The Day of the Funeral

On the Day

We have limousines to take family and friends to the funeral service safely and on time. We will ensure your loved one has been prepared in accordance with your wishes, before carefully transferring their coffin or casket into one of our hearses. If you have chosen a floral tribute, flowers or a portrait of your loved one for the funeral, these may also be placed inside the hearse. Our Funeral Directors will check all routes to ensure you arrive at the service on time and we will provide sufficient bearers who will respectfully bring the coffin into the church or crematorium just before the beginning of the service.

Funeral Procession

The funeral procession usually begins at the home of the deceased, although you may opt for an alternative location if you prefer. We will arrive in plenty of time, allowing you to view any flowers and floral tributes before the procession departs for the service. You'll need to arrange for family members and friends travelling in the limousines, or those wishing to follow the procession, to arrive at your home or the location where the procession will start. This ensures that everyone is ready to depart for the funeral service promptly.

You also have the option to select a specific route for the procession, perhaps including places of personal significance or locations that hold cherished memories.

When it's time to leave, we will escort you and your family to the limousines and make sure you have everything you need for the service. Upon reaching the church or crematorium, they will once again lead the cortege on foot.

Arriving at the Church or Crematorium

We will take care of every detail in advance, from any music you've requested to the order of service sheets. We will liaise with the person conducting the service and meet with the chapel attendants to ensure that all arrangements are in place. If neccessary, we will provide a sufficient number of bearers, ensuring they escort the coffin with the utmost dignity and respect. Should you select your own bearers, we will oversee these arrangements and ensure everything proceeds smoothly. We will typically lead you into the church or crematorium, walking either ahead of or behind the coffin before it is placed on a platform known as a catafalque. We will make sure that all guests have arrived before the funeral service begins.

The Funeral Ceremony

The order of the funeral ceremony will be completely up to you, though please keep in mind that there may be a time limit at the venue you have chosen. The service may include funeral music, funeral hymns, prayers, funeral poems and readings from family and close friends.

The funeral ceremony can be held at a religious venue or at a crematorium which provides a chapel for you to use. 

Your Funeral Director may stand just outside or at the back of the church or crematorium during the service. Once the service has finished, you will be taken over to where flowers and floral tributes have been laid, before escorting you and your family to the committal service, if you are having one. 

Committal Service

Whether your loved one is buried or cremated, you may wish to have a committal service after the main funeral service.The committal service may be held at the same location as the service which proceeded it.

If it is being held at a different location, we will escort you and your family back to your limousines and the coffin or casket will be carefully placed back in the hearse. Your Funeral Director will walk with you if the cemetery or crematorium is close by. 

 

Cremation

At a cremation, you may wish to hold the main service at a religious venue and then have a shorter committal service at the crematorium afterwards, though both may take place at the crematorium if you wish. During a committal, there may be a closing of curtains.

 

Burial

At a burial, the committal service typically takes place at the graveside of your loved one and may include prayers and readings. When you are ready to say goodbye to the deceased, the coffin or casket is lowered into the ground. You may scatter soil onto the coffin or place flowers into the grave as it is lowered.

When the committal service concludes, we will give you enough time to place floral tributes next to the grave or in the crematorium's garden of remembrance and pay your final respects. You will have time to speak to guests outside before being escorted back to your limousines when you are ready to leave for the wake or reception, if one has been organised.

The Wake or Funeral Reception

You may wish to hold a wake or funeral reception after the funeral service. A wake often celebrates the life of the deceased and is typically less formal than the ceremony which precedes it. If you are unsure of where to hold the wake, your Funeral Director will be able to provide of list of local venues which you may wish to choose from.

Following the funeral service, our caring professionals will drive you and your family to the chosen venue. We suggest including details of the wake and directions to the venue on the order of service sheets which are handed out to guests. We will answer any final questions you may have before leaving, allowing you to gather with family and friends for some refreshments.