Preparing your own funeral plans may not be at the top of your to-do list, but it does offer many personal and financial benefits. Aside from giving you control over your body and final arrangements, it also takes care of an unpleasant task for your family after your passing.
When considering your funeral arrangements, there are many decisions to make about your memorial service and estate to ensure your End-of-Life Plan is carried out according to your wishes.
Why Should I Plan My Own Funeral Arrangements?
How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
- Transportation costs
- Casket or urn
- Cemetery plot, grave marker/monument, vault, and grave opening and closing
- Crematorium or scattering services
- Memorial service and flowers
- Obituary
Who Do I Want to Be in Charge of My Arrangements?
What Do I Want Done with My Remains?
Is there a cemetery that has special meaning to you, or a location where previous family members have been interred?
- Storing them in a meaningful place or in a columbarium
- Scattering them in a place of your choosing
- Burying them
- Other non-traditional options for disposing of your remains (e.g. being planted as a tree)
What Kind of Memorial Service Do I Want?
- A wake: family and friends gather to pay tribute to you and share memories in a family member’s home or a hall.
- Viewing: family and friends come together to view your body.
- Ceremony or funeral: a formal or informal ceremony is held in a place of your choosing (funeral home, church, community hall, outside). This type of service may include prayers, a slideshow, eulogies, music, or a sermon.
Additionally, if you are preplanning a service, you may also want to specify:
- Who will be your pallbearers
- If you want specific people informed of your death and/or funeral service
- Who will deliver eulogies, or facilitate the service
- Where you would like guests to forward their donations