Have you ever been to a Reading, PA cremation service before? If not, you may not know what to expect if you get invited to one when a friend loses a loved one. You want to be prepared so you aren’t nervous about it. Your friend has enough going on without worrying about you, right? Here are some tips to help you prepare for the cremation service you are about to attend.

Read Up On Cremation

You’ve likely been to funerals before, but cremation services can be different. They can also be very similar. Read up about the different types of cremation services so you know what various things to expect. The memorial service could feel a lot like a funeral or it could be more light-hearted and more of a celebration of life. The more you understand about the options, the better off you’ll be when the day arrives.

Talk To A Funeral Home

Funeral home staff members are experts in the field and they understand you don’t know nearly as much about cremation as they do. They are happy to talk to you about the process and what you can expect as a cremation service. They want to help people put together final services, but they also want to help you support your friend in any way you can.

Find Out The Service Style

If there’s an easy way you can find out what the cremation service’s style will be, you should do so. With any luck, it will be evident from the obituary or however you received your invitation. Perhaps your friend called and invited you to the ‘celebration of life’ or maybe they called it a funeral, which says a lot about what will happen as well. If you aren’t sure what you are walking into, ask your friend, if you feel comfortable, or contact someone more distant in the family to find out. You want to wear the proper clothing, bring the proper gift, and act in an appropriate manner all the way around, which you can only do if you know what that manner is.

Think About Memories

If you knew the person who passed on, think about them and prepare some memories about them that you could share with your friend. You may not do so at the service, as there will be a lot of other things going on. But you might also get the opportunity and you want to be ready with something meaningful if you have something to share.

If you still don’t feel ready to visit your friend at the Reading, PA cremation service for their loved one, contact Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home, Inc. by calling (610) 374-0962. We’ll walk you through the details so you understand as much as you need to know about the process. You can also visit us in person at 444 N 9th St, Reading, PA 19601. And please do keep us in mind if you ever have a need for final services for your own family or if you want to pre-plan your own services.