FIORE-BUCKLEY FUNERAL HOME
                                             236 Monmouth Road
                                                                   Oakhurst, Ocean Township, NJ 07755
         Phone: 732-531-3885
or: 732-775-2455
           Fax: 732-531-5583
Fiore Funeral Home in New Jersey - Logo
FIORE FUNERAL HOME
882 Broadway
West Long Branch, NJ 07764
Phone: 732-229-8855
Fred Fiore, Jr. - Manager
NJ License Number 3759
Fax: 732-531-5583

Memorial Service Information

Memorial Services

What is a Memorial Service?

Unlike a traditional funeral, a memorial service is a gathering where a casket is not present (although the urn with the cremated remains may be on display). A memorial service can be held in a church, the funeral home, community hall, or somewhere of importance to the deceased and family. 

A memorial service is a ceremony that honors and pays tribute to the deceased after the body has been cared for. A memorial service has the meaning of any other type of funeral service; honor the deceased. It is very common for a memorial service to take place weeks or even months after the death has occurred.

Memorial Service vs Funeral

The biggest difference between a traditional funeral and a memorial service is that the body is not present at a memorial service. However, an urn with the deceased's ashes may be present at a memorial service. Both a traditional funeral service and memorial service have structure, and both bring the community together in support and remembrance. The main difference between the two is that a traditional funeral service is a much more structured and formal event. A traditional funeral service is often associated with religion so it is often led by a member of clergy, whereas a memorial service is led by a celebrant or master of ceremonies. Memorial services often allow each guest to participate to some level, where guests of a traditional funeral are there to simply observe and reflect.
A celebration of life is an event that celebrates your loved one’s passions, intellectual pursuits, personality, and personal accomplishments. A celebration of life can have no structure at all and can really be anything you want, the possibilities are endless.
 
A memorial service could be best described as a perfect mix of a traditional funeral and celebration of life. A memorial service is somewhat structured, but also allows the flexibility to make the ceremony unique and personalized, to fit the individual being honored. The mood generally lies somewhere in between somber and celebratory.
Fiore Funeral Home memorial services

Why Choose a Memorial Service


We find that the most common reason people choose a memorial service because they want the extra time to plan a more meaningful ceremony. Since a memorial service can take place after the body has been buried or cremated, there is no rush to organize a service. Many families are not emotionally ready to have a ceremony immediately following the passing – They need time to grieve. Family and friends that live far away can also use this time to organize their schedule to travel for the memorial service.

Those who are not religious often choose to have a memorial service as rather than a traditional funeral because traditional funerals tend to be more associated with religion.

Memorial services are often cheaper than a traditional funeral

For some people memorial services serve as the perfect compromise between a celebration of life and traditional funeral service.

Some find celebrations of life do not pay enough attention to the deceased and are solely a party

Use of a Civil Celebrant

It is common for memorial services to be led by celebrants. A celebrant is a someone that has been trained to conduct formal ceremonies, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals. They are not considered clergy; rather experienced masters-of-ceremony and story-tellers. A celebrant works closely with the family to create a ceremony in which reflects the beliefs, cultural background, values and aspirations of your loved one, and your family. If you think you would be best served by a celebrant, please speak with your funeral director.
west long branch memorial services

Places to Hold a Memorial Service

There is a lot of flexibility when it comes to a memorial service location, especially since the body will not be present. Some families choose to hold memorial services at beaches, community centers, parks, restaurants, banquet halls, or at a family members home. For some that want to incorporate some religious facets it is best choose a place of worship. Keep mind that you want a space/location that can hold a large group of people and that has the amenities for any of the features you have planned. For example, if you want a photo slideshow, choosing the beach as your location would not be ideal.  

Memorial Service Ideas

Memorial Service Ideas

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