if there is no rain in the forecast. This way, the family and guests can use them when needed.
- Footwear and Grass: Cemetery grounds are usually covered with soft grass, where high heels can easily get stuck, causing people to slip. So, it’s better to wear suitable shoes to walk around comfortably.
2. Accessibility for Elderly and Less Mobile Guests
It’s also important to remember that elderly relatives or people with limited mobility can feel physically worn out after being emotionally involved in a long day. So, if you plan and select a venue that has accessibility features like ramps, easy access, and elevators, it will give them a chance to go through the event without any added discomfort. Keeping a few seats near the front of the event is very thoughtful because it means elderly people or people with disabilities don’t have to push through the crowd to get seats and don’t have to be standing for long at the funeral service.
3. Managing Guest Travel and Group Logistics
Coordinating travel for relatives joining from another town to the main service at the burial ground can become stressful without proper planning and organisation. Not just that, driving in unfamiliar areas using various maps or finding a parking spot is very demanding when you are already emotionally drained.
To cater to this situation efficiently, families and other groups can hire a minibus with a driver to keep everyone together without confusion. The transport is not only an alternative for elderly relatives, close ones coming out of town, and friends to be transported to the respective destination together comfortably and punctually. This eliminates the stress of driving and enables everyone to concentrate on supporting one another on the way.
4. Keeping Hydration and Light Refreshments Handy
People at funerals often need to put in a lot of time and energy, like standing for a long period of time and being physically active in a very emotional environment. As a result, it might lead to dehydration or fatigue, mainly for those who have got to the venue earlier.
It is advisable to bring along disposable small water bottles, packs of pocket-sized tissue paper, and light food items like granola bars or candies. This enables everyone to have easy access to water and remain physically active throughout an emotional day.
5. Designate a Person In Charge
As a service day is quite stressful for immediate family members, they may not have adequate time or resources to respond to a range of small service-related questions and requests, like directions to the lavatory or the timing of serving meals.
Approach a close friend or extended family member who can vigilantly take charge. Give this person the contact numbers for the caterer and venue manager, or ask them to guide people for these small details so they can solve small issues silently behind the scenes.
6. Clear Directions Between Venue Changes
A funeral that consists of various locations, like a chapel ceremony, the cemetery, and the reception, can easily cause people to get lost on the way. So relying only on map apps is not totally reliable. Printing small and straightforward direction cards to hand out at the end or to leave them on the remembrance table allows everyone to have a tangible guide helping them stay on track and arrive stress-free.
7. Thoughtfully Creating Spaces for Children
Children deal with grief differently from adults. They can find activities like sitting for long hours in the church challenging. You can set up a separate little calm zone in the back part of the venue, with non-messy activities like colouring books, silent play toys, or picture books. Let the parents know they can take the child out anytime if the child needs a break or wants to go somewhere else, to channelise their energy.
Final Thoughts
Organising a farewell gathering is one of the kindest but also the most difficult things you will ever do. It is totally understandable for people to be completely swept away by emotions and have no idea what to do at that moment.
Also, a funeral is not required to be perfect. But if you can spend a little time thinking about how you can arrange a comfortable overall experience for the guests, you make it much easier for everyone to get through a difficult day.
