Memorial service
One of twenty-three terms in the resource centre
A memorial service is a gathering held in memory of the person who has died, without the coffin present. It can take place days or months after the death, in a church, a hall, a garden or a home, and it can be as formal or as informal as the family wants.
Families hold one when the funeral was small or far away, when the person was cremated without a service, or when people who could not travel for the funeral want to gather later. A memorial service usually has a eulogy, readings or music, and often a book for people to sign. With ashes present it can end with a scattering or an interment.
After a direct cremation, a memorial service is what many families choose in place of a funeral. The ashes are back with the family within a few weeks, and the gathering can be held wherever and whenever suits them.
Read next
How to plan one, where to hold it and whether you need a celebrant is in planning a memorial service after a direct cremation. Saying goodbye without a funeral at all is in saying goodbye when there is no funeral to attend.
Related terms: Eulogy and Cremation. Every term, explained.
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