In life, we will inevitably lose our loved ones along the way, as the aging process happens to us all. Whether your parent or another family member has sadly passed away, you may be accountable for planning their funeral. Understandably, the process can seem overwhelming; however, there are lots of strategies that can help you plan a dignified and respectful funeral for your loved one, such as those listed below.
Plan Ahead
When organizing a funeral for your loved one, you will need to establish whether they have a pre-paid funeral plan in place. The average funeral cost in the United States can be up to $12,000, so if you need to cover the funeral yourself, you must get your finances in order first. You can get help from Baldwin Brothers who are experts in offering some planning tools to ensure the funeral runs smoothly. Baldwin Brothers offer competitive packages and prices on funerals and cremations which can help to keep costs down.
Choose a Type of Service
One of the most important things you must do when planning a funeral is choose the right service. You may have had discussions with your loved one before their passing on how they want proceedings to take place. Whether this means a cremation, burial, or a religious funeral, you should have an idea of what service to go with. If you aren’t sure, make sure you speak to relatives who can guide you.
Select a Date and Venue
Understandably, there will be lots of people who will want to attend your loved one’s funeral to pay their respects. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be restrictions in place in terms of how many people can attend the service. You must select a date and venue for the ceremony that works with the kind of funeral service you want. If you have any doubts, you can speak to your funeral director for advice.
Arrange Transport
Regardless of what kind of funeral service you choose, you will need to organize transport to carry your loved one from the funeral home to their final resting place. In most cases, it’s best to communicate your preferences to your funeral director who will handle the transportation side of things. You will want to give your loved one a dignified funeral service, so whether you opt for an alternate mode of transport that reflects their character, or stick to a hearse, you must discuss transportation with family members.
Ask for Help
Planning a funeral for the first time can be incredibly daunting. On top of grieving for your loved one, having to organize funeral proceedings can take its toll. If you struggle along the way, you must reach out for help from family and friends. Make sure you look after yourself in the run up to the funeral by getting enough sleep and speaking about your feelings and concerns.
When losing a loved one for the first time, you may not know where to start in regards to planning their funeral. The tips above should give you more clarity on what you need to sort out beforehand, meaning your loved one is respectfully laid to rest.
These are great tips. I planned my nephew’s funeral for my brother and sister in law and was hard and unexpected. I am happy people offered help!
It’s so good that people banded together to help.
This is something that I have never had to do. I don’t think I would even know where to start without useful posts like this one.
Thank you, hopefully it’s not something you need to do anytime soon.
No matter how prepared you think you are this is a very trying time. We just went through it. I think planning ahead (if you can) is imperative for your sanity.
Very true.
These are wonderful tips and appreciate your sharing as we never want to think of these things but it is inevitable and being prepared is always a plus.
Being prepared, I find, really helps.
Having lost many loved ones, I know that it is extremely difficult to plan a funeral on the fly while also grieving the loss of a family member. I understand many people are planning their own funerals in advance these days.
Yeah, many people have started planning their own as to not burden others.