How Can You Keep A Funeral As Private As Possible?

How can you ensure that a loved one's funeral is a private affair? And while you're considering that, you might also think about why some funeral services should in fact be a private affair. There are several reasons why a funeral should be as private as possible, and at the same time, there are numerous ways to ensure that the funeral remains private.

Unwanted Guests

For the most part, a private funeral is intended to keep unwanted guests from attending. There are those who might intend to show up, even if you and other family members don't feel it's appropriate. These might be family members and friends who had a problematic relationship with the deceased, and it can be that these people won't be welcome. You can guarantee that your loved one wouldn't have wanted them there, and you might not either. You're under no obligation to invite anyone whose attendance is inappropriate, but how can you actually prevent them from coming?

Death Notices

While it was once commonplace to print an obituary in the local paper, this is not something that now happens automatically. If an obituary is to be printed, this can have the drawback of acting as an open invitation to the funeral. You can always print the obituary after the funeral, but if it should be printed prior to the service, no details of the service should be included. You should also liaise with the funeral home, to make sure that they haven't listed the service anywhere (such as on their website). This at least ensures that any unwelcome guests won't be able to easily learn the details of the service.

Controlling the Guest List

Limiting or delaying any death announcement won't always be sufficient to keep unwanted guests away. The guest list should be controlled. Draw up a list of people to be invited, and inform them individually. This can be with a phone call, email, text message, or even a printed invitation. However they're informed, you must clearly state that nobody else is to be invited without your express permission. No matter how diligent you are, there's always the chance of one of these unwanted guests learning about the funeral, and wanting to come regardless.

You might receive some awkward phone calls or messages from those who wish to come but haven't been invited. You should simply state that the service is deliberately being limited to close family and friends, and won't be a large affair. Whether or not they accept this reasoning is debatable, but always remember that you're under no obligation to invite someone whose attendance is inappropriate.

For more information about holding funeral services, contact a local funeral home, like Union Funeral Home-Lytwyn & Lytwyn.

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