A time comes in our lives when somebody close to us dies, and it can be overwhelming. Such events can bring distress and belay us with mixed emotions. There typically are many details to take care of as well, and the last thing you would want to happen is increased stress due to confusion or having limited knowledge about what to do for arranging the funeral.
This funeral guide will educate how to make funeral arrangements, mainly if you are not sure about getting the best services for your needs. We will contact you through the process of how to arrange a funeral in a way that is well-manageable and time-efficient – so that laying your family member to rest becomes legitimate, memorable, and unique.
Here are the steps for arranging a funeral, explained in a simple and straightforward manner.
The First Step of Funeral Arrangements: Register A Death
When a family member dies, you have to make the necessary calls. You usually have to contact your next of kin and other close relations to share the news. In the same way, you have to get in touch with some authorities to be able to plan for the funeral.
- Contact the family doctor to get a death certificate
To begin with, you have to contact the family doctor to obtain a death certificate. The law requires deaths to be registered at a registrar office, usually within 5 days, such as in the case of Wales and England, or a time limit of 8 days in Scotland.
- Register the death
To register a death, you need to provide as much information and documents relating to the deceased, and these tend to be the following:
After sending applicable requirements at the registrar office, and taking into account that there is no post-mortem, the latter will then supply you with a Certificate of Registration of Death and a Certificate for Burial or Cremation. If for any reason, you need copies of the death certificate, you can ask at the registrar office.
Pre-Planning The Details About How To Arrange A Funeral
The next thing that you have to do is to mull over the details of the ceremony. Initially, and most importantly, you have to talk with your family members to ensure that these are organised in advance.
- Planning the type of funeral
Following the occurrence of the death, and granted that you have informed family members, you should have determined if a pre-paid funeral plan has been put in place.
You ought to look for any pre-arrangements that may have been settled by your relative before they died so that you can ascertain the funeral service provider they had selected.
You then proceed with what to do in terms of organising a funeral, and primarily, that is to meet with the funeral director. You will have to discuss relevant details about arranging the funeral services.
When meeting the funeral director, you need to confer how the deceased will be taken care of, specifically whether they will be rested through cremation or burial, along with what type of funeral ceremony that is going to be held. This is how it generally goes when a pre-paid funeral plan has been settled.
On the contrary, you have the option to choose among different funeral directors or funeral homes if there are no pre-planning measures. You have the liberty to talk to various companies to look for the most appropriate service provider, especially if you are considering multiple alternatives for budget funerals.
- Deciding the size of the funeral
The director that you hire will assist you with some or all of the aspects of planning the funeral. As a rule, they will help you make the guest list and choose the location for the funeral service program. If you agree with it, they will then put the stated budget in the picture.
If you are uncomfortable with hiring a funeral director, you can DIY the funeral. It can be pretty straightforward and not as difficult as you think; however, only a few families go by this path.
No law requires families to employ a director for arranging funerals exclusively; however, going DIY can be daunting. Then again, there is a middle road, and that is to hire a director that will provide as little necessary help.
- Making the funeral plan
You have to consider that it can be emotionally straining to arrange a funeral without the help of a professional, mainly because you are bereaved. There is also a time pressure to contend with and you and your family members may lack the experience in looking after the body of your deceased loved one. Insufficient knowledge about the required paperwork may make the endeavour tricky, too.
There are pros and cons of a DIY funeral and employing a funeral director. You have to think about which is the most practical and convenient option as you take into account the average funeral cost.
Implementing The Actual Planning For The Funeral Ceremony
At this point, you will have to finalise the particulars that have been conferred on. Following your discussion with the relevant people, you then carry out the planning of the deceased’s funeral ceremony.
- Choosing the funeral home
After going about with the pre-funeral planning, the next step is the actual deed. You choose the funeral home, after which you have to think about certain factors. One of these is to decide upon the type of funeral.
The funeral home will facilitate some or all of the aspects of the process, depending on the way you prefer it to be. They will help you in planning the ceremony and in the same way, coordinate with the cemetery if that is what you require.
Part of their services is to care for the deceased and to prepare them for open-casket viewing.
Whatever your needs are for the funeral, the funeral home is equipped to assist you, along with what your queries might be in terms of funeral guidelines.
- Contacting the cemetery
Although funeral homes commonly do it, you will have to confirm cemetery arrangements if the deceased will be buried. If you have not yet purchased a cemetery property, meet with the officials of the said cemetery to do so. The cemetery property essentials that you need to obtain usually include a grave plot, a crypt, or a niche for an urn.
- Purchasing the funeral necessities
If you prefer a burial funeral for the deceased, you need to buy a funeral coffin and an outer burial container that is typically required by cemeteries.
On the other hand, if you have decided on cremation, you would need to buy an urn for keeping the ashes because crematoriums only provide a cardboard box or bag as a temporary solution.
Purchasing a gravestone or a marker is significant for commemorating the place of burial of the deceased. It is essential to check the regulations of your selected cemetery about it. A guestbook for the funeral day would be very useful for monitoring the attendees of the memorial service.
Whether you are burying the deceased or scattering their ashes, you should decide on a location for their final resting place. In a cemetery, you can choose from different sizes of plots that are priced accordingly. You may take an option that grants the last wishes of the deceased or if they had already pre-purchased a plot. You can ask the director to make the necessary arrangements regarding your choice.
If the deceased will be rested through a cremation, you don’t have to decide on a location for scattering the ashes immediately. You and your family members can confer about it, but remember that there are rules and regulations to follow about where ashes can be dispersed.
- Planning the funeral service
Your family better discusses the intricate details of planning the funeral service, such as the venue and the food to be served with the director. The same applies as to who will give the farewell speech and you need to settle on what things your family wants to remember the deceased.
- Preparing for the events after the funeral
The affairs of the deceased must be carefully attended to after the funeral. This is when estate, financial and administrative matters must be handled. Part of these is sending death notices, filing death benefit claims and changing the titles of the deceased’s assets, to mention some. Legal assistance is necessary if you are involved in helping to deal with their estate.
Your effort may be needed in cancelling their accounts, such as that in the bank, their household bills and in organising the payment of any of their outstanding debts.
Hire A Credible Funeral Company For Efficient Service
The passing away of somebody close to you can be a challenging event, and you may feel that it is not the right time to deal with the formalities and arrangements. Nevertheless, there are things about funeral planning that you have to do that are required by the law.
The general steps in arranging a funeral include registering the death, making the pre-planning of the funeral and implementing the plan. Getting yourself equipped with the complete information and details of these undertakings can make them less troublesome and time-consuming.
An important factor that you should consider in these aspects is hiring the best professionals who can offer you efficient and appropriate assistance. You thus have to look for a credible funeral planning company that has a proven track record and extensive experience. That’s what we’re here for in My Estate Planning.
At My Estate Planning, we offer funeral plan options that you can avail of as you take into account your budget and preferences. Contact us at (link or number) to inquire about our different funeral plans, and we guarantee that our staff will personally and carefully attend to your needs.
As a trusted and reputable funeral planning company, My Estate Planning makes sure to provide our clients with all the help that they need for a well-managed process of laying their family member to rest. Right from the moment you make that call, we’re equipped and ready to respond to your needs and queries. We willingly listen and read between the lines, filling in the gaps with whatever details about the funeral that you might overlook. Our expertise speaks for us.
When we, at My Estate Planning, prepare a funeral plan, we consider your financial capability and what your choices may be about this endeavour. As a premier funeral company and knowing that you may be perplexed in your moments of mourning, we see to it that you are correctly and compassionately supported during this distressing time when it comes to arranging the best funeral plan.
