The Benefits Of Having A Smaller Funeral

Whilst a smaller funeral may suit some families who would prefer a more intimate gathering, for others the limit on numbers set during the pandemic presented a devastating blow, particularly when close friends and family members aren’t able to attend. If you are looking to have a smaller funeral there are many benefits and if you do want to continue to extend that further to a wider audience there are ways you can expand the occasion to anyone not able to attend in person.

Creating an intimate occasion

One of the biggest benefits of putting on a small funeral is how intimate the occasion can be for your family. Indeed, you can still include all the traditional formalities of a traditional funeral, however, there is much more informality and intimacy in knowing that those attending are the people who were closest to the lost loved one. This can be a much more comforting way to orchestrate the celebration of life and make families much more comfortable when dealing with their grief during the occasion.

Providing a sense of privacy

Something many families find comforting is the greater sense of privacy for you to grieve and opportunity to say goodbye to your loved one openly and honestly that smaller funerals provide. Of course, the camaraderie of larger funerals can offer a source of strength to grieving loved ones, though it may be more difficult to express your emotions properly in the way you would like in front of a larger crowd. Holding a more intimate service will provide you with the space you may need to express yourself comfortably and say goodbye without concern about any emotions that may naturally come to you.

Offering more flexibility

Despite Covid-19 limiting certain funeral choices, it has created a much larger sense of flexibility and choice for smaller funerals. The choices available for large funerals are usually pinpointed by how many people are attending, and you may find some of your choices are limited due to the size of your attendance. These issues would be eliminated for smaller funerals, and you will likely have a wider choice on availability for the different types of funerals you can arrange, the venues you want, and the type of wake you can put on.

A more affordable choice

Did you know that the average price of a funeral in the UK costing around £3500 – £4500? Funerals are becoming an increasingly expensive occasions, although many funeral costs aren’t dictated by the size of the funeral, holding a smaller funeral is the most cost-effective option. This is particularly true if you are holding a wake – a small private wake will mean that venue hire and catering costs can be kept to a minimum and you aren’t overwhelmed with catering for large numbers of people. Whilst not everyone can attend the service in person, there are several ways for people who can’t attend the funeral to say goodbye to a loved one. Here are just some of the options available to you.

Live-streaming

Since the Covid-19 restrictions came into effect, many people are now choosing to film or live-stream the funeral of a loved one. Large numbers of crematoriums and places of worship now offer facilities to live-stream the service via an online platform so that people can attend the funeral from the comfort of their homes. Alternatively some families are choosing to hire a videographer to film the service and send it to anyone who wasn’t able to attend on the day.

Memorial service

Sometimes it’s not possible for all family members and friends to attend the funeral, so many families choose to host a memorial service at a more convenient date to accommodate that and allow people to pay their respects collectively. Memorial services’ sole focus is on celebrating a person’s life, allowing family and friends the opportunity to remember the deceased together, share stories and comfort one another, this can assist with creating a heartfelt experience for those that were not able to attend the original funeral service.