Locations for a Funeral Reception or Wake

Why Hold a Funeral Reception or Wake?

The main purpose of a gathering after a funeral is to provide mourners with an opportunity to spend time together, share memories and support each other. Things to consider are the number of people that you are expecting, convenience of the location, together with your budget.

You may wish to host it at home, or there may be a special or meaningful place such as a favourite local pub or hotel.

Where to Hold a Funeral Reception

There are lots of options, depending on the number of people, your budget and how formal or informal you would like the gathering to be.

Here are some possible locations:

At Home

At home or at the home of a close family member or a friend. It can be stressful and time-consuming getting the house ready and preparing refreshments, so make sure you enlist the help of family and friends.

If you need extra space and you have an outdoor area, you could set up a tent or marquee in the garden.

In a Local Pub or Hotel

Holding the gathering at a favourite pub or a local hotel takes some of the pressure off in terms of preparing and serving refreshments.

In a Restaurant or Cafe

If the person was a regular at a local eatery, it can be lovely to gather there. It may be a style of food they loved or a place that served their favourite beverage.

In a Village Hall or Community Centre

Village halls and community centres usually have plenty of space and parking and most have kitchens attached. Check whether they can supply glasses and other crockery if required.

At a Private Club or Local Sports Centre

If the person had a favourite hobby or sport, then this might be a good place to hold a reception. Most clubs and sports centres have catering facilities too.

Outdoors in the Open Air

Perhaps a gathering outdoors, in a special place such as a meadow, woodland clearing or on a beach. Being close to nature, perhaps somewhere that the person loved, can be a lovely way to feel close to them.

Think about accessibility and what you will do in case of bad weather.

How whiteballoon Can Help

For ideas or further information, please visit Funeral Reception & Wake Venues in our Inspiration and Providers sections.

Details about Providers, plus items and images from our Inspiration pages can be saved to a personalised Ideas Folder in our Planning Tools section. All our Planning Tools are free to use. Just Register to securely save information to your folder.

This can be printed out and, if you wish, shared with family, friends, your celebrant or funeral director.