A funeral term to describe a type of graveside ceremony held to honor the dead, similar to a funeral or memorial service
The purpose of a graveside service is to allow mourners time to pay their respects to the recently departed before the body is interred (see internment for more information).
Graveside services often follow funerals but may also be organized as an independent event. One considers various factors upon choosing to hold a graveside service by itself instead of having a funeral or combining the two, including a budget, location, conflicting schedules, or differing religious affiliations.
It is easiest to think of a graveyard service as a stripped-down version of a funeral or a ceremony without all the features and luxuries usually afforded at a funeral.
Some examples of luxuries would be live music, a projector set up for video and photo slideshows, and floral arrangements. Features such as eulogies and prayers may be shortened or, in some cases, omitted to save time. Additionally, a funeral is held in a place of worship (e.g., a temple or church). In contrast, as the name implies, a graveside service takes place next to the designated gravesite of the deceased.
Finally, there is no need for a pallbearing procession (in which the coffin/casket is transported from the initial venue to the gravesite) since the coffin/casket will already be in the grave at the graveside service.
