Useful Funeral Tips and Facts

Funeral service is one of the biggest purchases a person will make. People should take their time and not be pressured into buying funeral services that they don't need or want and that they may end up spending years to pay off. To help our customers to make smarter choices when negotiating for funeral arrangements, we recommends following a few guidelines:

Talk about funeral with family members ahead of time:

So that they all will aware of your wishes and you will know their wishes. If your plans are mentioned only in a will, the will may not be read until long after other arrangements have been made.

Price shop by phone or in person:

Price-shopping can saves you thousands of dollars. The funeral service in your neighborhood may be three times as expensive as one across town. By law, funeral services have to give you prices over the phone, or hand you a General Price List when you start talking about prices at the funeral service.

Only buy what you want:

If you are shopping for a funeral at the time of death take a friend with you, someone who will help you be sure you buy only what you want. Don’t buy more than you intended out of guilt. People often think that how much they spend is a demonstration of how much they love someone. Enjoy making your own traditions. A unique and personalized funeral observance is what others will remember.

Consider the “direct burial” or “immediate cremation” packages:

These plans are not necessitate buying grand caskets, embalming, cosmetic touch ups, or funeral services and processions. Cemetery space for cremated remains is generally less expensive than the space needed for a body burial. Cremated remains can be buried or scattered almost wherever you choose. Also, if you choose one of these options, you don’t need to use a local funeral service which might cost twice as much as the one in the next town.

Know the importance of the funeral:

There are a couple of reasons why funerals are important. The first is technical, funeral makes sure that a body is legally buried or cremated. The second reason is, it helps the family come to terms with the death. It is important to remember that a funeral is not for the dead, it is for the living.

Skip embalming. Embalming is not routinely required by law:

Some circumstances may hasty the need for embalming, but in no state is it necessary when burial or cremation is planned within a day or so.

Consider body donation to a medical school:

In some areas, there may be no cost to the family whatsoever. In some circumstances, the cost of transferring the body may be the only cost. Generally cremated remains will be send to the family within a year or two.

Some cemeteries may require a grave liner or vault, but not all:

There is no state law that does. If you prefer body burial, ask for a “grave liner” rather than a “coffin vault” at a fraction of the price. And again, be sure to shop around. The “outer burial container” is a way for morticians to increase their income and is an added burden on your funeral finances. With prices as much or more than caskets, remember that it is just a boxforthebox which gets quickly covered by the cemetery lawn.

Sympathy Flowers that Last Longer

For those who have lost a cherished, a funeral service is of extreme importance. Grief counselors will tell you that family and friends need a chance to get together to grieve for their loss and to share their love for and memories of the perished. It is very comforting to the family to have the company and sympathy of friends and relatives, especially during the first few days. The most appropriate expression of sympathy is the sending of funeral flowers, since flowers help the people to express feelings that are difficult to express. Flowers show respect for the dead. They also add warmth to the service and provide visual support. They create a pleasant atmosphere making the lamenters feel more comfortable. No matter what people say, no funeral service should be totally without flowers.

Flowers and greens have always played an important role in burial traditions. In ancient times family members used herbs to anoint the body of their cherished one, and they also held “wakes.” Family and friends would gather to guard the body. In some ancient cultures, “guarding the body” was necessary. In modern times the wake offers an opportunity for the grieving family to receive the condolences from friends and neighbors who might not be able to attend the actual funeral service or who might not get a chance to speak personally to the family members at the service. The wake also affords everyone an opportunity to view the flowers and read the enclosure cards.

Real Vs Artificial flowers:

The sender of the flowers usually makes the decision to use real or artificial flowers. Real flowers smell very sweet and give a comfortable feeling to the grieving. However, usually the sender states that they want a particular arrangement to go to a specific person and may want the flowers to last them for a while once in their home. Many times these flowers may have a candle or any other centerpiece included with them, which makes it ideal to choose artificial flowers.

If the sender knows if the person receiving the flowers likes real or artificial, that is a great way to solve that dilemma when buying sympathy flowers. The purpose is to give the grieving people something that can be enjoyed in their time of grief.

Best sympathy flowers:

The flowers that seems to be favored and have proven to be an adequate choice for sympathy flowers is those flowers that are composed of many different colors. It is amazing how many buying flowers for sympathy do not think of the colors of the flowers. Then again, there are many who do. Even something as simple as picking out your favorite colors can be adequate.

What is ideal is buying flowers that were the favorite colors of the perished, if that is known, and even finding out what their favorite flower was. If not known, pastels make a great choice and it is always safe to go with lilies and roses. A light pastel red makes a wonderful color of flower to show sympathy.

Best sympathy flowers are colorful flowers and it also should be a favorite flower of the perished. If not sure, then roses and lilies make a great choice. Whether or not to buy real flowers or artificial flowers depends on what you would like the recipient to use them for. If you wish to provide an comfortable environment , then the sweet aroma of real flowers can be quite soothing.

Making Funeral Plans for the First Time

When a cherished one dies, there are certain steps that must be taken to getting prepared for a Funeral Ceremony of a cherished one. These include contacting the funeral service, the florists, obituary publishers and etc....However, here are some steps to take when a cherished one does pass.

Death of Cherished one:

If your cherished one passes at home, you should contact a funeral service and be prepared to stay with the cherished one's body while several essential pieces of official business are completed. Usually, the funeral service will send their undertaker to your home to pronounce the official death and perform the necessary paper works before conveying the body to the funeral service. If the cherished one dies in a hospital, the nurses will prepare the body and let any family present to spend a few moments with their cherished one, and then have the body transferred to the morgue. From here, a funeral service will be contacted.

