Let’s face it. No one wants to attend a funeral. A funeral service is an acknowledgment that someone has died, and it can be hard to accept that death is a part of the circle of life. While you would no doubt before to be doing other things than sitting in a church pew for a funeral service, there will be times when you need to support to a friend or colleague who has lost someone. In those cases, you’ll want to know how to behave and what to do before heading to the Byron, IL funeral home and cremation facility where the service will take place.

So that you’re not left feeling out of sorts during a funeral service held to remember the dead and to comfort the living, here are some etiquette tips to keep in mind.

Avoid Attracting Unnecessary Attention at Byron, IL Cremation or Funeral Home Service

The first thing to remember is that you want to be supportive of your friend or colleague and their grieving family. But one way you to derail this goal is to bring unnecessary attention to yourself. There are many ways that you can attract an undue amount of attention – and one key way is your choice of clothing. You don’t have to wear all black to the service, even though that has been a custom for generations, but you also don’t want to dress in loud colors. If what you want to wear would be suitable at a job interview, then you’re probably good to go.

Another thing to consider is whether your very presence at the funeral service would be a distraction. In other words, if there are hard feeling between you and members of the grieving family or if you and the deceased had a difficult relationship, you might want to weigh if your presence at the funeral service, memorial service, or cremation with a service would be beneficial or not. Yes, it’s always best to put aside grievances and to come together when anyone experiences a loss. So try your best to resolve any conflicts that might make you a distraction. This might mean skipping the event and maybe sending a condolence card instead.

Be Careful Where You Sit

It’s customary for the first few rows to be reserved for the grieving family and close friends of the deceased. Usually, this area will be properly roped off so that only those for whom the seats are reserved actually gets access to those particular seats. If you haven’t specifically been invited to sit in the area reserved for grieving family and close friends, don’t assume that it’s okay for you to sit there anyway. It’s best to sit elsewhere and to later be asked to join those in the reserved area than to sit in the reserved area uninvited – only to be told later that you have to vacate your seat so that someone else can sit there instead.

Get There On Time

It’s best to get to the Byron, IL cremation or funeral home service on time. Arriving 15 minutes or so before the event gets underway is a good idea. It will give you an opportunity to convey your condolences and to find a seat before the service starts. Of course, there are times when, despite your best efforts, you might not get somewhere as early as you would have liked. If you get there late, try to find a seat near the back so as to avoid causing a distraction. What you don’t want is for there to be an awkward pause simply because you’ve arrived late and have caused a bit of a disturbance.

Turn Off Your Phone

Remember to turn off your phone so that you don’t unwittingly cause any unnecessary disturbance. It’s best to switch it off or to select the vibrate function before you enter the facility so that you don’t forget to do it when you get there. You don’t want to be the person whose phone rings while the eulogy is being delivered.