Wake vs Viewing vs Visitation: What's the Difference?

Wake, viewing, visitation and calling hours are mostly different names for the same gathering: a time, before the funeral, when the body is present and family and friends come to offer condolences. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) glossary uses the terms interchangeably. Which word people use depends more on region and faith than on any fixed difference.

What is the difference between a wake, a viewing and a visitation?

The NFDA's consumer glossary defines a visitation as "a gathering held with the deceased's body present," and notes that it is also called a viewing, wake or calling hours. In practice, the words tend to carry these shades of meaning:

In older customs, family and friends stayed with the body, often at home, until the burial. Wakes in some traditions are social as well as prayerful, with food, stories and music.

A funeral, in the NFDA's definition, is a service with the body present. A memorial service is held without it, though an urn may be displayed.

Do you need a wake, a viewing and a visitation?

No. They are usually one event, and you only plan one. The decisions that matter are these:

• Is the body present? If so, will the casket be open or closed?
• Who is invited? A public visitation, or a private family viewing for close relatives only.
• When? Most often the evening before the funeral or in the hour before the service. Some families hold it the same day; others skip it.
• Where? A funeral home, a church, a family home or another venue. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) says viewings need not take place at a funeral home and can be held at a residence or a religious or community space.
• What happens? A quiet receiving line, a prayer service, a photo display or an open-mic tribute.

The NFDA says that with any service option you can choose a private or public viewing. A funeral can include a public viewing, or the casket can stay closed.

Is embalming required for a viewing or visitation?

Not by law in most cases. The FTC says no state requires routine embalming for every death, and the FCA adds that embalming is rarely required by law. However, the FCA says most funeral directors will not arrange a public viewing without it.

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must state on its price list that embalming is not required by law except in certain special cases, and that it may be necessary if you choose arrangements such as a funeral with viewing. The FTC says you can ask about options such as a private family viewing without embalming. See viewing without embalming and what is embalming. If you would prefer a closed casket, open vs closed casket covers the choice.

How much does a wake, viewing or visitation cost?

Costs depend on the funeral home. The Funeral Rule requires each home to list its prices, and the General Price List has separate lines for:

• use of facilities and staff for viewing
• use of facilities and staff for the funeral ceremony
• embalming and other preparation of the body
• hearse and other transportation
• the basic services fee, which cannot be declined

You are entitled to get these prices by phone, and to buy only the items you want. Asking for prices from two or three homes is the most reliable way to see what a visitation would cost where you live. A gathering held in a church, a family home or a community hall may avoid the facility charge. Our funeral home fees explained guide goes through each line.

How do religious and cultural traditions differ?

• Catholic. The funeral rites begin with a vigil, often called the wake, the evening before the funeral Mass. It can include prayers and the Rosary, and it often takes place at the funeral home or the church. See our Catholic funeral planning guide and what is a wake.
• Jewish and Muslim. Both traditions generally do not hold open-casket viewings, and burial usually happens quickly. Practice varies by community, so ask your rabbi or imam. See Jewish funeral traditions and Muslim funeral traditions.
• Protestant and non-religious. A visitation with an open or closed casket before a funeral or memorial service is common, but there is no set rule.
• Other traditions. Many cultures have their own vigils, home gatherings or periods of visiting the family. If you are planning for a family with a different background, ask them what is expected.

How do I choose?

Start with what the family and the person who died would want, then work through these questions:

• Does your faith expect a vigil or a viewing?
• Would seeing the person help close family say goodbye, or would they prefer not to?
• Do you want a public time to receive friends, or a private family viewing?
• Is a separate gathering worth the extra cost and time, or would a reception after the service serve the same purpose?

If you are leaning toward cremation, you can still hold a visitation before it, or hold a memorial with an urn afterward. The funeral type finder can help you sort the options.

What should guests expect?

Guests usually sign the guest book, greet the family, pay respects and talk briefly with others. Dress is usually dark or muted and conservative unless the family says otherwise. For more, read funeral etiquette and what to wear to a funeral.

What to do next

1. Ask your family and funeral home which format fits your faith or family custom.
2. Decide on open or closed casket, and public or private attendance.
3. Ask for a General Price List and a quote for the viewing facilities and any embalming.
4. Set the day and time, and tell guests the hours, the location and whether the casket will be open.