We have a wealth of experience when it comes to funerals and funeral planning, with this in mind, we understand that when someone you love dies, the last thing you want to do is plan their funeral. It can be very overwhelming and stressful, especially when emotions are already high. We have put together a planning guide on how to make planning a funeral a little bit easier.
The initial planning
Initially, when planning a funeral, it will help to know if there are any funeral instructions in the will, as well as if there are any savings, life insurance or pre-paid funeral plans in place to pay for the funeral. If not, you will need to consider how it will be paid for, we recommend that you get as much help and support as possible when planning a funeral, this is because it can be very difficult, especially when you are grieving. Make sure you speak to close friends and family members, it’s always a good idea to see who wants to be involved in the funeral planning. There’s also the option to hire a funeral director, they can help you to organise the funeral as well as take you through the process step by step.
Choosing a funeral director
Funeral directors are responsible for arranging all parts and areas of a funeral, this includes the coffin, the ceremony as well as the burial or the cremation. This should be one of the first decisions that you make, especially when you plan a funeral, some prefer to leave specific arrangements to the funeral director. If your loved one already had a funeral plan or a will, then they may have already chosen a funeral director, but you’ll need to check the recommendations online or through friends and family.
In order to keep costs as low as possible, it may be worth organising particular parts yourself, but having a funeral director there to help is beneficial.
Decide on the type of funeral and coffin
The next step involves the type of funeral you will plan, there are different types and styles of funerals, but some of the most common types are burials, cremations and direct cremations.
When you have decided on the type of funeral, you should consider these areas:
- The cost
- The materials
- Is it environmentally friendly?
- The style
- The taste
You should consider that if you have a cremation, there will be particular guidelines from the crematorium, but your funeral director will be able to show you the coffins that are suitable.
The costs
As of this year (2022), the average cost of a funeral is £4,056, this won’t include any extras like flowers, the wake or transport. The basic cost of a funeral will include:
- The funeral director’s fees
- Doctors fees
- Clergy or officiate fees
- A plain, lined coffin
- Transport of the deceased to the funeral director’s property
- The care of the deceased until the funeral, this includes washing, dressing and laying the body
- A hearse
- All other necessary arrangements
Funerals can be expensive, you are able to choose which services are essential as well as which ones are unnecessary, some of the services that you should avoid to save money include:
- Flowers
- An expensive coffin
- Organist
- Religious services
- A burial or cremation fee
- Extra cars
- Embalming
- Memorial service
- Catering arrangements
Funeral plans and funeral cover, as well as life insurance, can help to pay for the funeral, especially if the deceased has policies in place that could help save money. If there’s nothing in place, then a relative or friend will usually pay for the funeral.
Arranging the funeral service
Before you start the funeral plans, you will need to check if your loved one had left any instructions, maybe they want certain songs or music, or they wanted a dress code. There are different types of funeral services, this includes:
- Religious funeral
- Cremation
- Woodlands
- Humanist civic
- Burial at sea
During the service, there are some things that you can do in orde to make the funeral more personal to your family and loved ones, this includes things like the music that’s played, the order of service, the dress code, poems and readings, and flowers, these will all help to make the day more personal.
Planning a funeral can be very difficult, but, by taking it one step at a time, like in our guide, you may find the process a lot easier, it can also help to talk to your friends and family, as well as get help where you can. For more information, get in touch with our team today.
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