Types of Funeral Services Available In Australia

Even the thought of arranging a funeral event for a loved one can fill anybody with stress. But this also remains as a bitter fact that death is foreseeable and one has to remain strong enough to face this loss and bid farewell to the deceased with a grand funeral event.

In Australia, different kinds of funerals are available and in all of them, the funeral director holding expertise in Christian funerals chosen by you will help right from the beginning to the end. Knowing about the types will help you decide which one to go with and which one fits inside your budget comfortably.

Traditional Funeral-

• This is also given the name of “full funeral” and according to the experts; this event begins with a funeral ceremony held in a church or chapel.
• This main ceremony is followed by burial or cremation (as opted by the deceased or decided by the family of the deceased) at a pre-booked cemetery plot.
• Here the funeral directors are given the responsibility of delivering professional, flawless service and make it easier to say “goodbye”.

Direct Burial–

• Experts specialising in Christian funeral service outline say that as compared to the traditional funeral, this is a rather affordable option.
• The reason is that in this kind of event, no funeral ceremony is arranged and the body is directly buried.
• In this kind of event, the family members only have to pay for transporting the body and burying or cremating it.

Cremation–

• This method has become immensely popular in the past one decade because it is a less time and money consuming option.
• In this kind of event, the body of the deceased is disposed by burning into ashes.
• This can also be made a part of funeral services, but this will become an expensive option as compared to direct cremation that is very similar to direct burial and hence, affordable as well.

Coffin Or Casket – What Is Used More In Christian Funerals?

A very important part of the process of Christian funerals is arranging a casket or a coffin. Some people don’t know the difference between them and what they are concerned about is only that they have to get one.

This is why we have written this post that helps you understand these two separate things and the difference between them.

Coffin vs. Casket – What’s the Difference?

According to the experts of funeral homes, there are several differences between them and a major one is that the coffins are wider at the top, around the shoulders and taper down towards the feet.

On the other hand, there are caskets that are more rectangular in shape and often have a split lid. The main advantage of this lid is that only half of the lid or cover can be opened for viewing and other process during Christian funerals.

Which Is More Popular In Australia?

The experts of reputed funeral homes will help you with Christian funeral service outline process and always recommend you to go with a coffin.

The same is more popular in Australia and so much that 80 out of 100 people choose a coffin over a casket.

There are no reasons researched or studied about the same and people say that they choose what their forefathers picked for their forefathers.

Is There Any Difference In The Price Of Coffin And Casket?

The cost of a coffin is much lower as compared to the cost of the casket and this might be another reason behind people preferring them over caskets.

However, the reason given by them, i.e. mentioned above sounds more realistic and primary than this price factor.

The shape of a coffin is octagonal and hence, less material and effort as well as time is consumed in its manufacturing and this fact makes them more cost-effective.

Do you know how arrangements are made in different Christian Funerals.

Some Crucial Tips for Choosing and Using Pre-Paid Funerals Plans

Upon getting in touch with the staff of a funeral home, you will come across a w whole plethora of pre-arranged funeral services. Now the point is that those looking to make money will try and convince you to avail all of them as this way, they will be in profit.

However, you need to be very selective and ensure that you get only those needed by you rather than opting for a particular package made by them.

In fact, the rules too say that you have the right to get only the services needed by you rather than the entire package.

However, there are some tips for choosing and using pre-paid funeral plans and here in this post,

we have a look at some of them. These tips are basically the questions to ask to the funeral homes and some of them are –

Does the plan allow you to choose your funeral director?

• According to the experts of pre-arranged funeral services, a good funeral plan allows you to make this choice.
• Other than this, you need to ensure that the plans offered to you include a contribution to third party costs and this could also include disbursements.
• This would mainly include the fee of the doctor or the minister and here, an important thing to know is that these costs are outside the fee of the funeral director.
• Experts say that if the plans offered too you are restricting you from making contributions to the third party fees, you will have to rethink about choosing it.

Where Is Your Payment Held?

• According to the experts of pre-arranged funeral services, you need to make sure that the money is fully secure.
• Experts say that you need to further ask as to what if the funeral director goes out of the business or what if the person dies abroad.
• Furthermore, as a user, you also need to check whether you are able to transfer your plan to a new funeral director.
• You should check carefully that you have the appropriate level of cover depending on your travel needs.

HOW DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHRISTIAN FUNERALS ARE CARRIED OUT?

Important events of life, the birth, the wedding and the death, all are very auspicious in all religions and cultures and people from all sects and cultures take them personally.

The same is the situation with Christians and in this post, we will discuss Christian funerals and how they differ from funeral services offered in other religions and sects, to understand this in a better manner, we have to first understand that Christian religion has two parts, i.e. the catholic and the protestants.

So in this post, we will try and understand both these groups and their traditions related to Christian funerals.

