Funeral Services: Understanding Your Options

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When a family member dies you are often in such a confused emotional state that you are not sure what needs to be done and how. If nothing at all had been planned or arranged, either by yourself or the deceased, making some of the decisions while going through the different steps of grief can be difficult. Here is some information to help you understand the basic options you have.

Cremation or Burial

Hopefully, the deceased will at some point have told you whether he or she would like to be buried or cremated. If not, it is something you will need to decide. Cremation involves the burning of the body, and then the ashes, or cremation remains, are given to you, or some other family member. You may decide to keep the remains in a container, divide them among family members, scatter them somewhere meaningful to the deceased, have them made into diamonds, or bury them. Burial involves having the body put into some type of box or casket, and then buried. This usually means you will need to purchase the box and then the burial site.

The Viewing

You may opt to have the body put on display for people to view and say goodbye. If you do want a viewing, it can be done before cremation, and the casket can be open or closed. The viewing can be done at home, in a funeral home or even at a church. It is up to you as to how often and when people will be allowed to view the deceased.

The Memorial

Whether you have a viewing or not you may want to have some type of gathering for friends and family member of the deceased. It may be referred to as the memorial service, wake, reception or funeral. You choose where to have it. It can be a barbecue picnic in a park, a party at home, or an event at the funeral home where people get up and talk of the deceased.

Religious Ceremony

If you, or the deceased, were particularly religious, you may opt to have some type of religious ceremony in addition to the memorial. Often, this is done at the cemetery or burial site. However, some people choose to ask for a full mass or church service for the deceased done at the church.

The memorial and any religious ceremony can take place after the body has been disposed of. You may choose to wait a while to allow people who live far away a chance to get there. You may also decide to wait until you have the chance to save up a bit of money to have a very special event. The important part is that everyone has a chance to say goodbye. 

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25 June 2015

Have You Planned for Your Future?

When my father passed away a year ago, my mother didn't have any problems with the funeral or burial. My father planned his funeral in advance. He didn't want to burden my mom with any problems during her time of grieving. That hit me. I realized that I didn't have any plans for my own future, which would make it even harder on my wife and kids. So, I contacted a funeral home online and requested information about burial services. The funeral home provided me with many options that I could afford to pay over time or upfront. My wife also helped select burial plots for us because we didn't want to be separated — even after death. I encourage you to read through my blog. It offers great tips and advice on how to plan for your own future. Don't wait. You never know what life holds for you.