Planning a loved one’s funeral is exhausting, depressing, frustrating, and, at times, chaotic. Some people may plan out their own funerals to save their loved ones from the heavy burden it carries. Other times, the funeral may require rushed planning after a sudden death—which can stress out the family even more. No matter how much time you have to chart out a funeral and pay for the expenses, it’s important to cover these crucial considerations for families when planning a funeral above all else.
Gather Family Members To Split Up the Work
The very first step you should take after a loved one passes away is to contact the closest members of the family and ask for help with the funeral preparations. A funeral is never something that one person should handle on their own—financially or mentally. You may also contact members of the family who have planned a funeral before to ask for advice. They may have suggestions for funeral parlors, churches, or cemeteries if the late loved one didn’t pick any out before passing.
If you’re the one in charge of the funeral preparations, it’s okay to take the largest chunk of work for yourself—you want the funeral to go perfectly to earnestly honor the life of the deceased. Split up smaller jobs, such as catering, contacting speakers, or working on decorations, for other family members.
Schedule Speakers and Events
A funeral should be a day-long celebration of your loved one’s life and their effect on others. In addition to a viewing and burial, the funeral you plan should include speeches and activities that honor you’re the deceased’s memory. Funerary activities may include:
- Home video watching
- A slideshow or video of the deceased’s life in snapshots
- A round-table discussion of the late loved one’s effects
- Listing your loved one’s achievements
- Ancestry tracing
- Group prayer
Include any events you plan on the invitations to the funeral so that visitors can choose the best time to attend the services. Coping with grief is often easier with other people—these events may help the entire family feel closer.
Decide on the Memorial
The final moments of a funeral are often for the burial service. If your loved one wanted a cemetery burial, perfecting their monument is an essential consideration for families when planning a funeral. Choose the perfect monument that will stand the test of time, and have your funeral planning group determine the best-fitting epitaph.
Avoid spending money on gravestone additions that you can install on your own. A memorial picture frame for headstones that displays a durable ceramic photograph of your loved one is one such item. Purchasing a ceramic photo outside of the monument-maker or funeral home and installing it yourself can save you money that you can either save or spend on the rest of the funeral.
At MemorialPics, our priority is ensuring that you receive the exact same high-quality ceramic image that the funeral home would sell you—but at a more affordable price. Lower your funeral costs without lowering the quality, and you’ll lower the stress of funeral planning.