Bobbi breaks down

Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown

Whitney Houston's funeral was as emotional as it appeared to those watching online, one mourner who attended tells PEOPLE.

"It was really beautiful … a lot of people were crying," says Denise Council, who attended the ceremony at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J.

Council – who met Whitney years ago and whose husband went to school with the late singer – kept an eye on Houston's daughter during the ceremony.

"Bobbi Kristina broke down, but she was good," says Council. "She was up in the first row ... and [did] pretty good, all considering. [Whitney's mother] Cissy was wonderful."