Posts Tagged ‘funeral service’

Funeral planning in advance is a great way to save your loved ones time, money, and much of the burden of decision-making. However, like most large decisions, it’s important to take the time and preparation necessary to ensure that you make choices that will benefit everyone you care about – after all, the number one reason people choose funeral planning is to make sure that things are easier for the family left behind to grieve and mourn.

The top five considerations when creating a funeral pre-plan include:

1. Know your funeral planning options. There are many different types of funeral pre-plans out there, including funeral insurance, burial plot purchases, and fully covered funeral programs. You will want to determine what type is right for you and consider the pros and cons of each before making a decision.

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One of the leading sources for good, factual funeral information is the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), which is the world’s leading funeral service association at almost 20,000 members nationwide.

Although most individuals going through the funeral planning process aren’t likely to need the NFDA to help them make decisions, the organization does have an impact on what choices you have. By overseeing the body of funeral home directors and providing a basic core of ethics that they must follow, consumers are the ones who benefit.

The NFDA recently released a 2010 report on funeral costs. According to their findings, the national median cost of a funeral is $6,560, taking into account costs associated with different locations as well as with the quality of materials purchased for the funeral. This figure includes:

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The funeral director is your guide to the funeral planning process, from the first decisions you make to the very last. These professionals generally have one to two years of formal education (in a college setting), and have successfully completed a one-year apprenticeship program with a licensed funeral home. Further licensure is offered by each individual state, and many funeral directors are part of the National Funeral Directors Association, which oversees the profession.

Even with all these credentials in place, it’s important to find a funeral director you personally connect with. Because you are most likely going to be dependent on your funeral director for emotional support as you go through the difficult process of funeral planning, having a comfortable, working relationship will make everything a little bit easier.

As you begin, your funeral director (and his or her team) will:

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Funeral planning is not unique to the Untied States or even to western cultures. For as long as there has been human existence, there has been a way to honor and celebrate the passage of life to death. Many of these funeral customs have their roots in religion, and those that are still in existence today have become a way to celebrate unique cultures and countries.

Although all funeral planning is different according to the individual, and there is no cultural universal that demands all funerals be the same, some of the most interesting funeral customs include:

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We hear so often about funeral planning, and how it can ease the financial and emotional burdens of the loved ones we leave behind. The reasons to do a funeral pre-plan or pre-payment are many, and it’s an option that an increasingly large portion of the population are choosing for their own families. Whether you wish to lock in today’s funeral costs, you want ensure that you have funds earmarked for burial, or you simply want to secure a cemetery site to share with family members, making burial arrangements ahead of time makes good sense.

However, one of the most often overlooked advantages to funeral planning in advance is how much it allows you to control the way you will be remembered. The legacy you leave behind is one of the most powerful and lasting gifts you can give, and if it’s important to you to get it right, funeral planning with a focus on ceremonies and events could be the perfect solution.

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Personalizing a funeral is one of the best ways to remember the deceased. All too often, family members and friends get caught up in the reverence and traditions of funeral planning, making sure that the tone is set for people to mourn. While there certainly is a time and place for this kind of atmosphere, it is acceptable to add a little fun and creativity to a funeral ceremony. By personalizing some of the traditions, you can not only honor the life the deceased led, but you can also pay a lasting tribute that no one will soon forget.

Simple Tributes

Small steps to personalize the funeral plan are typically easy to implement and come at a low cost. You can gather photographs of the deceased to place in a slide show or photo album. You can play music he or she was fond of during life. You can even bring in a favorite pastor to provide the ceremony, or ask a few close friends to come up with some words to share.

Some of the questions you may want to ask yourself when gathering ideas for simple funeral tributes include:

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We have scoured the internet to fine these odd and bizarre facts related to death throughout culture, history, and even celebrity. If you enjoyed these truly weird facts and stats, please feel free to share using the HTML below but please include a link to us!
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Body viewings are a common practice in the United States – a tradition that dates back centuries and continues to flourish even today. Originally a religious custom, body viewings have now become a way for family members and friends to pay their respects and say their final goodbyes before the more formal funeral ceremony begins.

During the funeral planning process, the funeral home director will most likely ask what you and your family would like to do regarding the open casket options. Although you might feel pressured to have a body viewing because it is so common, you are fully within your rights to prefer a closed casket. In fact, many modern green funeral proponents say that the added chemicals involved in the embalming are an unnecessary waste and strain on the eco-system.

Before you make a decision, be sure and check with any funeral pre-plan wishes set out by the deceased as well as the wishes of family members. For some, the ability to view a body and say goodbye is an important step in the grieving process.

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Many times, we are unable to reconcile disagreements, estrangements, and relationships before a loved one passes away. It doesn’t matter whether you spent years not talking to one another, or if the disagreement is recent and still very painful – it’s never easy to deal with death when there are lingering emotions that haven’t been sorted out. And in cases where the emotions are negative, there are even more considerations to keep in mind during the funeral planning process.

Some of the key questions to ask yourself before attending the funeral of someone you have been estranged from include:

Can you (and the family) put aside any bad feelings for the day? Most of the time, a funeral is considered something of a neutral zone, in which everyone is allowed to bereave and pay their respects as they see fit. If this isn’t the case in your particular situation, it might be better to find a different way to say your goodbyes.

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Gravesites are often so much more than a final resting place for a deceased loved one. In many cases, famous cemeteries and celebrity graves become a draw for tourists, historians, and locals interested in paying their respects. Almost all cemeteries are open to the public, and although there might be restrictions regarding headstone rubbings or leaving flowers or other items at the grave, you can usually visit any grave you wish.

If you’re looking for the grave of a certain person – whether a celebrity, important historical figure, or an ancestor of your own – there are great online resources you can turn to for help.

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