Monthly Archives: April 2022

How to Drive in a Funeral Procession

If you have been invited to a funeral service for a close friend or family member, you may have to drive in the funeral procession after the services. If you have never had to do this before, it may cause a little anxiety. Although this isn’t something you are probably familiar with, if you follow a few rules and tips, you will be able to join in the procession with no problem. Whether it’s driving from funeral homes in South Bend, IN.. or any other location, knowing these tips will help you drive with confidence.

What is a Funeral Procession?

The funeral procession consists of the vehicles of the family and guests driving to the burial site after the funeral services. It begins at the location where the services took place and will end at the place of the burial.

What is the Order of the Vehicles?

The procession typically begins with lead car that is either a vehicle from the funeral home or a police car. This signifies the beginning of the procession for other drivers on the road. This lead car will be followed by the hearse. Next will be the car or cars that hold the immediate family. These are often black sedans or limousines.

The cars that follow will be the other friends and guests of the deceased. At the end of the procession you will find a car from the funeral home or police car signifying the end of the procession.

How Do I Know Where My Place Is?

When you arrive at the location for the funeral services, attendants will park your car in line in the order of arrival. If you are driving in the procession, it is a good idea to arrive about 45 minutes early and make sure to let the attendants know you are participating in the procession.

Rules of the Road

Once the services are over the procession will begin. A few important things to know when driving are:

You will be driving slowly. Most of the time you will be going just about 25-30mph on less busy roads and no more than about 50mph on highways.
Stay close to the car in front of you. Typically when you drive you want about two car lengths in between you and the car in front of you. Not in a procession. Stay very close to the car in front of you so that you do not allow room for other drivers to cut in who are not in the procession.
Stay with the procession at all times. If the car in front of you goes through a yellow light and it turns red when you get to it, go through it. This may feel strange but the procession has the right of way and often police have stopped other traffic to make sure you can stay together.
You may notice other drivers on the road that are not in the procession pulling over and stopping. This is a sign to show respect and give the procession the right of way.

While driving in a funeral procession can seem intimidating at first, if you follow these simple tips and know a little what to expect, you will much more comfortable with the process. Whether you are driving in a procession from funeral homes in South Bend, IN., or any other location you will be able to drive with confidence. Contact us now to see some package selection.

How to Send Out Sympathy Thank You Cards

We may be used to writing thank you notes when it comes to receiving a nice gift for our birthday, wedding, or other special occasion. However, writing thank you cards after a loved one’s cremation services in Rolling Prairie, IN., is something we most likely don’t think about.

Sometimes called acknowledgment cards, funeral thank you cards, or bereavement cards, these sympathy thank you cards are sent out after cremations, memorial services, and funerals.

Although you certainly don’t have to send out cards, it is a wonderful way to show gratitude to those who offered their support and condolences to you and your family. If you haven’t had to do this before, you may have some questions about the proper etiquette as well as what you should write in the card. In this article, we will cover these questions and more.

When Should the Cards Be Mailed?

It is best to have the cards mailed out a few weeks after the funeral. However, if you have many cards to write or have other things to take care of first, most people will understand if the cards get out later than that. Don’t let the thought of “too much time has passed” stop you from sending the cards out. Even if it’s a little late, the receiver of the note will still appreciate the token of gratitude just the same.

What to Say in a Funeral Thank You Card?

Deciding what to write inside the cards can be the biggest obstacle when it comes to completing this task. Don’t worry about writing anything too profound or too long. Examples of things you could write are:

Thank you for your support during this difficult time.
We appreciate your sympathy and kindness.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
We are grateful for friends like you in our difficult time.

How to Sign Funeral Thank You Cards?

When it comes to signing your name, if you are writing these on behalf of the family, you can add something like, “the family of …”. If the card is from just you and for a close friend, signing your first name is fine. However, if you do not know the person very well, such as a coworker of the deceased, then adding your last name or the deceased’s name is a good idea.

Tips to Tackle the Task

If you have a lot of cards to write it may feel overwhelming and even can stop you from starting at all. To help with this, break your list up into smaller, more manageable lists. Each day just focus on one of the smaller lists. Before you know it, all the cards will be done.

You can also reach out to other family members and see if they can help. Even if they can’t do a big portion of the cards, any that they can do will help. Just remember these don’t all have to be done in one day. You have already been through a lot with your loved one’s cremation services in Rolling Prairie, IN., and nobody will upset if the cards arrive a little late. Contact us our staff is ready to help and pre arrangements need.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a funeral Thank you card?
Funeral thank you cards express gratitude to people who attended the funeral service, sent flowers, or donated in memory of the deceased. They can also be sent to anyone who provided support during the difficult time.

What are funeral sympathy cards?
Funeral sympathy cards are a way to express your condolences to the family of the deceased. They may include an expression of sympathy, a prayer, or a message of hope and support.

