Family Hour 101

If you are attending a viewing or a funeral for a friend who has passed, one term you may hear is “family hour”. If you are not familiar with this term you may not know if you should attend this portion of the event. This is understandable as you want to make sure you are showing respect for the family. To help you know more about family hour, what it is and who should attend, providers of cremation services Longview, TX explain what it is in more detail. 

In most circumstances, family hour refers to the time before the funeral, visitation, wake, or other service that the family gathers around, views the body and offers support to one another. This is a private family only event and is done before the service is open to the public.  

However, in other cases family hour may refer to the time that guests can come and visit with the family, offer their condolences, and express their sympathy. For example, the invitation or notice may state something like: 

“Family hour is from 3pm to 4pm, with the visitation from 4pm to 7 pm”

Most times, you will know if you are expected to be a guest at the family hour. As a general rule, if you were notified about the family hour details, you should do you best to attend. If the details were published in the obituary or other location and you are not sure if you should attend or not, it is entirely appropriate to ask.

If the family hour is being held immediately prior to the funeral, you want to wear something that is also appropriate for the funeral. This means black or darker colored clothing as well as outfits that lean on the conservative, dressier side. Imagine you are attending a Sunday morning church service and dress for that occasion.  

If the family hour is being held prior to a viewing or wake, you can typically wear clothes that are a bit more casual. Nice jeans can be worn as long as they are not frayed or torn in anyway. Make sure to stay away from leggings or other athletic wear.

Just as with funerals and other services, family hour has some etiquette rules you should always follow. One is to make sure you give the immediate family the time and space they need. Do not attend family hour unless you were invited.  

If you are a family member who is attending, make sure you show up on time. This will ensure you have the time you want and need to grieve before other visitors start to arrive. Also, make sure to leave nay drama at home. We know that not all families may get along with one another, but family hour is not the time to being up any arguments.  

If you need more information about family hour or how it works with cremation services Longview, TX, we are happy to answer any questions you have.