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How to plan a funeral for someone

How to Plan a Funeral for Someone

Knowing where to start planning a funeral is often very challenging and can be very stressful, especially if you have never planned a funeral before. To alleviate some stress, we’ll be going through some key information about how to plan a funeral for someone.

Kenna and Turner Independent Funeral Directors specialise in providing caring and professional funeral services in areas around the North West of England. When it comes to selecting a funeral director, the wide array of people vying for your attention can be quite overwhelming so trust us in helping with every step of the funeral process.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one, whether it be a sudden death or otherwise, there can be a whole host of details that need to be sorted out over a short period of time.

Planning a funeral is also an area which a lot of people, quite understandably, do not have much understanding of, and so Kenna and Turner want to make sure that you have all of the information available to you about what you need to know when planning a funeral.

To try and alleviate some of the stress that you may be experiencing following the death of a loved one, we’ll be going through some key information about how to plan a funeral, how long do you have to plan a funeral, as well as some information about funeral planning on a budget. If you still have questions, or simply need help with any aspect of funeral planning, then please feel free to call us on 0151 638 4444.


Planning A Funeral When Death Is Near

In some instances where a friend and/or loved one is in a situation where death may be imminent, it can be a good idea to make funeral plans in advance.

While some people avoid this due to them thinking that it can be quite a morbid notion, it can be massively helpful to have a funeral plan established in some form before they die to help alleviate some of the stress when they pass, thus allowing you more time to spend grieving. Planning ahead of time gives you more control when the inevitable sadly occurs.

How To Plan A Funeral Service Checklist In The Event Of A Death

Here we will go through some general arrangements that you will likely have two go through after a loved one dies.

  • Contact Appropriate People and Institutions – This is naturally the first thing that needs to be done, reaching out to the decease’s close-ones as well as necessary parties who will withdraw the deceased from the place in which they passed. The deceased will then have been confirmed as dead and moved to a local funeral home. Typically, the first port of call when someone dies will be either local law enforcement (if you can found the deceased yourself), an attending physician/coroner, family members, legal representatives of the deceased, or a funeral director directly.
  • Assess Any Pre-Arrangements – In some instances, a deceased person may have left some form of pre-arrangements and pre-paid for their funeral. You may have to check their personal residence for any evidence of this and/or contact their personal lawyer if applicable.
  • Meet with a Funeral Director – During a meeting with a funeral director, you will begin to arrange the funeral service itself, going through the details of how the deceased will be cared for and if they want to be cremated or buried. In some instances the funeral director may be able to sort out details such as a burial plot; however, this is dependent upon the specific funeral director’s services.
  • Choose the Funeral Items – It will be necessary for you to select items such as the coffin that the deceased will occupy, the tombstone (if applicable), and any memorial items you would like to commemorate the deceased.
  • Handling of the Deceased’s Estate – Sorting out the terms of a deceased person’s estate, as well as any outstanding affairs of the deceased, can be conducted with the help of the deceased’s lawyer in most circumstances. The funeral director may also be able to advise you as to how to proceed with sorting out the deceased’s estate in some instances.

How Much Do Funerals Cost?

When you lose a loved one, money can be the last thing that you want to be thinking about, but it is a sadly unavoidable part of a funeral. Broadly speaking funerals are unavoidably expensive affairs, and people often do not have financial preparations set aside for such an occurrence.

For some people, there are private and/or public assets available to help in such situations, as funerals can generally cost a couple of thousand pounds — with cremations typically being cheaper than funerals.

In the event of needing financial assistance with paying for a funeral when funeral insurance is not an option, funeral trusts, funeral loans, crowdfunding, or state/federal financial assistance can all be viable options to raise the funds.

It is also worth noting that an expensive funeral does not naturally translate to a “better” funeral. Funeral planning soon a budget is something that a lot of individuals have to experience, and there is no shame in thinking about finances in relation to a funeral. A funeral is about making sure that your loved one is sent off from this world with their loved ones, and so the things that you say at a funeral, the music choices, and the actions of the people there are what make a funeral a respectful send-off.

How To Plan A Cremation Funeral

There is a common misconception that, if you are choosing a cremation funeral for your loved one, that standard funeral practices cannot be put in place. However, there are still a whole host of forms of memorials that can take place with a cremation funeral, including the likes of:

  • Funeral service (with or without viewing the deceased) with the cremation to follow.
  • Memorial service held at a funeral home or church followed by the internment of the deceased’s ashes.

Additionally, the act of spreading the deceased’s ashes in a location that meant a lot to them is a practice that a lot of people find to be a perfect memorial to their loved ones. This should all show you that cremation does not need to be a less personal and/or respectful form of funeral compared to a “traditional” funeral.

Hopefully, this information will have given you an overview of the sorts of things that you may need to be considering when it comes to planning a funeral. However, for more detailed insights into any one of these steps, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kenna and Turner Independent Funeral Directors on 0151 638 4444 or email us at info@kennaandturner.co.uk.

For Funeral Directors in Greasby, Moreton, or Anywhere in the Wirral, Get in Touch with our Friendly Team

We can provide funerals across the whole of the Wirral peninsula, ensuring that your loved one gets the funeral that they deserve. We can ensure that the funeral is within whatever borough you desire, making sure that everything from the funeral itself to the wake afterwards are kept close within the town or village boundaries you desire.

0151 638 4444