Planning a funeral is nobody’s idea of fun. It’s heartbreaking enough losing a friend or family member, and while you certainly want to remember them, planning for their funeral can be hard. You have to make sure that the service is respectful of both the deceased and mourners, and provides the right balance of grief and joy. There is more involved than you might expect. There is music, slide shows, notices, and many other details that need to be hammered out and dealt with, often within a short period of time. Here are some of the tasks that need to be handled that you may not realize are required.
Get The Paperwork In Order
Before you can have a funeral, you need to make sure that all of the paperwork is ready to go. This includes a death certificate and a permit for the burial. The funeral director can advise you as to how you can do this in your jurisdiction. It is illegal to bury someone without a permit, which will require the death certificate. Make sure that there are no errors on any of the documentation, as this could cause serious complications when trying to get insurance payouts, close accounts, and perform other official functions.
Make Sure that Wishes Are Followed
Not every funeral service is the same. One of the reasons for this is that everyone has different wishes for how they want their death to be managed. Many people prearrange certain things for their funeral and burial to take pressure off of their loved ones, and because they want to enter the great beyond in a certain way. If the deceased has made wishes, then make sure that you follow them as closely as possible, provided they are realistic and legal. You can never go wrong following the wishes of the deceased. Even if something upsets a family member, you can always point to the documents that the deceased prepared ahead of time as the reason why you’ve made a certain choice for the arrangements.
Make Notifications
You may need to notify certain people as part of your duties. This could mean the immediate family in some cases. It’s always a good idea to find someone to help you with this, since it’s a tough job. On top of the people who loved the deceased, you will also need to notify doctors, employers, religious groups, insurance companies, financial institutions, and other interested parties. If they had pets, then you should find someone to help look after them or find a home for them. You can also see about finding someone to keep an eye on the home or even go into clean up to keep things safe and sanitary for the potential sale to come.
Get Loved Ones Involved
While you may be doing the heavy lifting, there will be lots of people involved on the day of the funeral. Talk to other loved ones and family members to see who wants to give the eulogy, say a prayer, or even perform some music. They will most likely have some ideas as to how to best remember the deceased as well. Many will also be more than willing to help with other tasks, such as figuring out the food, even writing the obituary, and any other things on your to-d list.
Make a Touching Funeral Brochure
Funeral brochures should not just be thrown together. Many loved ones will use the brochure as a keepsake of the deceased, so you want it to serve as a fitting tribute. You will need to have the listing of what will happen at the service, of course. Along with that, you should have a list of speakers, photos of the deceased during happy times, and a printing of the obituary. You may even wish to have a listing of things that they loved. If you are unsure of how to make one, you can always choose a funeral brochure template from an online service. They are designed by professionals, and all you need to do is drop in your content and choose your colors. It takes much of the difficult aspects right out of your hands.
Don’t Be Too Shy to Ask for Prices
Even though it’s a sombre occasion, it is not inappropriate to discuss prices with the funeral director. There may be some things you can’t afford, or some things that you can get lowered by working it out with them. You are also free to choose a different funeral home if the price fits better within your budget. If you are lucky, the deceased will have already pre-arranged their funeral arrangements so that the prices and locations are locked in and covered within the budget.
It’s tough to go to the funeral of someone you love, and planning it may only make some of that heartbreak worse. However, it will keep your mind occupied during a hard time, and it will allow you to be a part of creating memories of the deceased. Use these tips to make sure to plan a great memorial in honor of your loved one.
