Good for you. You reached out to a family who is holding final services at funeral homes in Baltimore, MD for a loved one and you offered to plan the reception for them. That can mean a lot to families in mourning. It’s one less task they have to take on themselves. As a friend of the family, it’s very special that you are doing this for them. But after you make the offer, you might wonder how you are going to pull it off. Here are a few tips to help you get things pulled together in a seamless manner.
Tip 1: Find Out The Numbers
One thing you are going to need to know as upfront as possible is how many people will attend. You will need at least a ballpark figure. If the service is to be small and intimate, you can do certain things with the reception that you can’t do if the service is open to the public and more people are expected. A lot of details will revolve around the basic numbers so it’s important to know them as soon as possible in the planning process.
Tip 2: Set A Budget
The family may offer to pay for the reception and if that is the case, they will give you the funds to use for the services. If you are going to fund it yourself in honor of the person who passed away, that’s nice as well. Either way, you need to have a budget in mind so you can work within those parameters and not overspend beyond what you can afford.
Tip 3: Ask For Requests
The family may tell you to do whatever you please and that’s nice. But it’s a good idea to ask them if they have any requests. Perhaps they have a member with gluten allergies. It’s nice to have options for that person. Maybe the loved one who passed away loved nothing more than a certain dessert. IF you can have that present, that’s a nice tip as well. Work the requests in and then plan the rest around them.
Tip 4: Find A Venue
If the funeral is being held at a church, it might be easy to use their fellowship hall as the venue. Otherwise, check into community centers and other locations to get the space you need. Once you have a venue, you can plan out decorations, tables, and other such things.
There might be quite a bit of work that goes into reception after services at funeral homes in Baltimore, MD, but you can also keep things simple, depending on what you want to do. Either way, offering this to the family in mourning is very nice and something they will never forget. If you need help with the planning process, the professionals at Hari P. Close Funeral Service, P.A. can give you ideas, tips, and suggestions for getting things lined up just right for the family going through the funeral services for their loved one.
