It’s often a popular custom to host a reception after a funeral service. It presents an opportunity for people to pay their respects to the family of the deceased. When you have a reception, it makes the time with the funeral guests special and gives everyone time and space to reminisce about the departed.
If you’ve never planned a funeral reception before, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll give you all the pointers you need to put together a special funeral reception.
Checklist for planning a funeral reception
If you’re planning a reception after a funeral, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend a fortune on the venue, drinks and food. The occasion should be more focused on exchanging fond memories of the departed and spending quality time together, rather than on the event’s luxuries. Let’s take a look at how to organize the perfect funeral reception.
Choose where the reception will be held
Funeral receptions are similar to funeral repasts in that they can be held in private venues such as close family members’ homes or at venues such as parks or local restaurants. The venue should be somewhere where all those in attendance feel at ease. It’s also often appropriate to have the reception at a venue that holds sentimental value to the departed or the family of the departed.
Home-based funeral receptions are more appropriate for more intimate gatherings and smaller groups of people. If you’re organizing the reception, you should only host the funeral at your home if you are completely at ease with the idea. Hosting can be overwhelming, so make sure you speak to your funeral director about possible alternatives if you feel home receptions would be too much.
You can also enquire about facilities at a funeral home as many of these have space available for funeral receptions. They will also be able to help with the organization of the event.
Choose the time of the reception
The time of the reception depends on what time the funeral is. A funeral in the morning will typically have a reception in the afternoon, where you will be able to serve small plates with lunch items on them. However, if the funeral service is in the afternoon, it’s quite common to have an evening reception.
It is also common practice to host a funeral reception or repast a few days after the funeral has taken place. As the reception organizer, this is entirely up to you. If you’re not entirely sure, your funeral director will be able to offer you guidance on the best time to host a funeral reception.
Decide who will be invited and create invitations
The funeral reception does not have to be for everyone who attended the funeral. In fact, you are in complete control of who is invited to the funeral reception. Of course, you can invite all funeral attendees to the reception, in which case it’s more than appropriate to announce the reception and where it will be held on the day of the funeral.
If, however, you would prefer to have a more intimate event at the funeral reception, it’s best to send out individual invitations. These can be done digitally or through the post. It’s common practice to send emails with special designs, or even text messages in today’s technological world.
There are some important points of information to include in the invitations so that people know where to be and when to be there. When creating the funeral reception invitations, make sure you include:
- The location of the funeral reception
- The time the funeral reception will be taking place
- The date on which the funeral reception will take place
- Contact details for RSVP purposes
Make sure people let you know whether or not they will be attending the reception after the funeral, as this will determine how many refreshments you will need to order for the day.
Decide on the refreshments
There are several options when it comes to serving refreshments at an after-funeral reception. Like a funeral repass or repast, it’s quite common practice to ask your guests to bring a small plate each to contribute to the food for the overall event.
However, you will also be able to order catering for the reception depending on how many people will be in attendance. You will also have to take into consideration certain dietary requirements for guests or inform them of the meal plan beforehand so that they can be prepared.
As for drinks, it’s common practice to serve tea and coffee. Depending on the funeral traditions and the atmosphere you wish to create, it may be appropriate to offer guests beer and wine. If you’re not sure of what to provide your guests with at a funeral reception, your funeral director will be able to point you in the right direction.
Personalize the event
The important thing to remember when organizing an after-funeral reception is that it is a time to celebrate the life of a loved one. For this reason, a funeral and a funeral reception should be a deeply personal event.
To get inspiration for personalizing the funeral reception, think about things that the deceased loved one enjoyed or that meant a lot to them. For example, the departed may have loved a certain game or a certain type of food. It will be special to integrate these aspects into the funeral reception.
You can also create a welcoming atmosphere by paying attention to the decor and the seating layouts. Try to create areas where people can sit and talk as this will promote conversation about fond memories of the departed.
Pay respects to the deceased
A funeral reception is also a place where you and the guests can pay your respects to the deceased’s family and friends. Guests may want to bring cards and gifts. You should provide guidance on what is appropriate to bring to the funeral reception. It’s also common practice to have photos of the deceased on display at the reception.
