What is Funeral Service Pre-Planning?
Pre-planning Your Funeral Service Does Not Have to Be Daunting and Sad
If you choose to pre-plan your funeral, there are a lot of ways on how your service can be personalized. In case your choice is to plan it before cremation or burial so that people can see your body at the service, planning a funeral service is what you should do. By doing so, your funeral service will happen based on everything you want. It might not be something you are willing to do but acceptance is the 1st step when it comes to pre-planning your funeral.
The Traditional Features of a Funeral
Funeral services generally start with pallbearers bringing in the body. At the service, people may give eulogies, say prayers, sing songs, read passages that come from the scriptures or literature, and others. Today, the number of people using technological features in funerals have increased. They make slideshows and videos to commemorate the person who passed. When the service is finished, the body will be brought to either a crematory for cremation or cemetery if the body will be buried.
You Should Set a Budget
Think about how much you or your family can spend on a funeral arrangement. There is information online that you will find on what the average cost of a funeral is around $7,000. Even if this includes viewing and burial; transferring the body, preparation and embalming, hearse rental, and professional service fees of the funeral home, there are still a lot to consider. The $7,000 does not include headstone, purchasing a cemetery plot, or an after-service reception, which is why you need to plan this. These things will add up to thousands of dollars.
Location
Most of the time, funerals happen in religious worship places, funeral homes, or in a chapel. These places may have the equipment and logistics to handle a funeral. Although, if you want it to be somewhere else, you can talk to the venues you have in mind and see if they can accommodate it.
There are no laws against displaying a body where people can pay their respects, but it is still the discretion of the venue if they will host a funeral or not.
Choosing a Funeral Home
Which funeral home do you want? You need to ask the right questions from people so that you will really choose the one you like. You can start in your own home, by reading the websites of funeral homes located near you. Next is to narrow down your selection by calling each firm and ask these questions:
- Is it locally-owned or is your firm one of the larger funeral chains nationwide?
- What are the licenses of the firm and your professional staff?
- Which professional associations does your firm and staff belong to?
- What are the services you have available that I can choose from?
- What are the funeral packages that you offer?
- Do you customize the memorial service for funeral?
- Which 3rd party crematories are you affiliated with?
- Is your staff available to visit our home in order to assist with pre-planning the funeral or you require personal appearance in your office?
Even if they agree to visit your home, it is highly advised that you visit their facilities. When you go there, get the girl’s general price list and other valuable documents. These are the list of services, price list of urns and/or caskets.
Funeral Service Then a Burial
During a burial, the pallbearers will transfer the body to a hearse and then head to the interment which is in the cemetery after the funeral service. At the cemetery, there is going to be a short service after holding the funeral there. This would depend on your preference because the grave site might limit it only to immediate family members who attended the service. The officiant might say more readings or prayers while the body is being buried or entombed.
All the Details Tiny or Big
When you are pre-planning your memorial or funeral service, consider the small and large details because it is important. This kind of ceremony is sensory which means that you should consider the smells, sights, and sounds of the event because all of them will contribute to the experience of everyone. What music do you want? Are there particular flowers that you want? Should there be a table filled with photos and memorabilia of you? Your best ally here is the funeral professional because they can help you get down to all the details. His or her experiences will be helpful to you in avoiding mistakes and help to make sure that the service will happen according to what you want. This person can also explain to you what are the benefits of paying for your funeral expenses in advance.
Post-Funeral Gathering or Reception
It is very common to have a gathering or reception when the interment is over. It can be at the funeral home, family home, religious worship place, or other locations that can accommodate everyone. Most of the time, food and drinks are provided, which is sometimes by the members of the family or the community.
This is especially important if there are a lot of people who attended the funeral as way to give thanks to those who sympathized with the family and paid their respects.
Write Everything Down
After you have finished pre-planning your funeral, you would want to keep it somewhere safe. It is also best to give a copy to your chosen funeral home because they are the ones who will prepare everything when the time comes.
Funeral pre-planning might be an unpleasant task to do. Although, it is going to relieve a lot of your loved ones from going through the stress of planning a funeral, especially funerals are expensive.
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