Preparing Your Home for Visitors After a Funeral

It is a custom to hold a reception after a funeral for which people try to prepare their homes. Some may clean their house or decorate it with pictures of the deceased. Others may arrange for serving food for an informal meetup of friends and family members who gather along to recall the memories of the lost loved one. The after-funeral reception offers mourners the opportunity to console, support each other, and share memories and stories. People usually hold post-funeral receptions to fulfill their religious customs or social norms.

A post-funeral reception is also called a “repast.” The practice of the religious customs of post-funeral reception, historically, included sharing a meal with close family and friends. Today you would see the tradition of engaging with comparatively larger gatherings. However, some people still prefer to invite their closest friends and family members for a meal after the funeral.

Whether you engage a small or a wider gathering, you are to prepare the house according to the needs of the occasion. You must ensure a few things while preparing your home for visitors after a funeral for which you must do some planning. All you need to do is keep the purpose in mind and dress the home accordingly. Here are some tips to prepare a house for a post-funeral reception!

Things to consider while planning a post-funeral reception

There are certain things that you must consider while planning an after-funeral gathering. Here are the most important ones. Let’s check them out!

Make sure you personalize the event

You must dress your home for a post-funeral gathering by making the reception personal with the use of photos and memorabilia. You can include the memories of the loved one in the form of a collection of their favorite photos. You can also share some of the life events that were dear to them. It could be memories of college life, convocation, visits to favorite places, and more.

Ask for assistance in planning and execution

It is never awkward to ask for help when you, being a family member, ask for help, especially for an occasion like this. It is a time when the close ones are the most aggrieved and this is where the support of friends and family is needed the most. So, feel free to seek it.

Include comfort plants in your home

You must include comfort plants in your home while preparing it for a post-funeral gathering. You can also present comfort plants to others that the deceased knew. The comfort plants last a lot longer than flowers, which makes them a good gift to bring someone. You can find a variety from some very professional sellers of comfort plants online.

Keep it simple

A post-funeral gathering is an event where everyone gathers to console each other. This makes it different from other occasions and gatherings. For this, you don’t need to overburden yourself with unnecessary details and full-course meals. You must keep it as simple as it can be. All you need to ensure is the purpose of the gathering, which is to share memories of your loved one over the table of a meal.

Choose a location that is special to the deceased.

You must either choose a location that suits you the most or is special to the deceased. Normally, people choose to arrange these gatherings at home. You can prepare your home according to the requirements of the event and can make necessary changes according to it. It is easier for you to manage it at home and the visitors also find it less difficult to approach the venue. They feel good to be in the place where the deceased used to live.

Respect the will of the deceased one!

It is the most important thing to consider while arranging a post-funeral gathering of your loved one. You must respect his or her will while deciding on the location, guests, or more. It would make them happier in the other world if you respect their will and execute the plan as per their wishes if they had any. Make sure you give importance to what the person whose life you are rejoicing would have wanted.

The Bottom Line

When you are preparing for an after-funeral gathering in your home, there are no hard and fast rules to follow. You must feel free to arrange the reception on your own terms. You can always reach out for help from your friends, family, or professional service providers who can prepare the house or venue for the funeral reception according to your requirements and the wishes of the deceased.