What Is The Difference Between A Funeral And A Memorial?

The death of a loved one is one of the worst experiences anyone can have in their life. It can be exceedingly difficult to plan their after-death arrangements if they have not detailed them for you, since you are grieving and on top of this trauma, there are so many options, such as deciding between a funeral and a memorial. Both a funeral and a memorial offer closure of different sorts, depending on what would be best for you and your loved ones. 

Many people do not realize that while a funeral and a memorial have similar components, they are not the same. Here is what you need to know about the differences between a funeral and a memorial to help you determine which one would offer the most meaning and closure for you and your loved ones.

What A Funeral Consists Of

A funeral and a memorial are very similar and have many different options, in order for you to determine which would be best to honor your deceased loved one’s memory and offer the most healing. Funerals are often influenced by the culture and/or religion of your deceased loved one and your family. 

Funerals include the casket with your deceased loved one’s body or the urn with their ashes if they wished to be cremated. If you decide or your loved one designated that they wanted a casket at their funeral, they can be either open so that those present can see their body or closed if seeing their body would be too upsetting.

Since funerals include the remains of your loved one, they often include the burial service, although in some cases, you may decide to have a funeral and then have a cremation at a later date. As funerals involve your loved one’s body, they generally take place within a week of death.

What A Memorial Consists Of

A memorial has many of the same components of a funeral, but without the remains of your loved one present. There are times where this isn’t the case, and people may decide to have the urn with their loved one’s ashes present at a memorial. However, memorials do not have caskets. While funerals are moreso meant for people to reflect on your loved one’s life and the impact they had on their own and people generally just observe, memorials typically offer a means for every guest to participate in some manner.

As memorials rarely include your loved one’s remains, many who choose between a funeral and a memorial and decide on memorial have the service weeks or months after their loved one’s passing. There are times where arranging a funeral feels very fast and overwhelming and too much too soon. People increasingly decide on memorials because they have more time to make arrangements and to come to terms with their grief. If your family is spread out and need time to make travel arrangements, when deciding between a funeral and a memorial, a memorial may be the better option, as it allows for more flexibility.

Funeral Services

Funeral services can be quite different, depending on your culture, your religion, and whether you have one that is casual or one that is more formal or more unique. When planning a funeral, as they most often include burial services, you will need to determine what burial method you wish to go with, if your loved one has not detailed how they wish to be buried. The type of burial that you decide on can influence the funeral service. 

Memorial Services

While there is a difference between a funeral and a memorial, memorial services can be held in conjunction with funerals. Memorial services can be more formal and somber, or they may be more like a celebration of life, which celebrates the memory of your loved one rather than mourning their passing. Memorials give you the chance to really think about how you wish to honor your loved one’s memory that a funeral does not really give you the time to.

Russon Mortuary & Crematory offers funeral and memorial services. We know how traumatic the passing of a loved one can be and how difficult it can be to decide between a funeral and a memorial or both. Our experts can guide you through the decision-making process with utmost compassion and understanding. We want to ease the burden of planning as much as possible to help offer as much support during this time as possible. Contact us today for more information about how we can help you honor your loved one and decide what to do after their passing.