Are Funeral Thank you Cards and sympathy cards the same?
Funeral thank you cards are not the same as sympathy cards. Sympathy cards are sent to express condolences, while thank you cards are sent to express gratitude for the kindness shown to the bereaved.

How to Create a Tribute DVD for Your Loved One’s Memorial Service

When planning services for your loved one’s funeral, many funeral homes in Rolling Prairie, IN. will have an option for a DVD tribute to be made at played at the service. Whether you or the funeral home creates this tribute DVD, it is a wonderful addition to any service. To help you make the most of this special tribute we are going to go over some things you can include to make the video truly special and personalized for your loved one.

Photographs for the Video

Photographs are going to make up the bulk of the video. How many photographs you will need will depend on the length of the video as well as if you display one photo at a time, or sometimes several as a collage.

However many you decide, these photos should show your loved one at various stages of their life. The pictures can highlight important events and/or memories as well as show them with their friends and relatives. They can even start with childhood and work their way up in chronological order.

You can also take pictures of memorabilia such as trophies, awards, any collections they had, or anything else they loved and includes those in the tribute. This is a great way to really show their personality and make it that much more personal.

Videos for the Tribute

Video is another element you can use in your DVD. This adds a break from showing just still images and can make the tribute more visually appealing. Ways to incorporate video could be:

Have friends or family members record a short message about the deceased and what they loved about them
Ask family members to record themselves sharing a special or funny memory of the loved one
Using any appropriate videos that the deceased recorded themselves that could be found on their phone or computer

Written Content

Other than the imagery of photographs and videos, written content can be used as well. Things like poems, passages, song lyrics, lines from books, quotes, and more can all be a lovely addition.

Soundtrack Selection

You will want to have a song playing on the video while the photographs are being shown. This song could be a specific song that has meaning to you, your loved one, or your family, or could be more of a general background song with just nice soft music.

How to Make the Video Tribute

If you choose to create the video tribute yourself, there are several applications and websites that can help you with the process. While some of these applications can be a little tricky to learn at first, once you learn them the process goes pretty quickly.

If you are unsure about how to create the DVD or don’t feel comfortable trying to learn new software, you can always turn to another family member to help or ask the funeral home. Most funeral homes in Rolling Prairie, IN. will have the ability to create the DVD for you and all you will need to do is supply them with the content.

What Is a Cremation Tattoo?

If you are looking for a permanent and unconventional way to keep your loved one with you after they pass, consider a cremation tattoo. While this option is certainly not for everyone, it is actually growing in popularity. If you would like to know more about this option after your loved one’s cremation services in Michigan City, IN., keep reading for everything you need to know about this unusual option.

What is a Cremation Tattoo?

A cremation tattoo is a tattoo that actually infuses some of the loved one’s ashes with the ink that will be used. The ink is then added to the tattoo gun and applied to the skin the same way a regular tattoo is applied. So instead of only having ink in the skin, the person receiving the tattoo will also have a little bit of the deceased’s remains in their skin as well.

Why Choose a Cremation Tattoo?

Many people around the world love tattoos and they are becoming more widely accepted every day. For a long time people have gotten memorial tattoos of loved ones who have passed. These designs have varied from actual portraits of the loved one, to a rose or other flower with the loved one’s name included. These cremation tattoos are just taking this idea of a memorial tattoo to the next level.

Is a Cremation Tattoo Safe?

You may have concerns about the safety of the remains in the ink, but a cremation tattoo is actually very safe. With the remains being cremated at a very high temperature, this reduces any risk for infection. One thing to keep in mind is that once you have the ashes, they need to be handled in a manner that is safe and promotes them being in a sterile environment when being mixed with the ink. Luckily, most reputable tattoo artists are vigilant when it comes to safety measures. If you would like an added layer of safety, it is suggested to find a tattoo artist that has done this process before and is familiar with it.

Will It Heal and Look Like a Regular Tattoo?

Your cremation tattoo is created with mostly tattoo ink and just a little bit of ashes so it should look just like a regular tattoo when healed. You will also take care of it the same way as it heals and it should heal like a regular tattoo as well.

How to Find a Cremation Tattoo Artist

Normally you won’t find a lot of results with an internet search for cremation tattoo artist in your area as some tattoo artists will do them and others will not. If you already have a tattoo artist, the best thing to do is reach out to them and see if they offer this service. If they do not, you can ask them for recommendations on who might.

You can also call your local tattoo shops and see if they offer the service. Before getting the tattoo it is always a good idea to look at the artist’s portfolio of other work to make sure you are both on the same page as far as design.

While getting a cremation tattoo after your loved one’s cremation services in Michigan City, IN., isn’t for everyone, it can be a wonderful choice for some. It’s a way to have a visual memory of your loved one as well as a little bit of them close with you always, get a pre-arrangement now.