Planning Ahead
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining
In life the only thing that is certain, is death, the one fate we all share. With the fact that we know this is, seems strange that most do not want to think about it or plan for it. With Funeral Directions we want to ensure that not only can you use the site after the loss of a loved one but plan for your funeral too.
It is important to think about your future and ensure your affairs are in order. Having your plans and wishes in order means your loved ones do not have to choose for you and can focus on grieving and moving forward after your loss.
Getting started
Planning a Funeral doesn’t have to be complicated. It all starts with a few simple steps. We have covered these for you.
A life well spent
Planning a Funeral gives you the control of what to include and how your friends and family can give you the send off you deserve and how you want to be remembered. Create the perfect Funeral and ease the pain for your loved ones so they know that everything is in hand.
1. Time to Plan
Before you plan a funeral, it can be helpful to answer these questions:
- Have any funeral instructions been included in the will?
- Are there any savings, life insurance or funeral cover in place to pay for the funeral?
- If not, how will you pay for the funeral and other costs?
Sometimes people leave instructions in their will or in a funeral plan, or they might have talked it through with someone close.
If the deceased did leave funeral instructions, but they are impractical or you can’t afford them, don’t worry. Just focus on what you can do with the budget you have.
Get some help
When you’re planning a funeral, it’s a good idea to speak with your family members and close friends first. While some may not be able to assist, others may want to be involved in the details of the funeral. This support can make things less overwhelming, whether they help with specific tasks or simply offer their opinions.
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to wait until the person passes away to start planning their funeral. Having a discussion about the funeral arrangements can actually be comforting for someone nearing the end of their life. It lets them know that plans are being put in place and can give them and their loved ones peace of mind.
If you prefer, a Funeral Director can help you organise everything. They’ll guide you through the whole process, step-by-step.
2. The Funeral Director
When planning a funeral, the first decision is whether you want to use a Funeral Director. Many people prefer to because it’s a tough time and the director can take care of all the arrangements. They handle everything from the deceased to the proceedings and parties, and can also offer guidance and support.
You can put together:
- Funeral Cover
- A Funeral Plan
- Detail your wishes in your Will
A Funeral Director can walk you through this or there are companies you can find to help in our business directory. If you need help, you can ask friends and family for recommendations or look up the National Association of Funeral Directors.
You don’t have to have the Funeral Director handle everything, but the main responsibility is to ensure that the person who passed away is treated with respect and dignity.
You can handle some aspects yourself, and in some cases it may be cheaper, but having a Funeral Director to rely on during this difficult time can be helpful. It also means that your wishes are fulfilled.
What a Funeral Director helps with
There are many ways that a Funeral Director can assist before and after death. They can recommend ‘the basics’ and some can even help with more unusual or non-traditional things. These are some of the main elements they manage:
- Collection and care of the deceased
- Planning and overseeing everything
- Guidance and Support
- Organisation and management of everyone (including suppliers) that are involved in the Funeral process
3. Choosing a Burial or Cremation
The common types of funerals: include Burials, Cremations and Direct Cremations.
Each funeral option has a different price range, with burials generally being the most expensive and direct cremations being the most affordable.
Specifying your preferred type of service in a funeral plan or will, means that your wishes will be followed. However, if it’s beyond your budget, it’s okay to choose a different option that fits your finances. The important thing is to create a respectful and meaningful send-off.
Coffins
There are lots of different types of coffins to choose from when planning a funeral. It can be helpful to look online and see what options are available before making a decision.
Coffins can be made from various materials, including solid wood, chipboard, metal, cardboard, or other biodegradable materials. You can also personalize the coffin with images if you wish.
Your funeral director can show you the range of coffins they offer, but you don’t have to buy from them. To save money, you can also buy a coffin online from a site or an independent company.
Ashes
When you die, your ashes can be used in various ways. One option is to have them scattered in a meaningful location, such as a favourite beach or forest. You could choose to have your ashes kept in an urn or turned into jewellery as a keepsake for your loved ones. Another option is to have them buried in a cemetery or placed in a columbarium. You can also choose to have your ashes incorporated into a memorial reef or sent to space.
