Can Close Families Sit with a Loved One’s Body in a Funeral Home Before the Services Begin?

The process of grief and loss is never an easy one to get through, but somehow people manage to accept death and move forward. For some, acceptance comes with rituals that bring them closure after the death of a loved one. Sitting with a loved one’s body, for instance, is one way that some people say goodbye because it helps them realize and come to terms with the fact that their loved one is truly gone. But do funeral homes in Matthews, NC, allow close families and friends to sit with a decedent (deceased person) before formal funerary services?

Policies and regulations vary from one funeral home to the next, so you can’t expect one funeral home to honor the same services that another would. When in doubt, it’s best to ask. Most Matthews funeral homes don’t have an issue with close family sitting with their loved one’s body before a viewing or funerary ceremony, but that’s dependent on preparations required before the funeral services.

For some people, funeral services – the ceremony and finality of funeral services – are final goodbyes. However, funeral homes often strive to make everyone comfortable. Grief is uniquely personal, so all friends and family will have different ways of coping with the death of the same person. Funeral homes aim to find a consensus, a compromise that everyone can agree is appropriate for helping friends and family begin a process of healing after death.

Is There Always Music and Religious Hymns at a Traditional Funeral Service?

Not always. Traditional funeral services aren’t always religious. Friends and family inject their beliefs into a funeral service, but it’s not a necessary component. If your loved one wasn’t religious, there’s no reason to make the funeral services surround a belief that they didn’t have. Unless they requested it during their time alive.

Music, however, is often a component of traditional funeral services. Music is an emotive, expressive tool, and your loved one likely had a favorite song or two that friends and family would remember them by. As long as the songs aren’t inappropriate or disrespectful, funeral homes have no problem with including music in funerary services.

Who Will Be the Main Contact in Preparation of a Loved One’s Funeral?

Funeral directors will be your main contact during the preparation of a loved one’s funeral. The director is your confidante during the planning process. They take care of the paperwork, help with decedent body preparations, and ensure you are emotionally and mentally well-taken care of during difficult time.

What is Proper Etiquette for a Funeral or Memorial Service?

Funeral services are respectful and courteous. You SHOULD use a formal tone and friendly demeanor to interact with others during funerary services. Here are some things you SHOULD NOT do at a funeral.

· DO NOT speak ill of the dead.

· DO NOT raise your voice, be rambunctious, or make obnoxious jokes at the expense of others.

· DO NOT make a funeral about you. Narcissism isn’t a good look during a funeral.

· DO NOT start familial fights or hash out problems in loud, aggressive manners.

Funeral homes have a knack for putting comfort and care of their guests before anything else. Ergo, you can make requests in ways that you feel would help you grieve, and funeral directors will strive to do their best to accommodate your specific mourning process.

You can learn more about funeral homes in Matthews, NC. Talk to us at Heritage Funeral and Cremation Services to schedule a consultation and learn more about cremation services/funeral home services. Visit our offices in North Carolina or call one of our locations.