MMario, the time after Communion is often set aside for a special song, remarks from the family, and so forth. There was a feeling among liturgists that this was getting out of hand and sometimes lasting over an hour and getting into matters that just didn't fit into a funeral Mass, so some dioceses have set (usually reasonable) restrictions on this practice. In our parish, the usual practice is to have one or two close friends or family members come up and speak, and those speakers are sometimes briefed by the priest or liturgy director beforehand. If people want to have a slide show or recorded music or remarks from other people, there's time for that at the reception in the church hall afterwards.

Weddings and funerals can often become festivals of tackiness and sentimentality. The churches often feel that it's worthwhile to set some guidelines. Most of the time, these restrictions are quite reasonable, and efforts are made to accommodate the wishes of the family as far as possible - keeping in mind that church weddings and funerals are worship services. Of course, there are a few very rigid personalities among the clergy who won't be either sympathetic or accommodating - but you have that problem in every profession.

-Joe-