Funeral Planning Tips

We can’t stress enough how important it is to pre-plan for your funeral. Nobody likes to think about it, but you’ll be doing your loved ones a huge favor. When there is a clear plan of action and funeral prearrangements, your loved ones will have fewer things to decide, coordinate, pay and stress out over during a very delicate time.

However, most of us find out that when we lose a loved one that there is no funeral plan, and we have to jump into action, often having no idea what we’re doing. This adds stress to grief and makes a really hard time even harder.

If a loved one dies unexpectedly, or becomes gravely ill unexpectedly, here’s a comprehensive checklist of what you need to do to plan the funeral.

• Decide on the type of funeral service. It sounds simple, but funeral services can be as unique as the people they are honoring.

• Choose a funeral provider. If you have several local options, be sure to do research and find the funeral provider that best suits your needs.

• Schedule the funeral service. Once you’ve scheduled the service, you can plan the wake or any other type of post-funeral (Tip: This includes food and drinks – don’t be shy about asking family and friends for help. Post-funeral potlucks are somewhat of a tradition throughout the U.S.)

• Contact the priest, pastor, etc. If you know your loved one wanted a religious funeral service, be sure that an appropriate individual will be able to preside over the service.

• Choose funeral speakers. If nobody is designated by the deceased, choose at least one person to perform the eulogy. (We can help you write eulogies – don’t panic!)

• Make arrangements for flowers and music. Flower vendors and musicians are used to last-minute requests, so this will probably be the easiest part of your funeral planning.

• Designate a greeter. Ask a family member or friend to greet guests as they come to the funeral. The greeter can point the guests to the guest book.

• Buy a funeral guest book. Make sure you know who to thank, and give your family a written memorial of your loved one.

• Put together some memorabilia. It’s common these days to see photo-montages and even video tributes during funerals. Do what feels right for your loved one.