Viewing the body

You will need to consider carefully whether you will benefit from viewing the body at the funeral director’s premises. If you do not intend to view the body, then there appears no valid reason to choose embalming. You may also have viewed the body immediately after death and have no wish to repeat this at the funeral director’s premises.

You should appreciate that if you wish to view the body, you will be required to pay a fee for using the funeral director’s Chapel of Rest (or Repose). Embalming may also be recommended as a pre-requisite to “viewing”, the implication being that an un-embalmed body may cause distress. You may also feel that you are expected to view the body, and that this is a normal occurrence.