Having to organise a funeral reception isn’t
a task that anyone would wish to do. At a time of grief, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed
when you suddenly have to plan an event. Everyone’s family has their own way of
doing things, and the wishes of the deceased must also be respected. If you are
unsure where to even begin when it comes to planning this, we hope that this
guide can help you to get everything sorted in a quick and stress-free way.
What Type of Wake Reception Are You Having?
This is the most important question you have
to ask yourself. You will need to take into consideration the wishes and
traditions of family, as well as any wishes the deceased may have communicated
previously. Wakes can be broadly split into two main types, private and public.
A private wake is where only immediate family and friends attend, and people
are usually personally invited. This is a small affair and can happen either in
the family home or at an outside venue. It might be immediately after the
funeral or a few hours later. A public wake is open to anyone who attended the
funeral and gives them a chance to talk to the family, give their condolences,
and also celebrate the person’s life. If you are having a public wake
reception, it’s important that you print where it will be in the death notice.
There may be some that can’t make the funeral service, or for whatever reason
choose to only go to the wake. Notices can be put out in local newspapers but
are also increasingly found online so that people who live further away have
easy access to all the relevant information.
Where Are you Having the Reception?
Venue will be the next thing that you will
need to consider. Depending on how many people you are expecting, you may need
to hire out a sizable venue to accommodate everyone. Many wakes happen in
church halls, but they aren’t to everyone’s liking and so hotels and even pubs
are also popular choices of venue. While numbers will help you to decide,
knowing whether you are going to serve food or have any entertainment can also
affect your venue choice. Wake receptions are now much more common as a way to
celebrate a person’s life rather than mourning them. Depending on your needs,
you are sure to be able to find a wake reception venue for hire in London that
will suit the type of event you wish to hold.
Are You Serving Food?
This will all depend on preferences and
family traditions. At some wake receptions, everyone provides food themselves,
with attendees bringing plates of sandwiches and deserts for everyone to share.
There are venues who won’t allow this however so it’s not as common if you are
hosting outside of the home. Other wakes will provide food in a buffet style
for people to grab and snack on while talking to the people they know. Still
others organise a sit-down meal at the hotel they are hosting from. This is a
more formal affair but also allows members of the family to say a few words and
thank everyone for attending. If you are looking to serve food of any type,
talk first with your venue. They may cater in-house which means that there’s
one less thing for you to worry about. This is the best course of action if you
require food. When looking for venues, enquire if they can also cater so you can
go down this route.
Can You Have Entertainment at a Wake
Reception?
The answer is yes. You can have anything that
you feel is appropriate to have. This may be musicians, a slideshow of pictures,
or even people taking to a mic and telling their favourite stories of the
deceased. Anything is permitted. Many people now wish for their funeral to be a
celebration of life, and so encourage entertainment and laughter. Depending on
your culture, having a drink at a wake reception will also be part of this as a
toast to the memory of the deceased. Wakes no longer need to be a sombre
affair, and so if you feel that you would like songs to be played and stories
shared, then you should go ahead and organise this entertainment. There may be
some who are surprised, but everyone will soon get into the spirit of the event.
Other Ideas to Remember the Deceased
If you are looking to do something to memorialise
the deceased at the funeral reception, then there are lots of ideas out there
that allow the guests to get involved. These include having a memory jar, tree,
or book where people can write down their favourite moments and things that
they learnt from the person. This is a great memento for the family to have and
seeing how loved their family member was can greatly help with the grieving
process. If you are playing music, have a list of the deceased favourite songs
as well. You can also decorate the venue with photographs of the person and
items of special significance to them. This all can help to lift the mood and
make the event once that is more focused on remembrance than on sorrow.
No matter what type of reception you go
for, be it private or public, in a sports hall or in a hotel, it’s always going
to be a difficult thing to have to organise. The main things to remember is to
consider not what other people expect, but what you and other family members
want from the day. Perhaps you’ve been left instructions from the deceased to
follow? If this is the case, then honour them by following their final wishes
and giving them the wake reception that they envisioned.
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