When planning a memorial service you need to make sure that you take into account all the considerations from the family members of the deceased. As they will be moved by the loss of their loved one they will not be able to arrange it on their own, so you need to support them and make sure that the service goes smoothly.
This can be really hard to do especially if the family members are too moved by the death. However, you need to make sure that you communicate and ask them how they want the service to be. Get the guidelines from the family members and plan according to it. Work on the plan that will let everybody to express their grief while also celebrating the life of their loved one. Even when writing the obituary work with the family members and take time to reflect the most important aspects from the life of the deceased. During this time you might come across unexpected costs so don’t be shy to inform the family about it. For example, you might have to order extra chairs to ensure that everyone has space to sit. Make sure whatever you do is something family members can afford otherwise you might have to bear it on your own. A good thing is to write everything down, especially all the payments made that way you could simply show it to the family and get your cash back.
You might have to speak to the funeral directors in order to arrange the service depending on the respective religion of the deceased. Different religions have different ways of mourning. For example, Muslims bury the body within a day itself but the mourning goes on for three days and on the third day the family members of deceased organize a lunch where close relatives and friends are supposed to attend. They invite people very subtly by informing them personally about it. When it comes to informing the death of the deceased you could simply forward a Whatsapp message which will then spread on its own.
This is easier said than done because it can be really hard to stay positive during such a tragic event. However, you need to be strong for the family members so make sure that you talk about only positive and happy memories of the deceased. Also, avoid asking any questions from the family about the deceased such as “what happened?” and “how did the person die”, especially on the day of the funeral. Give the family members some time to gain some strength both physically and emotionally and let them open up on their own. Try to have a personalized ceremony for example if there was a particular flower which deceased loved the most then you could bury it with the body.
Lastly, stick around the family till they all recover from the death of their loved one. You could help them with simple daily chores and give them company so they will have someone to share things about and a shoulder to cry on