Hello, my name is Damian. Until last year, I had never planned a funeral. However, when both of my parents passed away within weeks of each other, I suddenly had to plan two. I was experiencing such grief that I didn't know where to start. Thankfully, my friend put me in touch with a fantastic funeral home who guided me through the entire process. They looked after the bodies, recommended a church and helped to arrange transport for guest. I decided to start this blog to help others who need to plan a funeral. I hope you find the information useful.
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When somebody close to you passes away, your mind will be in turmoil. You may have been somewhat prepared for this ill-fated day, but emotions may still take over and you may not know what to do next. As the next of kin or designated survivor, however, you will need to focus your mind soon as there is a lot of work to do. After all, you have to make plans for the funeral and will need to get in touch with those who can handle most of the arrangements. As you may never have done anything like this before, of course, how can you prepare for your first meeting with the funeral director?
Support
Ideally, you will have other members of the family and some close friends nearby who can provide you with some support at this difficult time. Perhaps you should ask one of them to go along with you to make it easier and to give you an element of moral support.
Before you go, however, make sure that you get a copy of the will, as this may well contain some of their wishes in relation to the funeral itself. You may be the executor but if not, talk with the person who has been given this position and, if necessary, bring them along to the meeting with the funeral director. They may have to sign off against some financial decisions or other matters.
Plan
Before you go and meet with funeral directors, sit down with the rest of the family and with people who were close to the deceased so that you can discuss the funeral and come up with a plan. Some people will want to have their input while others may not, but it may help them to achieve a sense of closure in some respects.
Registration
The death is, of course, a registrable event, and this information will need to be recorded with the relevant government authority. The funeral director will typically be able to help generate this paperwork and provide any guidance if you have any questions.
Specifics
Don't forget to take any relevant information to the meeting, and make the director aware of any specific wishes. For example, the deceased may want to be buried with a personal item or two, or they may want the funeral service to follow a certain format.
Reach out
Don't be afraid to talk with your funeral director in advance of any meeting if you want to clarify anything. They are very experienced and will always have an answer to your question.
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