Monthly Archives: July 2022

funeral homes in Eatonville WA

Steps For Planning A Reception For Funeral Home Services

Final services at funeral homes in Eatonville, WA have certain traditions and ceremonies to them. They are somber and revolve around the grieving process. They can often be cathartic as most people know what to expect and can get a sense of closure from them. But they don’t often allow family time to chat and catch up. Many people plan a reception to take place after the funeral so family can eat together, share stories, talk about life in general, and maybe even take a few pictures together. Here are some steps to take in planning that part of the service.

Set A Budget For The Reception

Just as you would for the funeral, you want to have a budget in place for the reception. It’s nice to know what you have available to spend so you can rule some things out and consider other options as you move forward. The budget might tell you that you can’t cater it, but you could afford a private room in a restaurant, or something of that nature.

Determine A Location

You are going to need a location for the reception. Churches often have fellowship areas and perhaps if you have the funeral at the church, you can have the reception there as well. Area restaurants can be good options, as can community centers. You might also have something in a family home to make everyone feel welcome. Think about how many are coming and what you can afford and go from there.

Figure The Menu

The menu can be something elaborate, or something on the simple side. It doesn’t have to be huge in order to serve its purpose. You can do something easy, like sandwich and veggie trays along with bags of chips and cookies. You could also do a buffet, a potluck, or something in a restaurant where everyone orders whatever they want.

Decide Who’s Invited

Sometimes, the family will want to invite anyone who attended the funeral to proceed on to the reception once the burial portion of the service is complete. However, if you open the funeral to the public, you might want to have just the family at the reception to keep things less expensive, more intimate, and comfortable for those who were closest to your loved one. Who is invited is completely up to you.

If you are trying to figure out what you want to do for your loved one’s reception after their final services, keep in mind that the professionals at funeral homes in Eatonville, WA are there to help you with ideas and options, even for this portion of the process. They have connections to restaurants, caterers, and venues around the area and can offer you suggestions that might help you get the right option ready for your family to enjoy. Let them know what you want for the funeral and they can implement it for you to take that part of the planning off your plate as well.

funeral homes in Lakewood, WA

Knowing More About Celebrations Of Life

The first concern you have when a loved one passes on is which one of the funeral homes in Lakewood, WA you are going to use for their final services because you want to ensure their needs are met. If you choose cremation services, you need a cremation package and that is going to include everything your loved one has to have. Once the cremation takes place, you can do whatever you want for your loved one on any time frame you have in mind. It can help you to figure out what kind of service you want for them if you know more about the service styles. Life celebrations are becoming more popular. What are they and are they right for your loved one?

Life Celebrations—The Basic Details

Once a cremation service is complete, the family can have any type of memorial they want, if they want to do so. Life celebrations are one memorial style that celebrates a life well-lived instead of mourning the sadness around their death. People will do something active, share memories, go over the good times, have a great meal, or something else of that nature. These services are generally a lot more casual than funerals and even standard memorial services. They can be whatever you want, but are going to be more light-hearted in general.

Event Locations

Life celebrations, like other memorial services, can be held wherever you want. Some people have them at the funeral home, and that’s always a nice place because you have professional help in implementing the plans you want to put into place. You can also have them at your family church. You can also have the event outside, in a park, at a family home, in a bowling alley, or anywhere else you feel is fitting for the process.

What To Do At The Event

Life celebrations are customized to your liking and to the personality of your loved one. You can do whatever you want, as long as you feel it would be honoring to them and perhaps would feature something they loved. For the avid golfer, you might have a golf tournament, or even a mini-golf challenge with family. For the foodie, you might have a huge meal with different dishes from all over the place. You can also do something simple, like gather family together for games and to share stories about your loved one.

Costs That Go Into Life Celebrationsfuneral homes in Lakewood, WA

Since life celebrations are so varied, they can cost whatever you have available to spend on them. If you rent a venue, that will cost. You might have to pay for a sound system, seating, food, or activities, among other things. But you can also have something in a public park and have people bring food and you don’t have to pay anything at all. You can honor your loved one in a nice way on any budget.

