What You Need to Know About Funeral Etiquette in Chicago, IL

When a loved one passes away, you want to ensure their wishes are respected and that they are appropriately honored at their funeral service. However, a lot of people who are tasked with coordinating funerals are unsure about some of the elements of proper funeral etiquette in Chicago, IL. If you’re in the process of planning a funeral, consider the following advice.

Funeral planning etiquette

When you’re planning a funeral, it’s important to consider the way in which you notify friends and family members of the deceased. While it’s appropriate for distant relatives, acquaintances or associates of a person who has passed away to learn of the news through an email tree, obituary or mailed invitation, you should make sure that people who were close to the person who passed away are notified in person or with a phone call. Assemble a list of all of the people who should be notified before an obituary is published. You can ask these people to contact other friends and family members directly if you are unable to manage all of the phone calls on your own.

After notifying friends and family members, you need to start making decisions about the type of service you want and where you want it to take place. Many people choose to have services at a church or religious venue, but other people choose to plan services at a funeral home or another location. If the person who passed away didn’t specify in their will where they wanted their service to be held, you can make that decision along with other family members based on what you think the deceased would have wanted.

When you’ve made some decisions about the specifics of the service, you should meet with a funeral director to make all of the necessary arrangements. Funeral directors are there to help ensure that the service honors the person who has passed away, so you should share information about your loved one’s last wishes and what they wanted for their service. You will also need to make arrangements for burial or cremation, and make decisions about caskets, urns, memorials and headstones.

Another important aspect of funeral etiquette that you might not think about is condolence calls. It’s common for family members of someone who has passed away to receive a significant number of calls and other forms of communication in the days and weeks following the death. Make sure you’re prepared for those calls and that you share details about when and where the service will be held and whether charitable donations should be sent in lieu of a memorial gift for the family.

Funeral etiquette in Chicago, IL

At Marik-Baken Funeral Services Ltd., we know that planning a funeral can be overwhelming, and we are here to make the process as easy as possible for you. Regardless of what your specific needs may be, our team is prepared to help you through every aspect of the planning process so you can honor your loved one in the best way possible. Contact us today to arrange a consultation to learn more about our services.

Categorised in: Funeral Planning

This post was written by Writer