Key things to consider when organising a funeral

For many, planning a funeral is a process defined by chaos, feelings of disorganisation and overwhelming emotion – for others it serves as a focus that can delay the acceptance of loss.

No one wants to have to arrange a funeral at what is already a difficult time. But if you do, having an understanding of what is involved and how to deal with problems will most certainly help.

Most funerals are arranged through a funeral director. It’s incredibly important to find one who belongs to one of the professional associations such as the National Association of Funeral Directors or NAFD for short. These associations have codes of practice that needs to be followed.

Here are some other helpful points to note. Don’t worry about the details, after a discussion with your independent funeral director they will be handled for you.

•             Hopefully, you will know what your loved one wanted—burial or cremation, for example. These wishes are usually made in the person’s will or in their pre-paid funeral plan

•             Cremations are usually cheaper than a burial. In some areas, burials may be very expensive because of the lack of space

•             Deaths need to be registered within five days at the office in the area where the person died to avoid delays in getting the necessary documents

•             If there needs to be a post-mortem (which can happen if someone dies unexpectedly), bear in mind this will delay the funeral

•             Do you or others want to spend time with the deceased? Your funeral service provider can arrange for this in the chapel of rest prior to the funeral

•             Decide what kind of coffin, cask or urn you want. We also offer an environmentally-friendly option which allows the body to return to the earth as soon as possible

•             Your funeral director will talk with the crematorium and arrange an agreed date and time for the service. Crematoriums run to a strict schedule and services normally last for 30 minutes.  If you, or your funeral director, think this is insufficient additional time can be booked for an additional fee.

•             Do you want a religious ceremony or not? Again, your loved one will have indicated this in a pre-paid plan or will. Registrars can perform the ceremony, as can humanist celebrants.

•             What form will the funeral take? Nowadays, people opt for individualised ceremonies, so anything goes. A gathering in the pub, or a party after the funeral service might be what you want. Hearse options include a motorbike or the traditional hearse.

We hope the information helps. Help your closest loved ones by thinking about your funeral and take the pressure off of them by pre-planning.

Axell-Eames offer a FREE pre-planning service where we plan your entire funeral and keep the details on file for when required. Contact us for more information on this service. See our Heathfield News listing