RSVPs for funerals

We had a private green burial for DH last week. It took a while to get the death certificate and to make arrangements because of two long Bank Holiday weekends so it was not immediate. Only close family were invited and we went back to my daughter’s home afterwards.
We will also be having a Service of Thanksgiving in church in a month’s time at which everyone will be welcome. Just tea/ coffee and cake* to follow as it will be mid afternoon and we will have no idea of numbers. Family will let me know as will those coming from afar, but local people won’t. If we run out of cake, does it matter?
* also some savoury equivalent as DH was diabetic and used to complain if only cake was on offer at an event!

So lovely to visit the person whilst they are still with us and who can appreciate seeing them. It only needs to be a short time. I’ve been told as a guideline to cater for 50% of the people you might expect to attend. Funeral Directors are always very helpful in offering advice & recommendations at these times.

Of course it's acceptable to send out invitations. Each to their own. We sent out invitations to family and friends with details that they migh not have thought of such as if it was damp/raining to wear appropriate footwear as our Mother chose to be buried in a green burial cemetery which was a wild flowers meadow.

No invitations were sent out in my friend's case. Just a request at the end of the various online intimations that she be contacted if people were planning to attend.

When my husband died we had a lot of his workmates there as his manager gave them permission to attend during the working day as his funeral was midweek. Obviously they could only attend the wake for one drink then had to get back to work so didn’t need feeding . I think we catered for 50 in the Royal British Legion and it seemed adequate for the rest of the attendees.