Individual graveside service arrangements can vary considerably. With most religions, when a graveside service follows a memorial at a church or funeral home, the period at the burial site is often a time for prayer and a brief committal of the deceased's remains by a priest, minister or rabbi. Depending on the request of the family, or by arrangements made by the deceased, the entire funeral service could take place at the graveside. In this case, no memorial or funeral service is scheduled at another location, except for a visitation.
With a graveside service after a funeral or memorial at another location, the funeral procession arrives at the prepared burial site. Pallbearers carry the casket of the deceased to the already opened grave, followed by the immediate family and other mourners. The priest, rabbi, or minister addresses the mourners and asks that those gathered pray for the deceased and their family. After the prayer, a hymn may be sung, while the casket is lowered into the grave. Family or close friends often choose to shovel a small amount of dirt into the grave.
For a complete graveside memorial service, the funeral home arranges for the casket with the deceased's remains to be waiting at the cemetery. The family and mourners arrive at a scheduled time. Pallbearers carry the casket from the hearse to the already prepared gravesite, with family members and other mourners following. Often for a longer service, chairs are set out for the mourners and possibly an overhead canopy.
Once the group of mourners are seated, the memorial service takes place, following the wishes of the deceased or their family and according to prescribed religious rites. This may involve a scripture reading, graveside messages by the minister and family members and the singing of hymns. A blessing is asked by the officiating minister or rabbi. Immediate family members can place flowers onto the casket, then while the gathered mourners pray, the deceased's casket is lowered into the grave.
How graveside services take place are personal decisions involving the wishes of the deceased and their family. On some occasions, a graveside burial service is as simple as family members gathering at a chosen site with the cremated remains of their loved one. At this private service, a family member places the cremation urn into an already opened grave, while a silent or spoken prayer is offered by the family.
