Answering Two Important Questions Regarding Pre-Paid Funerals Plans

Often people counter the idea of pre-planning the funeral ceremony, but this is a fact that this gives an immense peace of mind to the family. Moreover, the person opting for pre-paid funerals plans can also be relaxed thinking that the family will not have to take this burden of funeral arrangement and that all the desires related to this last ceremony would be fulfilled in an appropriate manner.

A number of questions are there in the minds of the readers and here in this post, let us find answers to some of them.

What Are The Benefits Of Preplanning?

Pre-paid funerals plans as well as prearranged cremation services, both come with a whole plethora of benefits for the deceased as well the family of the deceased.

The first immediate benefit is related to the cost that status right inside the budget and then, hassles related to making arrangement also get over with pre-planning. Apart from this, the person can be relaxed because all the wishes regarding post-death ceremony are recorded in the contract letter and they will be implemented. The contract holder can go for deciding like –

• Your Choice Between Cremation And Burial
• Your Choice Of Service (Ex: Gathering, Visitation, Funeral And/Or Memorial Services)
• What Items You’d Like (Ex: Casket, Headstone, Cremation Urn)
• Personal Touches (Ex: Music At A Funeral Or Your Favourite Photos Displayed)
• This Ensures That Your Final Wishes Are Documented For Your Family To Carry Out

Can I Prepay?

In terms of making the payment, often people have to pre-fund it, but if you are planning to do so, it’s important to have a clear understanding of some factors.

The entire concept of prepaying depends upon the funeral home chosen by you and if there is a flexible payment plan, you can go for it. Apart from this, there will also be some terms and conditions to abide by in terms of prepayment for pre-paid funeral plans.

Important Funeral Services and Role of Funeral Directors in Them

When we talk about funeral related arrangements, the first thing to come to mind is the funeral services that we can avail from funeral directors. These professionals can be immensely helpful in terms of making funeral related arrangements, but mostly people fail to get the most out of them since they are not aware of their rights.

They are not aware of the services that funeral directors are responsible for rendering.

In this post, we have summed up some important funeral services that these professionals can offer.

Types Of Services Where They Can Be Immensely Helpful-

Experts say that apart from helping you arrange prepaid funeral plans, these funeral directors can help you in several other services such as –

• A gathering or visitation
• A religious ceremony
• Burial or placement in a final resting location (committal)
• A luncheon, brunch, or wake

Amongst all these services, gathering is something that can be held on the evening before the service or on the same day, but before the services. As far as the religious part of the ceremony is concerned, experts say that it can be held at the funeral home or at the desired place of worship of the family of the deceased.

Once religious services are over, the role of the funeral director is to direct the procession to the graveside, where the casket is lowered and the body is buried. If the family had opted for cremation, the ashes also known as cremains have to be buried and this can also take place right at that time only. With cremains, the family has some other options to keep the ashes at the home or scatter it in the fields or what the deceased wished for.

In all these events, the attendees can be a part of the funeral ceremony by sharing the memories of the deceased and this can be submitted in the form of a eulogy as well.

NON-RELIGIOUS FUNERALS SERVICE AND THE CONCEPT BEHIND IT

Civil or non-religious funerals are a perfect opportunity for friends and families to remember the deceased and to mourn or celebrate the life of the deceased.

This concept is slowing getting more and more popular but experts say that to get the best out of it, you will first have to understand the concept of non-religious funerals and the reasons behind its popularity.

Only then, it is possible that you will be able to get the fullest worth out of the investment.

What Is A Civil Or Non-Religious Funerals Service?

• According to the experts of non-religious funerals services, this ceremony is held with the goal of remembering the loved one who has just passed away.
• However, the different point her is that in this type of event, no religious traditions or belief, ideologies are followed.
• This means that in non-religious funerals, the religious belief of the person who has passed away is followed.
• But here too, the entire focus is on the belief and life of the person being remembered or celebrated, and their family and friends.

When Should Civil Or Non-Religious Funerals Service Be Held?

• As an answer to this question, every funeral director will say that this service can be held before or after the person’s final committal.

Where can a civil funeral service be held?

• Experts from different funeral homes say that this service can be held burial sites that are often referred to as ‘chapels’, crematoria venues, etc.
• There are numerous other places, where this event of non-religious funerals can be held and not to mention, the funeral homes too are an ideal location for these funeral ceremonies.

What’s included?

• The fact is that there are no religious processes or traditions included, but this could generally include blessings, prayers or hymns.
• Then, there is always a liberty of using all the creative and alternative ideas for the funeral service and you don’t have to stick to any set customs or rituals.
• These non-religious funerals can include the songs, words, music and other tributes that reflect the life of the person who died, but won’t include prayers or hymns.

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.

Understand the Concept of Non-Religious Funerals and Reasons Behind Its Popularity

Planning a funeral for a loved one has always been one of the hardest tasks and this becomes even harder when the case is of non-religious funerals. The reasons that there are no hard and fast rules and this makes the organiser, the proprietor of everything or the final decision-maker.

Here in this post, we have covered some important aspects of non-religious funerals and the top inclusions in these events.

What Are Humanist or Non-Religious Funerals?

• According to the experts of pre paid funerals, just like any other event, it is a very personal funeral event, where the family celebrates the entire life of the deceased.
• There are some differences and one major difference is that there isn’t any reference to religion included and the entire focus would be on the funeral services.
• This means that these non-religious funerals focus entirely upon the life of the deceased rather than the religion followed by the same.
• Other than this, it can be said that this would include a focus on life, nature and creative ways in which, we may say our final goodbyes.

Why is This Type Becoming More Popular?

In the past one decade, this type of funeral service has become hugely popular across the globe. This has got numerous reasons behind this and this segment of this blog post discusses some of them.

• The first reason is that you will not have to class yourself as a humanist or a non-religious human being while using non-religious funerals.
• There will be no challenges related to choosing a hymn, holding the funeral service in a church and conforming to saying religious words.
• With this service, the celebration of the life of the deceased can be done in a number of ways.
• This is the only option that people have who don’t have faith in any religion.
• The arrangements can be made just the way you would like to remember them.

Important Points on Selecting a Funerals Services Partner

When it comes to selecting funeral directors and their funeral services, there are a number of things to decide upon. According to the experts of reputed funeral homes, for this, any person would require their services as a matter of fact that the arrangements are very complex and require a number of things. In this post, we will initially have a look at the things to decide and then, we will see the areas where funeral homes should specialise in.

The First Thing to Decide

• As soon as a person passes away, the first step you need to take is calling the chosen funeral home, if the deceased had already chosen it for funerals services.
• Now, if there is no will or wishes as such regarding the type of the last ceremony, you will have to decide which one to pick from a funeral and cremation.
• At the same time, you will be given this duty of deciding where this last ceremony would be held and the options would be at the crematorium, church or any place of worship.

In all these things, you will require the assistance of the funeral director as he will have hands-on experience conducting funeral services adhering to Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu, Orthodox, Sikh, Islamic and several other beliefs. A very notable advantage of choosing a reputed partner for funeral services is that with the, you will avail the most expert services related to funerals. Whatever cultural themes your deceased may have opted to, they will make sure that the wishes of the deceased are met and they will also help you in whatever selection, you are required to do.

Their Specialized areas should be –

Arranging Funeral

• The funeral services partner should assure you about a meaningful funeral ceremony by creating the desired environment to say finally the “goodbye”.

Funeral pre-planning

• They should help you save money by helping you make decisions related to pre-paid funeral services and so on.

Religious Service

• They should be the experts in conducting compliant funeral arrangements adhering to specific belief.

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