Should the funeral be an intimate or grand affair?
The funeral can be as elaborate or as intimate as families choose. It is important to remember that funerals are for the living and sometimes family members are faced with the dichotomy of adhering to a parent’s wish to have either a private service or even no service, despite those who are left feeling the need to have those closest to them around them to support them in their grief. Sometimes a person leaving such an instruction does so, thinking they are making it easier for their relatives, but often it creates other problems. An example is where a family is instructed not to place a notice until after the funeral service, but on the other hand, there may be people who have had a friendship with the deceased and the person making funeral arrangements is not aware of them.
At the end of the day, whether the funeral is an intimate one, or a grand scale production, is a decision made by the person authorized to make arrangements, generally the executor of a person’s will or their next of kin.