By far the most important task of planning a funeral is selecting a funeral director and funeral home to work with. Once this choice has been made and the basic arrangements have been put into place, what else needs to be done? The following are items that should also be considered when planning a funeral:
General Preparations:
This includes tasks like notifying the authourities that a death occured, gathering personal information for the death certficate, finding and reading the will or advanced directive to find funeral preferences, notifying family or friends, a nd designating a charity for donations to be made to.
People Preparations:
People preparations include identifying a primary oganizer, determining who will manage the finances for the event, selecting pallbearers and an officiant (if desitred), and speakers for the funeral or memorial service.
Funeral Preparations:
Funeral preparations include determining the preferred method of disposition (burial or cremation), contacting a body donation organization, if that was the deceased or your preference; if not selecting a funeral home, a cemetery, a casket, flowers, luncheon venue, and any other event-day needs.
This list is not finite but we hope it got you thinking. You can use Funerals360's Funeral Planning Checklist to help stay organized and jot down notes for after the funeral. It includes all the above mentioned points as well as many others. It is customizable, savable, shareable, and printable for your convenience.
Also read through the Funerals360's Casket Guide to understand casket choices prior to visiting the funeral home. You can even shop online first (check Amazon or Walmart) to get an idea of price and bring a print out to the funeral home to negotiate a lower cost on similar caskets that they offer.
