Funeral services, in contrast to memorial services, are ceremonies with casketed remains present. Families choose the type of service they want based on a number of different factors. Oftentimes, families will opt for a funeral service over another type of ceremony based on:

• Personal preferences and ideas regarding the timing of the ceremony and disposition/presentation of remains, as well as the perception of healing and necessary steps to take for personal mourning.
• Family tradition, enabling families to uphold long-held traditions and honor life in a way that feels more comfortable and familiar.
• Religious or ethnic traditions to opt for a funeral service with the body present, commonly seen in Roman Catholicism and other Christian denominations.

For many families, it is important to have their loved one’s casketed remains present for the service to gain closure and promote healing, enabling them to more effectively accept the reality of death. For others, however, a memorial service — which often occurs later and does not have the body present — or celebration of life feels a more appropriate ceremony for their own personal grieving and healing process.