If you want more information on life celebrations, funeral homes in Lakewood, WA are here to help.

cremation services in Lakewood, WA

Outdoor Memorial Services After Cremation—Take Some Advice

If you have decided on cremation services in Lakewood, WA for someone in your family who has passed on, you are taking care of their needs in a respectful manner. But you might want to have a memorial service for them after the cremation is complete so you can allow your family to honor them and grieve together. There are lots of things you can do and locations you can consider. If you would like to have an outdoor service, here are some things to think through.

The Style You Want For The Service

Memorials can be anything you want them to be. Some people want to have something that feels like a funeral and has certain traditions and ceremonies involved in it. Others want to do something casual or even more of a life celebration party. The service style and feel is completely up to you, but you will want to decide as it can make a difference where you have the service.

Think About Outdoor Location Options

There are many location options you can consider for an outdoor memorial service. Again, part of it will depend on what you want to do an part of it will depend on how many people you are having. You might have something on a soccer field, which is a nice, big open space. You could book a picnic shelter in a park for a potluck meal and some yard games. You could even do something at a family home with an open garage and yard space. There are more formal settings as well. You might book a location that sometimes does weddings or graduation parties to have something with beauty and perhaps more privacy.

Consider The Weather Conditions

One thing that is always going to be a concern with an outdoor service is the weather. What is it going to do? You only know that a day or so in advance, if even then. You can guess what’s normal for that time of the year. Will it be hot and you will want shade and water stations for your guests? Will it be cold and you might want to pass out hand warmers or limit the amount of time for the service? Weather can also change quickly and you might see rain, storms, wind, or other such elements.

Make Alternative Plans

Since you don’t know for sure what the weather will do, it’s often prudent to make backup plans in case you need them. Those plans might include a backup indoor location so you can movecremation services in Lakewood, WAcremation services in Lakewood, WA the services if rain pops up. Or, it might mean an alternative date that might have better weather in case you are rained out of what you want to do on the first date.

One good thing about cremation services in Lakewood, WA is that there’s no time limit on the memorial services you have afterwards. You can wait until the weather will more likely be nice and you can move the services around, even at the last minute.

cremation services in Eatonville, WA

Cremation Services Denote Grief—You Can Help Your Friend

You may have been through the grieving process yourself at some point, so you know it’s never an easy thing to go through. That gives you even more sympathy for a friend of yours when you hear they have lost a loved one and are having cremation services in Eatonville, WA for them. While the grief you felt in the past is different than what your friend is going through because everyone grieves differently, you are still going to want to reach out to them and help in some way. Here are some things you can do that can make your friend feel your support during this hard time.

Send A Grief Package

You can send gifts to people in your life for no reason at all, for holidays, birthdays, or for any other occasion. But there are special grief care package ideas that you might put together for them during this especially hard time. You could send them a box of tea bags you know they like, add in a gift card to their favorite restaurant, and then stick in a new book that just came out from an author they admire. The idea behind the package is to show that you care in a customized way. You can choose whatever you’d like to put in it.

Deliver Food To The Family

Everyone needs to eat and when people grieve, it can be hard for them to think ahead far enough to meet their own needs in that way. They might not be eating properly and that’s the last thing they need to get through the grieving process. You might deliver a home cooked meal to the family or healthy snacks they can leave out for people to munch on between meals. You can also order a meal from a restaurant and have it delivered at the right time.

Shop For Items They Need

Every household runs out of things and if your friend has family staying with them around the final services, they are going to go through more necessities than normal. Shop for things like toilet paper, tissues, dish soap, hand soap, shampoos, and other things you know they are going to be needing at some point. It’s just one more thing they don’t have to do when they are planning and grieving.

Offer Assistance With Pets And/Or Kidscremation services in Eatonville, WA

If your friend has children and/or pets in the house, that’s one more stressor on them right now. You might offer to help with some of those duties to take the pressure off of them. Ask if their dog needs a walk in the morning when you take your own pet. Offer to take their cat into your home for the time being so they don’t have to worry about family that might be allergic, or the pet getting out when people are going in and out of the house. You could ask if the kids would like an afternoon at the park to give them a break, or take them for ice cream.

When you hear about cremation services in Eatonville, WA for a friend’s loved one, reach out to help.