When we lose a loved one, we are often dealing with an immense amount of emotions. In most instances we are not emotionally set to deal with the loss of a loved one. This is truly the purpose of a wake or a funeral. They serve as a way to gather, remember the deceased, and hopefully try to find a bit of closure. While they may not serve that purpose for everyone, it is often the first step in the grieving process.
So to understand the purpose of wakes and funerals, you should probably know the differences between the two. A wake (sometimes referred to as “calling hours”) is a more unstructured time where friends and family of the deceased come to pay their respects one last time, and in many cases to view the deceased before they are buried. The funeral home of your choosing will have the space necessary to house as many people as necessary.
A wake also serves as a way for you to say goodbye to your loved one, or your friend. More times than not, this will be the last time their physical body is in the light, and it will allow you to try to begin the grieving process.
There is no cookie cutter process to how one should grieve, and if you find that you are struggling more than others, you should definitely seek out professional help. There is no shame or embarrassment that should come from seeking out a professional to help you grieve. Mental health is nothing to take lightly, and we will try our best to accommodate you.
A funeral is a more structured event that takes place, generally the day following the wake. This is more of a ceremony, in which there are speakers (religious officials, family, etc) involved. When the service is over, there is typically a burial involved, this could depend on the religion as well but often a service will be escorted to the cemetery where the deceased will finally rest.
While many people are able to come to terms with losing a loved one, many entrust the funeral home to help them begin the process of moving on. The funeral home you choose should be accommodating and understanding of the situation that you are in and be able to ease any of the headache or burden of figuring the details of the funeral and the wake.
If you have any questions or have recently lost a loved one, we welcome you with open arms, and will do all within our power to make sure that your loved one has a proper send off, all catered to how you would like the services to go.