Planning a funeral, while not something anyone looks forward to, is something most people will likely experience at some point in their lives.
Knowing it can be hard to think about, and with all the practicalities that need to be arranged during such a difficult time, we have put together a funeral planning checklist to help make it a little easier for everyone involved.
Funeral Director
The first thing to think about is the Funeral Director you choose. The Funeral Director will play a vital part in the funeral process, so it’s important to do research and pick a company you are comfortable with and that will support you and your family in your requirements.
Perhaps the deceased or family have already chosen the Funeral Director before time, so make sure you get in contact with them as soon as possible to discuss arrangements.
To arrange a funeral with our team at LeRoy funerals, you can enquire, here.
Budget
The next thing to think about is your available budget. Funerals range a great deal in cost, depending on your requirements and the funeral company you chose. Even the lower-cost funerals range into the £100’s, so knowing your budget beforehand means you can better decide on where to spend and where to be more reserved.
The Time and Date
You will need to think about when and where you want to hold the funeral. There are outside considerations to this, depending on the circumstances of the deceased’s passing, but once you are able, you should set the date in good time as funerals can book up quickly.
You may wish to hold the funeral on a specific date or time that was important to the deceased, if this is the case, communicate this to your Funeral Director.
Service Type
There is no rule that states what a funeral service should and shouldn’t involve, and the emergence of more alternative services has been growing.
You need to decide on what type of service is suitable for the deceased and their loved ones. This could be religious, civil, humanist, spiritual, or other alternatives.
Once you have decided this you can move onto the finer details.
Coffin
Choosing the coffin is a really important decision, however, your Funeral Director will be on hand to help you through the whole process.
As with services, coffin choices are now much wider than they were, and the options range from traditional wooden, to eco and willow coffins. Different colours, finishes and prints can also be added.
It would be helpful to have in mind your requirements before visiting a showroom, to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Contact us here to find out what coffins we offer.
Transport
When choosing transport for the funeral, you need to decide on both the Hearse and transport for priority mourners. Traditionally this would be a Limousine following a black Hearse, however, this is not a requirement and there is a range of options available for transportation.
Perhaps the deceased had expressed a preference before their death, in which case speak to your funeral director.
Options could include, Motorcycle Hearse, Horse-drawn carriage, or even farm vehicles. Likely the choice of transportation will be in line with the service type you chose.
Burial / Cremation
A crucial decision you need to make is whether to choose burial or cremation. If cremation is chosen a decision will need to be made on the final resting place of the cremated remains.
In a lot of cases, this may have been expressed beforehand, however, if not speak to your Funeral Director who will be able to talk you through the options and help you make a decision that is right for you, the deceased and their loved ones.
The Finer Details
Once you have all these things in place you need to finalise the smaller details.
These are things such as whether you want flowers and wreaths, where you would like donations sent and deciding on the order or service and any personal details you want included, such as readings, songs, images and so forth.
All of these things can be talked through with your Funeral Director, they will help you decide on what to include and how, supporting you through the whole process, so you can rest assured the funeral service and celebration of life will be carried out to your exact requirements.
If you would like more information on planning a funeral, speak to our compassionate and professional team today on 01392 255535.