Choosing The Right Funeral Home

Arranging A Funeral: How To Accommodate A Large Crowd Of Mourners

20 September 2016

Derek Murphy

Arranging a funeral can be complicated, particularly if you expect a lot of people to be in attendance. With the right planning and some help from your funeral director, you can ensure everyone has the opportunity to pay their respects while still creating a touching ceremony for the dearly departed. Here are a few options you can use when planning a large funeral.

Allow For A Full Day Of Visitation

While not everyone will want to attend the actual funeral service, many people may want to attend the viewing. Instead of having a viewing for a few hours immediately before the funeral service, arrange to have a full day of visitation the day before. This is also an excellent idea if you are planning on having a private funeral service that will only be open to immediate family.

Live-Stream The Services

If the church or funeral home you are holding the funeral at can't accommodate all of the expected mourners, arrange to have the services live-streamed at a secondary location. This could mean having a large monitor available in a second room in the funeral home or in the church's basement. Your funeral director can arrange to set up cameras and the appropriate internet connection to air the services at the secondary location.

Select Ushers For The Service

You don't have to have a funeral at a church to have ushers. You can select family members to serve as ushers, or your funeral home may offer usher services as part of the funeral package. Your ushers can pass out programs and help direct people to available seating areas. While ushers are helpful at most funerals, they can serve as much-needed crowd control at larger events. The ushers can direct people who will be watching the streaming service mentioned above, and they can also ensure that family members get preferred seating toward the front of the room.

Rent Limo Buses

If you are expecting a large number of people to attend the funeral and graveside services, you may want to avoid having a long line of cars travel from the funeral home to the cemetery. You can work with a local limousine company to rent several limo buses, which can accommodate a large number of passengers. This will help to reduce the time it takes for everyone to leave the funeral home parking lot, as everyone can simply board one of the buses. Be sure to reserve a traditional limousine for the close family members so they can have a bit of privacy during the procession. Work with your funeral home director to make sure you have enough room for all the people you expect to attend your loved one's funeral, and use these ideas to make sure everyone has a chance to bid their final farewells.

For more information, contact local professionals like Maddox Funeral Home, Inc.

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