Etiquette for Funerals

Collecting accurate information is the first step in planning an obituary. Consult documents to ensure that you have correct spellings of names and places and that you have accurate times for...

You just read a newspaper obituary for someone you knew. Here is how to write a note of condolence to his or her surviving loved ones.

Sending flowers to a funeral home to pay tribute to a departed friend or relative is a time-honored tradition. Some people, however, feel the need to express their condolences in different ways,...

Whether you are attending the funeral or not, funeral flowers are always appropriate and appreciated. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when sending funeral flowers.

Funerals are conducted for two primary reasons, the first being to commemorate the life of the deceased. The second reason is to give family, friends and acquaintances the chance to pay a tribute...

Handling the death of a loved one is something none of us look forward to in life. The passing of a friend or family member can affect us emotionally for years after the funeral. Finding free...

Sympathy cards are always difficult to write, but a card can provide comfort to those who have suffered a loss. With a little guidance, you can write a heartfelt bereavement card that expresses...

Figuring how to help someone deal with the death of a loved one can be frustrating. You may be left feeling helpless and lost yourself, not knowing what to do about your friend's grief. Everyone...

When someone dies, sympathy flowers are typically sent to the funeral home or church where the memorial service will take place. However, many of these same arrangements end up going home with...

Comforting a grieving person can be hard at times. You may feel as if you don't know the right thing to say or do to offer sympathy in the appropriate manner. Many people choose to express their...

Funerals are seldom easy. The emotions and grief that one goes through can push almost all thoughts of etiquette aside. Yet eventually there comes a time when you will want to thank those who sent...

Some day you may be called upon to write a eulogy for a friend or relative. Writing a eulogy is a wonderful thing, but it carries some pressure. If you knew the deceased person well your emotions...

When someone dies, it is natural to want to reach out to that person's loved ones to show how much you care. Traditional memorial gifts include flowers, plants and donations in honor of the...

No matter how death comes, whether it was long, drawn out and excruciating, or a devastating quick shock, the finality of death hangs like an unwanted cloak. It is inevitable, inescapable and...

Having a terminally ill parent can be a very trying, sad and emotional time for all that are involved. The need to care for our loved ones before their passing can be hard to deal with on so many...

When loved ones die, survivors are typically inundated with a barrage of sympathy cards and funeral flowers. As with most life events, there are codes and rules for what is proper and what isn't....

Sending flowers to a funeral is a traditional way to show your respects and offer sympathy to the family of the person they have lost. However, there are also some nontraditional gifts that can be...

A condolence card or a sympathy card is a powerful way to show someone that you care during a particularly difficult time or after the death of a loved one. A heart felt sympathy or condolence...

If a friend or acquaintance or someone else close to you has lost someone, it is important to recognize that loss with a sympathy or funeral card. Even though it can be difficult to write cards...

When a friend or loved one loses someone close to them, it's difficult to know the appropriate way to express condolences or sympathy. The biggest mistake many people make is to do nothing, or...

Everyone dreads getting that call where you find out that someone you know and care about or someone else's loved one has passed. Many people are so preoccupied with their own feelings of grief...

Whatever the circumstances, death is always difficult to face and receiving flowers in sympathy of your loss is a comfort. Sending a thank you card is the traditional method for acknowledging the...

Death is a hard subject for many people to deal with. It can be especially difficult as a manager to deal with an employee who has had a death in her family. What do you say? What do you do? How...

It's common in many cultures to send sympathy flowers to the bereaved family when a loved one has passed away. There are many theories regarding the origin of sympathy flowers. Some speculate it's...

Losing a loved one is never easy, but one of the ways we cope is by sending the survivors a card in which we express our sympathies. This can be a harrowing card to write, as you don't want to...

The telephone rings, and the news is not good. Somehow we are able to dig deep and find the strength to rise to the occasion. Whether it’s a friend or family member who has just found themselves...

The Flag Code is outlined in Title 4 of the United States Federal Code. In cases of a funeral, the code outlines how an American flag should be draped upon a casket and the requirements under...

Because performing funerals is an expected part of a pastor's job, especially for church members, the general consensus is that tipping is not necessary. However, tipping a pastor for speaking at...

Going to a funeral is never an easy or happy thing to do. Dressing appropriately for the service is very important because it shows respect for the deceased and for the other loved ones attending...

Funerals are one of our most important, yet difficult cultural rituals. If you've experienced a loss, you know firsthand what a comfort it can be to have a circle of support during that time. If...

Sympathy thank-you notes are generally sent to people who helped with the service including pallbearers, clergy members, and anyone who did a reading. They are also sent to anyone who helped with...

Families often desire to fulfill the request for Veteran’s burial honors that a loved one is entitled to receive. While some are familiar with the process and immediately know how to go about...

When a close friend or associate passes away, it can be difficult and even awkward to know what to say to the grieving loved ones. For some people, it is easier to express their condolences in a...

Sympathy cards are sent to the bereaved to express our condolences on the loss of their loved one. It can be extremely difficult to compose an appropriate message of sympathy. Everyone grieves...

Grieving is a personal process. Everyone grieves differently; every death is a different situation. It can be very difficult to express our condolences to the bereaved. Traditionally, we send...

You can express your gratitude to those who supported you during the loss of a loved one with a brief thank you note. Pre-printed cards are now considered acceptable; the rule used to be that a...

Funerals are, by their very nature, very stressful times, but they can bring out the best in the family and community. Kindnesses that are bestowed upon the dearly departed's family should be...

While a funeral is an awful time for the family it is important to express gratitude to those who took the tme to attend the funeral of your loved one. Write thank you cards for a funeral to show...

When a sad event happens to a friend, loved one, or acquaintance, it helps to write sympathy cards to express your regret at their loss. While not fun, writing sympathy cards is rather simple.

While it comes at a challenging time, writing thank you cards after a funeral is more of a time consuming task than a difficult one.

A handmade sympathy card expresses the deepest feelings of its creator on behalf of the deceased, and is designed to empathize and sympathize with the bereaved. Unlike a sympathy card that has...

There is a strict etiquette for displaying an American flag over the casket of a patriot. There are certain people eligible to be accorded that honor. Before considering this, learn how to place...

When someone you know, whether a close friend or a casual acquaintance, loses a loved one, it's difficult to know what to say. The truth is, there is probably nothing you can say to your friend...

Sometimes life hands us unexpected challenges, and other times it's our friends who are in crisis and we're trying to figure out how to help. Flowers and cards are lovely, but close friends have...

If you need to write sympathy card for someone you don't know all that well, it can feel really difficult to do--you're probably staring at a blank page with no idea how to get...

Finding out if a relative is dead can be a tricky situation. On the one hand, you want to know so you can honor that person in your own way. Sometimes, families are OK discussing the details. But...

Funerals and wakes are all about the deceased and their closest family members. You (other relatives, friends, and acquaintances of the deceased and his or her family) are there to show respect,...

It is often hard to know what to say when a friend, co-worker or loved one loses someone close to them. While buying a well-meant sympathy card is one way to help express your condolences, you...

Sooner or later all children will have to come to grips with the fact of life we call death. Many parents are conflicted with how to approach the situation. This article is gonna give a few tips...

Grief is a process with no time limit or prescription that people must go through after the death of a loved one. Discover how to deal with grief after death with tips from a hospice community...