If you will be using a funeral home's webcast service to attend this event 'virtually' because you cannot be there in person, you might find this advice useful.
Make sure you have more than one way to access the internet during the funeral
In order to access the funeral home's live webcast of the funeral service, you will need internet access. It is best to ensure that you have more than one way to do this. For example, if you normally use your home's wifi, you might also want to ensure that you have enough data on your smartphone. This will ensure that if your router malfunctions, you can quickly switch to using your phone's data to watch the webcast and won't miss out on being (virtually) present for this sad but important occasion.
It's especially vital to do this if there is any particular recitation or performance within the funeral service that is extremely important to you and that you would be devastated if you missed (such as, for example, your son delivering the eulogy or your sibling singing a particular hymn that meant a lot to the deceased). If your connection is disrupted and you don't have any other way to access the internet, those who are supposed to recite or perform these pieces might have to wait for you to come back online before they can do this. This could hold up the rest of the service.
Consider using your device's screen-recording feature
If the device you'll be using to access the funeral webcast has a screen-recording feature, you might want to use this during the webcast. The reason for this is as follows: there will probably be many meaningful and heartfelt moments during the funeral that you may want to remember. If, for example, the person giving the eulogy says several beautiful and bittersweet things about the deceased or if the deceased's family members perform a religious piece of music, you might want to be able to capture this so that you can look back on it on those days when you are desperately missing the person who died.
Whilst it would be disruptive and rude to take out your smartphone and start recording a funeral if you were physically present, it should be fine to use a screen-record feature (as long as everyone who will be speaking or performing at the funeral is aware of it and agrees to you doing this), as all you need to do is press a button on your device. As such, the recording process will not interrupt the service. Even if the funeral home provides access to a recording of the webcast after it's finished, using your own recording feature will mean that you can pick and choose the parts of the funeral you want to capture.
Share30 December 2020
Irving Berlin famously sang, "The song is ended, but the melody lingers on..." Anyone who has been in charge of funeral arrangements knows the importance of striking the delicate balance between reverence and celebration which helps us remember the true heart of a person. We admire incredible examples of funerals that faithfully commemorate a person's life such as those for Nelson Mandela and Joan Rivers. Unfortunately, funerals for our own loved ones often end up being generic or "cookie cutter" because sadness overwhelms us. This blog is designed to help by outlining the ways that funeral directors can personalise a service and providing imaginative ideas.