Planning Your Own Funeral

Death is not an easy topic to broach. Often, people find it morbid to think about their own funerals, but it is actually a very good idea. When you make your own arrangements, you can ensure that your wishes are honoured, and making them known is as easy as saying to your family members, “Here is my funeral plan.” Not only does this allow you to decide how you want your funeral to proceed, but it also alleviates responsibility from your loved ones, allowing them space to grieve you without having to worry about funeral details. Unsure how to go about it? Here, we offer tips for how to plan a funeral, step by step.

It is important to note that your funeral plan can be as detailed or as sketchy as you want it to be. Some people plan their funerals down to the very last detail, while others simply create a vague outline of the highlights. You can also pay for your funeral expenses in advance, or you can determine how they will be covered, whether with an insurance policy or through a designation from your estate. The important thing is to write down these plans and keep them in a safe place, perhaps with your will and other important documents. Make sure you tell someone that you have created a plan, and let your family know where to find it.

• Your first decision will be between cremation and burial. This is a deeply personal decision, and may have more options than you realize. You can have a funeral service and then a burial or cremation, or you can have a funeral service at the crematorium, or only a graveside service. You can also choose a direct cremation, with a celebration of life to be held at a later date and a different place. A memorial service can be held right after a burial or cremation, or at any time your family would find convenient.
  
  
• Decide on a final resting place. Whether you are to be buried or cremated, you have options. You can be laid to rest in a traditional cemetery, with a headstone or marker, or you can have a woodland burial, with a tree or flowers to mark your resting place. You can have ashes scattered, placed in an urn to be kept by a loved one, put into a biodegradable urn to be planted in a garden, made into keepsakes for loved ones or buried in a cemetery.
  
  
• Choose a religious or secular service. The type of service you have might be very important to you, or you may not have strong feelings about it. Your service should reflect your beliefs and your life, and a secular service can be just as meaningful as a religious one, so it is worth giving it some thought, no matter what you believe. Think about the person you would like to conduct your service, and make a note of it in your plan.
  
  
• Determine your budget and provider. This is optional but can be helpful. Prepaying is also optional, but it can lock in today’s rates for a funeral in the future, which may save your family some money.
  
  
• Make your service your own. There are plenty of options for personalisation of a funeral. Beyond choosing the officiant, you can choose the location for your service and whether or not to have hospitality after the service. Choose which readings and songs that you would like to have sung or read, and by whom. Think about who should be involved in your service, including attendees, pallbearers, eulogisers, photographers, caterers and so on. Decide on flowers and decorations, and think about any items you would like displayed, like photographs, portraits and items that represent your interests. Do you want a memorial video? What parts of your life should be highlighted? Which people would you like to have mentioned? What is your preferred funeral style? Would you like a horse-drawn funeral? Does former service warrant a military funeral? Discuss your options with your funeral director, and you may discover options you did not know existed.
  
  
• Decide about whether you want your family to visit the Chapel of Rest. Some families find it comforting to have this opportunity to say goodbye, but if you prefer to have people remember you as you were when you were alive, you can forego this.

Founded in 2002 by Nigel Gillard, Bridgwater Funeral Services Limited, in the centre of Bridgwater, Somerset, is a family business that provides personal service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nigel has been working in the funeral business for over 15 years, and his daughter Corrinne Foster, who is the highest qualified Funeral Director in the area, assists in running the business. We are committed to taking care of all funeral arrangements, welcoming our clients into a professional, friendly environment, with a luxurious waiting room and a beautiful Chapel of Rest. We offer Green and Woodland burials, horse-drawn funerals, military funerals and services in all religious denominations as well as non-religious and humanist life celebrations. We also offer low-cost funerals and Golden Charter pre-paid funeral plans. If you have queries about the services we offer, or you just need help and advice, please do not hesitate to call us at 01278 457755, pop into our office on Bristol Road, or contact us through our website.