Catholic Funerals:

• According to reputed Christian funerals service provider in Penrith, the type of event of a catholic funeral could be anything from a casual to a formal event.
• In this event, you will observe that the mass is generally organised before burial and friends and family are welcomed and encouraged to come.
• During this event of “Mass”, the priest will chant some hymns from their sacred books and the loved ones will light candles, and the congregation will pray together.
• Then, its food time, where the family of the deceased arranges food for all the guests either at the home or at the funeral home.
• In most cases, graveside services are very common and there is nothing objectionable in following along with the funeral procession from the funeral home to the graveside.
• This is generally done to show support for the family and respect to the deceased.

Protestant Funerals:

• Those who are not Catholics are called Protestants and this could include a number of beliefs like Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Church of God, and many others.
• The essence of funeral services are almost the same in all of them, but one thing that differentiates them from each other is the formality of the services.
• You will find some of them staying very strict towards the outlined rules, while some are found performing the formalities in a free manner.
• For example – Any suit or dress appropriate for church services will be suitable funeral attire.
• During the service, which usually lasts between 30 minutes and one hour, the minister will read scriptures and lead the congregation in prayer.

USEFUL TIPS RELATED TO THE SELECTION OF FUNERAL MUSIC

There was a time when selecting funeral music meant that you will have to look at the playlist provided by the chosen funeral home.

However, things have changed drastically and because funeral homes have started offering tailor-made services, the options in terms of funeral music have increased a lot.

Now the funeral music can of the choice of the family member or it could be the music or songs that the deceased used to hear the most.

But still, there are a number of things to keep in mind while choosing the funeral music and here are some of them.

FIVE TIPS FOR SELECTING FUNERAL MUSIC OR SONGS:

Think About The Person You Are Memorializing:

• As said above, this happens to be easiest method of selecting funeral music or songs as in this case; you will simply have to remind yourself about the music that the deceased used to hear the most.
• Because the time has changed, one good thing has happened is that the funeral music you select does not have to be traditional “funeral music”.
• Alternatively, you can choose anything that you think will honour the deceased and the same is the case with funeral stationery too.

Decide What Type Of Tone You Would Like To Set

• Choosing funeral music for a funeral event can become simple by one one more method that you simply have to listen to the songs you are considering with that in mind.
• Depending upon the mood that you want to set during the event, you can choose the funeral music accordingly.

Consult With Family Members

• Yes, this is another method that would simplify the entire process of choosing, not just the funeral music, but also the funeral stationery.
• Being the family members of the deceased, they will definitely have suggestions that you wouldn’t have thought of.

Ideally, the funeral songs and music you select should:

• Honour Your Loved One
• Set The Tone For The Service
• Help The Mourners Reflect On The Life Of The Person Being Memorialized
• Offer Comfort In A Time Of Grief
• Be Meaningful To The Deceased

Other than this, the selection process can be made simple by understanding the lyrics or the words of the funeral music chosen by you. This way, you will be able to decide as to which songs relate the most with the deceased.

Dress Codes Related Dos and Don’ts for Christian Cremations and Funerals

As you decide to visit a funeral ceremony or attend a Christian cremation, ideally, your attempt should be to stay as conservative as possible. Therefore, the best solution is to stay with the basics and wear black dress to show respect to the deceased as well as the event. This means that you should entirely avoid any bright colours, flashy prints, and glittery fabrics. But this is only the basic information and there are a number of dos and don’ts to follow regarding these events. Here in this post, we take a look at some do’s and don’ts regarding what to wear during Christian cremations and funerals.

What to Wear to a Funeral: Dos and Don’ts

DO:

• While visiting Christian cemeteries, you need to consider where and when the service is to be held.
• For example – a memorial service at a beach will be more casual than a service at a place of worship.

Use Common Sense:

• When you are visiting the funeral ceremony of someone whom you know to be quite formal, it’s beneficial to get attire that is more conservative.

Ask for Advice

• If you are kind of confused because no dress cede has been recommended, you should not hesitate from asking an immediate family member of the deceased about the dress code.
• This very information can also be fetched from a funeral director or the officials of the chosen Christian cemeteries.
• There are cases that the deceased had some specific requirements and this information could be shared only a family member or the appointed funeral director.
• For example, someone with a hearty sense of humour may have specified in his or her funeral plan that they would like everyone to wear green.

What Not To Wear To a Funeral or a Christian Cremation?

DON’TS:

• Don’t pick this time to be a rebel
• Never under dress and step away from the flip flops!
• Don’t forget why you are there and show respect to the deceased

Some Etiquette That You Should Know About Funerals and Christian Cremations

Visiting Christian cemeteries for cremations and funerals is a serious affair and something that you should never take seriously. There are a number of etiquette’s to follow and at the same time, it has to be ensured that nobody’s sentiments are jolted by your actions. To make sure that no offence is done, it is important for you to read this post that has some tips and etiquette’s to follow.

What to Wear?