There are many options available. Whatever you decide, it’s important to make your wishes clear in advance and communicate them with your family and loved ones.
4. The Funeral Costs
Funerals can be expensive so it is important that you do your homework and look at the options. If you need help there are companies that can help with funds on our business directory. The average cost of a funeral is around £4,000 and that is a more basic send-off. When you consider extras like flowers, memorials or transport the price can increase.
Basic funeral costs include:
- Funeral Directors costs
- Doctor’s fees
- Official fees
- The Coffin
Using a Funeral Director doesn’t have to be expensive but if you are on a budget or just want something very specific you could organise everything yourself.
There are many ways to organise a funeral, and many ways to save money or cut costs too.
Who pays?
If the person who has passed away had a funeral plan or funeral cover, it might cover the cost of their funeral. They could have also had a life insurance policy that could contribute to the expenses. In some cases, they might have left enough money in their estate to pay for the funeral, and the executor will handle the payment. If none of these apply, it’s usually up to a family member or friend to pay for the funeral. If the estate has enough funds, the friend or relative can claim the costs back.
Getting help
Funeral Directors can offer advice so you can lean on them for guidance but if you aren’t using one or want to consider different options. There are different places you can reach out for help:
- Charities
- Bereavement Trust
- Government Funeral Support
- Benefits
- Local Councils
Our site has many articles and resources that cover help with funeral costs or guidance for people you can speak to, have a look and see what might fit your circumstances.
5. The Funeral Service
There are many types of funeral services you could choose from, alternative funerals are becoming very popular as a way to have something unique and less traditional for something different.
- Religious Ceremony
- Cremation
- Woodlands or Green
- Sea burials
- Humanists or Civic
- Alternative funerals
- and so much more!
You can find a more detailed guide on Planning a Funeral or Pre-paid Funerals as well as our Funeral planning online guide. You can also visit our Business Directory for various companies that deal with Funerals; both traditional and alternative. You should look through these for more detailed information.
Things to consider
There are many elements to the funeral you need to think about, these are some of the basics:
- Funeral type
- Venue
- Transport
- Order of Service
- Flowers
- Donations
- Music and/or Readings
Funerals
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Estate Management
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Bereavement & Grief
6. The Wake
The reception or wake is the opportunity for friends and family to come together, to mourn and remember the deceased. The wake is usually the time for the celebration of life.
Some great venues for a wake would be:
- Home
- Village hall
- Pub
- Social club
- Hotel
- Outside space
There are many options you can consider. Some will include catering or you can look at outside catering. There are many places across our site for inspiration or help in making the decisions.
7. Other things to consider
All of your personal information, usually online based, left behind after death known as a Digital Legacy also needs to be organised. This includes your online accounts or social media including usernames, passwords and so on.
You also need to consider all of your financial and personal information. Like your banking, insurance, home information and other elements that all need sorting when you die.
These parts all need to be organised, detailed and accessible to those after your death.
Get some help
With so many different ways to arrange your end of life arrangements and things you need to think about – you might need help, guidance or inspiration. This is why Funeral Directions exists. To help with loss, death and everything associated with it.
Our site offers a collection of different ways to do this:
- Resources & Guides
- Checklists
- Online guides
- Articles
- Inspiration pages
- Glossary and Key terms
- Tools and references
- Business Directory
- Memorials
- Estate planning
- Finance
- Grief & Bereavement support
- Downloads
There are many elements we offer, all for free and easily accessible.
Resources & Guides
A great starting point is our resource centre, it has many different documents, checklists and references to get started. It’s great if you have questions too.
Online Guides
View our online guides that shows you the elements and timelines you need to think about and consider when someone dies, managing an estate or planning.
Business Directory
Our built in directory means that searching for businesses to help can be done all from within the one site. Do everything from the one place and create everything.