Cody,
My mom and I are also planning to attend a Ukrainian Byzantine Rite Funerary Vigil for Our Lord tonight, at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Byzantine Mission Parish (which meets at St. Mother Guerin Chapel in Fort Wayne, IN, since they have no church building of their own at this time). I went last year, and I can give you some insight, albeit not the same insight that someone from the Melkite Rite could give you. This is a very beautiful service indeed. If I recall from last year, it’s a vigil, which I think is mostly candlelight, though I may be misremembering things.
The length might vary, depending on the exact Rite used, the options that are available to the celebrant, etc, but the one I attended wasn’t long. And, anyway, they beauty of the service will be such that it won’t seem long enough. I don’t know what language they use in the parish you’ll be attending; where mom and I go (in between times, when we don’t attend our parish. We’re Roman Rite, and normally attend St. Patrick’s in Fort Wayne) the Liturgies are in English, which, even when chanted, tends to shorten things a bit, due to fewer syllables than many of the Eastern European or Asian languages.
Many of the chants are, of course, lamentations. But, remember, in Eastern theology, even as they lament, they never lose focus on the Resurrection. This is why, even during Lent (Great Lent, as our Eastern Brethren would say), the Alleluia doesn’t go away, as it does in the Roman Rite. So there will be (if I recall) focus on both His Death and Resurrection during the service. I hope this helps. Also, again, if I need correcting from someone with better insight, please do. I may be misremembering badly here.
