Funeral Planning Basics

Funeral planning for cremations services may be a bit bewildering if this is the first time you are you doing it. You may not know exactly where to start. You may not have any idea what things you need to do to plan a loved one’s funeral or your own funeral in advance of your death.

Here’s a brief primer that should help you get a better understanding of the basic elements of a funeral.

When you’re planning a funeral, the first decision you’ll need to make is what your final disposition will be. You may not even know what kind of options you have.

A couple of the most common final disposition options are burials underground or entombment in mausoleums and cremations with underground burial, storage in a columbarium, or inurnment. Once you’ve made a decision about final disposition, the next thing that needs to be done is choosing a casket or an urn.

You will need a grave marker of some kind if you choose a final disposition method that involves burial, storage, or entombment. You will need to specify what information you want included on the marker.

If you choose burial, you need to decide where that will be. The most common locations for burial are church graveyards, family cemeteries, or public cemeteries. Your funeral director can help you determine which options are available for you or your loved one.

Next, you need to think about whether you want a service. If you do, then you need to detail what kinds of things you want included in the service. If you are planning a service for your loved one, include things that would be meaningful to them. If you’re planning a service for yourself, then make sure the service reflects your personality, interests, and tastes.

There are many kinds of funeral services that you or your loved one can have. Traditional funeral services are always a good option since they contain rituals that are familiar to everyone.

If you or your loved one honorably served in the United States military, you or your loved one are entitled to military honors from the Department of Veterans Affairs. You simply need to take the military discharge orders (Form DD-214) to the funeral home with you and let the funeral director know you want military honors.

The funeral director will coordinate everything from there, including burial or inurnment at a national cemetery if that is one of the military funeral honors you want to take advantage of for your loved one or for yourself.

You definitely want to write your obituary or your loved one’s obituary, although the funeral director is available to help you polish it before it’s published on the funeral home website. Make your loved one’s life or your life memorable through the words you write as you tell the story of a unique life.

Choose the clothes that your loved one or you will wear. Even if your loved one or you are being cremated, you will be cremated wearing clothes (to protect your dignity and honor). While it used to be traditional to dress up for a funeral or cremation, you have the freedom to choose any clothing that suits you.

The funeral home can help you finalize the funeral plans you’ve decided upon for your loved one or yourself. They are experts in every aspect of funeral planning, so they will make sure that nothing is left out or forgotten and that everything goes smoothly.

If you need more information about planning cremations services, you can depend on our compassionate and experienced team at Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home to help you.