Should You Have Video at Funerals?
Many families and friends question the use of videos at funerals. While most of us are familiar with tribute videos at funeral services, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of having a videographer record the funeral service. However, recording a funeral is acceptable, and it can be very beneficial to family members and friends.
Is It OK to Film a Funeral?
The shortest answer is, yes. Of course, before going ahead and hiring a video crew to film the entire funeral service, it is best to consult with close family members to make sure everyone agrees with it. It is not unusual to have a family member that might feel uncomfortable with recording such an intimate occasion. Some families also find a professional photographer for funeral services to capture the many emotions and moments throughout the funeral.
3 Reasons to Record a Funeral Service
Recording a funeral service can have more benefits than most people think. And in the end, it captures a significant moment in your family’s life, not to mention it serves as a way to remember your deceased loved one. If you still need to find reasons to explain to your family why you should record the funeral service, continue reading.
1. Share It with Family and Friends
In today’s world, not everyone lives close to home. That means we all have family members and friends scattered all over the world. A funeral video is a way to make those far away included in the funeral. It is also a way to save the moment for those who couldn’t attend due to emotional distress, shock, travel restrictions, illness, schedule, or any other obstacle.
2. Preserve the Memories
Of course, you want to preserve the happy memories you have of your loved ones. But, during a funeral service, it is very likely friends, and family will share beautiful memories, testimonials, and more beautiful words you’ll want to remember.
A funeral video can help you preserve those memories, to share it with younger family members that might not remember the funeral service. Also, it is likely that during a funeral service you may exit the room, for plenty of reasons such as overwhelming emotions, if you needed a minute to breathe, or maybe you had to take care of a child. When you exit the room, you may miss important moments of the service that you wished you experienced. The funeral video can help you revive those missed moments.
3. Ease the Healing Process
At first, it may be impossible for you to re-watch your loved one’s funeral. When the time is right, you can turn back to the funeral video to remember how much your loved one was appreciated, the positive impact they had on others’ lives. Revisiting these beautiful memories can help you assimilate your loss and help with your mourning process.
What about Life-Streaming a Funeral Service?
Besides having a videographer, some families are also choosing to live-stream funeral services. Streaming a funeral service helps those who couldn’t attend feel more involved with the funeral. Even though they can’t be physically present at the funeral, being able to experience what’s happening live makes them feel connected to their passed loved ones and family members.
At The Gardens our funeral home is equipped to allow video and have the ability to live-stream a funeral service. A funeral video can be a way to capture your loved ones’ memory and your family’s testimonials.
Hosting an Online Memorial Service
Families and friends are spread all over the world these days, but when a loved one dies, friends from afar don’t always get the same chance to attend a memorial service or funeral for a friend, so an online memorial service has become a common option.
7 Simple Steps for Hosting an Online Memorial Service
There are several different types of online memorial services, but here are some simple steps to creating one for your loved one.
1. Decide Where to Host the Online Memorial
There are many sites that host memorial services, including social media sites you are already familiar with, like Facebook. Where you should create the tribute depends on what you’d like to do and how big the project is going to be. Most people choose to notify Facebook of a user’s death, and turn their timeline into a memorial page. There’s also a Facebook application called Evertalk, which allows you to upload photos and more information, including a way to ask for donations for medical or funeral costs. Afternote.com and 1000memories.com are also sites worth considering.
2. Write Some Text as a Tribute
Just like you would for a traditional funeral and obituary, gather all the relevant data about the person, and post it on the site. Consider posting a thoughtful poem or a favorite story about your friend that helps serve as a eulogy and a beginning to the memorial site.
3. Post Images and Videos
Post pictures of family members and friends with your lost loved one through the years. If you have videos you can upload, consider sharing those as well. You might be able to go through their social media posts and pull out some great quotes that they’ve made through the years to post, also.
4. Make the Memorial Interactive
One important feature is to make sure others can post their own stories, pictures and videos, too. This allows the site to become a true online memorial service that shows a bigger picture of how the person affected others in the world.
5. Invite Loved Ones and Friends
Get the message out there to your family members and friends and try to reach out to the friends of the deceased to let them know about the site, so they can interact with it and help build it. Ask them to post their memories and pictures, too.
6. Share Your Online Memorial Service
Post links to your memorial on your social media pages and ask others to do the same. It’s quite possible that there are people your loved one affected that you didn’t even know, who might see the link and visit.
7. Ask How You Can Improve It
Talk with people to see if there are ways you can improve the site or if there are things you can change to make it better represent your friend. Getting feedback is a great way to truly make this an online service that everyone can enjoy.
Including Family
There are times when family and friends are unable to make it to their lost loved one’s funeral, whether it be because of money, timing or logistics. But, just because they can’t attend in person, doesn’t mean they want to be left out of the service. So how can you help those from far away still feel included?
Luckily, there are several things people can do to remain involved in the funeral service despite living far away.
3 Ways to Help Those Living Far Away Feel Included in the Funeral
Far-away friends and relatives might not be able to attend in person, but you can still help them feel included.
1. Ask Your Funeral Director If They Have Live Streaming Capability
A place like The Gardens of Boca Raton Cemetery & Funeral Services in South Florida will soon be offering live streaming for the families that have funerals in new chapel. Being able to watch the funeral in real time helps those that live far away feel the same sentiment and emotion as those that could be in attendance. This will give everyone, including those that are in attendance, a sense of unity, and it will make those unable to attend feel much better about their inability to get to the funeral in person.
Talk with your funeral home director to see what you need to live stream the funeral. If they aren’t set up for it, and you want to do it yourself, you’ll need a webcam, a powerful computer and a website like Ustream.tv or Facebook to stream the funeral service to.
2. Ask Long-Distance Family/Friends for Photographs
Since this particular set of family members and friends are far away, it’s very possible they have some photographs of the deceased that you’ve never seen. Ask them to email them to you so you can display them on a table during or after the service. Including those who aren’t there in images allows those in attendance to remember all those who loved the deceased.
3. Ask Long-Distance Family/Friends for Stories To Share
Another great way to keep long-distance friends connected to the funeral service is to ask them for some brief, poignant stories about their lost loved one. You can either have them typed up and displayed on a table at the memorial service, or you can read them out loud during the funeral.
The Gardens of Boca Raton Cemetery & Funeral Services holds funerals in the South Florida area and has been a landmark in the community for years. If you need help with an online memorial service for a South Florida funeral, talk with the people at The Gardens at (561) 989-9190.