• According to the experts, whether they are funerals or Christian cremations, the best option in terms of colour is black or something dark.
• This could include a number of other shades as well like blues, greys, browns, etc., but at the same time, you have to be dressed really simply and conservatively.
• As a man, you should ideally flaunt a jacket and a tie paired with dress shoes.
• But if you are a woman, your best options are a simple dress or just a simple suit and the jewellery should be really simple and minimum too.

What to Say?

• Some people don’t really find the right words to show their sympathy to the breed family or it is simply not getting the right feel or mood to express their grief over this loss.
• This is a very common and a serious problem and therefore, we have tried to address it here and experts from Christian cemeteries say that to begin, offer your condolences to the family.
• However, if you are comfortable, share a memory of the deceased that you have in your mind.

What Not to Say?

• The bigger question is what not to say at funerals or Christian cremations and the answer is really simple that you should not speak anything that could hurt the family or increase their pain.
• Condolences are alright, but you should stop yourself from saying that the passing away was good because the deceased was so much in pain or he/she was suffering from an incurable disease.

Tips on Funerals Services Attire

If this is the first time that you are attending funeral services, getting confused about a number of things is very obvious. One of the biggest confusions lies regarding the attire to wear in the event and in this regards, experts from funeral homes have different recommendations to make. The post that you read here will give you an idea of what options you have in terms of funeral attire.

The First Guideline Is What Does the Family Want

• In case, you have received some recommendations or guidelines about the dress code, the things would be very clear to understand.
• In some cases, it happens that along with the invitation, there comes some guidelines regarding the dress code and it is expected from you to follow it without fail.
• Often, the dress code is something that deceased loved to wear or something related to the profession of the deceased or dresses based on his/her favourite colour.
• Sometimes, when the family thinks that it is an occasion to celebrate the life of the deceased, they will send instruction to wear clothes of bright colours rather than plain black or traditionally used colours.

The Second Guideline Is To Be Respectful In What You Wear

• Experts say that if you have received no instructions related to dress code, you are free to wear anything, but the attire chosen should be respectful.

The Third Guideline Is Don’t Draw Attention to Yourself By What You Wear

• Showing respect to the deceased during funerals services is one thing and it can also be done by wearing clothes in a formal manner.
• The idea is to avoid wearing anything fancy or bizarre or something that will pull everybody’s attention during funeral services and this again brings us to choosing traditional attire over any type of experimentation.

Two of the Most Popular Funeral Services and Their Features

The time has changed completely and now memorial as well as funeral services can be customised and made unique to match the uniqueness of the deceased. For this, the funeral home as well as the family has to discuss thoroughly on every matter to find out the best ways to celebrate the life of the deceased in true terms.

Basically, it is the role of the family to choose the service and the funeral home plays its role by defining the details of that service to the family. In this post, we discuss the two top kinds of funerals services offered by these service providers.

Traditional Funeral Services

• This type often involves the body placed in the casket that could be open or close and this moment is assumed as a time for the family to gather with friends and relatives.
• This gathering is done to celebrate the life of the deceased and is followed by some other services that can take place either in the church or at the funeral home or at the location decided by the deceased.
• In most cases, traditional services usually end with a graveside service at a cemetery.

Traditional Followed by Cremation

• This service takes place while the body is kept inside the casket that could be opened or closed and the visitation program is held.
• Experts say that this program could take place in the church, in the funeral home, at the place decided by the deceased or at the place chosen by the family of the deceased.
• After the visitation is completed and also all other events, the body is forwarded for cremation and once, cremation is over, the family can choose to have a graveside service or keep the cremains.
• Funeral homes can do all services in one day (traditional service in the morning, followed by cremation, followed by burial of cremains in afternoon).

Why Funeral Services Penrith Are So Important?

If you still believe that funeral services Penrith are a kind of unnecessary expenses, continue reading this post as it will give you some deep insights of the importance of this service. The fact about the same is that they are required to satisfy a number of needs and some of them have been discussed here in this post.

Acknowledge the Death

• One of the top reasons why these funeral services Penrith are required is that they help in acknowledgement of the reality of the death.
• This is generally done in two different phases where one is understanding it in your mind and the second is acknowledging it inside your heart and moving on with it.
• This is where the services offered by funeral homes come into play as they help you do this really slowly and comfortably.

Understand The Pain Of Loss

• According to the experts of funeral homes, another reason why you should not skip funeral services at all is that they will help in expressing your grief.
• Yes, this is a fact that funeral services Penrith provide a setting for openly expressing your sadness.

Helps in Remembrance

• Another reason behind seeking these services is that they help in remembrance of the deceased and will help you in sifting the relationship with the deceased.
• According to the experts of funeral homes, funeral services Penrith encourage you to begin this shift like the eulogy that highlights the major events in the life of the deceased and prompts memories.

Some Other Reasons Why Funeral Services Penrith Are So Important –

• They help in developing a new self-identity
• They help in searching for a new meaning
• They help in receiving ongoing support from others