Funeral Services:

If your cherished one has passed without making specific arrangements, then the family should be prepared to make decisions regarding casket type, conveyance, flowers, obituary releases and etc..So you better appoint anyone with a certain amount of business acumen to make such decisions. Most importantly, the choices should reflect the choices the cherished one would have likely made. From this point, the funeral service will handle the body's preparation including dressing the cherished one in clothes provided by the family and preparing the body for viewing. Generally, the funeral service will also provide obituary releases as requested.

Ceremony, Floral Arrangements and Viewings:

The family will be expected to select a viewing time and coordinate the chapel to handle the services. It is important to converse with a florist to coordinate displays and provide floral arrangements. Again, funeral services have florist options available. However, the family may wish to select an "official" florist and notify the florist of the arrangements so people wishing to send condolences may be assured of flowers reaching the correct ceremony. After these arrangements have been made, it is time to focus on comforting each other and remembering the cherished one with plenty of family time scheduled for receptions at the viewing and lunches before the funeral.

It's difficult to lose a cherished one and even more difficult to have the obligation of arranging the funeral. Being aware of the first steps to take will alleviate much of the worry. In addition to being aware of what funeral service services encompass, it helps to know the items which will fall to the family to handle.

Funeral services will bear the brunt of the necessities but bringing the personal touch to the funeral is a family's responsibility. The funeral clothes, chapel selection, floral selections and obituary specifics are parts of the funeral the family will handle. This assures the cherished one's passing is handled in a manner reflecting the love, dignity and character of the cherished one's life.

Make Funeral Arrangements Early to avoid Problems

Pre-arranged funeral plans have become popular. This will let you to pre-arrange your funeral so that the burden of making lots of decisions will not rest upon your relatives when you are gone. It is also a way for you to be able to control or select among the options before you die. There are a lot of other benefits to setting up a pre-arranged funeral plan for yourself, but there are also problems that may arise. Here are some of the problems you may encounter in pre-arranged funeral plans and how to forestall them,

Choosing the Right Funeral Service:

You should choose the right funeral service, it must be the one that makes you comfortable. It is best to opt a funeral service that has been in the funeral business for a long time so that you know they are unlikely to go bankrupt and so you can be confident that they are used to dealing with these matters.

Contracts:

There are contracts which are drawn up for pre-arranged funeral policies. Be sure to read over the contract carefully and consider every point that has been written. Don't overlook the contract, since that may lead to problems in the future. If you are not sure about some items discussed in the contract, better converse with the funeral director or a lawyer so that all the policies will be clear.

Changing of Plans:

If you want to change some of the plans for your burial, such as the funeral casket or the funeral burial, you must converse with the funeral director. Be sure that the changes you have been made are also changed in your contract. This will ensure that there are no problems regarding any alterations to your plans. Changing of your plans entails changing the terms of the contract, so a new contract must be written to accommodate the changes made.

Changing of Ownership:

Sometimes the funeral home or the cemetery may change the ownership. Such cases, the contracts that you have made with the funeral home are still implemented. Changing of ownership does not void any contracts which were drawn up before the change occurred. It is the previous owner's responsibility to endorse all their contracts to the new owners of the funeral home.

These are some of the problems that you may encounter with pre-arranged funeral plans, and the solutions for how to avoid them. Lots of people are reluctant about getting pre-arranged funeral plans due to the problems that are arise in the future. You can focus on the benefits of obtaining a pre-arranged funeral plan for yourself and follow these steps to avoid problems, so that every aspect of your funeral preparations, from the wake to your burial, are covered. By pre-arranging your funeral, you will make sure that you would not leave your loved ones in confusion about your final wishes when you are already gone.

Funeral Readings For Funeral Tributes

The loss of life of a cherished one is without a doubt a highly painful and emotionally tolling experience, regardless of whether they had been family or friend. If you happen to be here, then you must be hunting for funeral readings in order to pay tribute to the remembrance of your cherished one. Picking up the best funeral readings for funeral tributes is a very important part of the funeral planning process. Because it helps make your loved one's funeral more special and memorable. There are many types of funeral readings that you can choose from - from poems, Quotes and sayings, to scripture readings and much more.

To yield the best type of funeral readings, first you should decide what kind of funeral you want to plan. Then based on that, you can choose the best readings to make it more special and memorable. Here are some of the most popular types of funeral readings you can choose...

Original poetry or stories:

This is a good way to express your feelings about the perished. If you have been asked to speak at a service, or give a tribute and you choose to write something original, be mindful of the time, and consider sharing your poem or story with the family before the service. There are also some services that will write original poems for you.

Funeral Poems:

Poems are a great choice for readings at a funeral. They are often the perfect way to express your thoughts and feelings.

Funeral Prayers and Scriptures:

Prayers and scriptures are very frequently used, especially during religious-based funeral services, since they contains important inspirational words and passages to help you and other relatives to your lost one get more comfort and peace. Actually you need not go through the entire scripture to find good related passages to choose for the funeral reading. You can simply find great funeral scripture passages and verses online. Simply search for them in your favorite search engine and you are guaranteed to find some you like to read at the funeral. When selecting prayers and scriptures, it may be wise to review your selections with the family or with the clergy or church staff before the service.

Quotes and Sayings:

Sometimes a quote or saying can convey the perfect emotion of feeling. Quotes can be be from a famous book or author, or can be from the perished.

Sharing Personal Memories:

You know how there is always special about our personal and unique memories with our loved ones. Those memories are always makes you smile every time you think of them. So it's a great idea to share this personal memories that you have had with your lost loved one. It will add a special, warm touch to the funeral readings. Let it be something that comes from the deepest of your heart.

You may find yourself feeling more in peace by simply reading some of these funeral readings.

Tips for Writing an howling Obituary

Generally writing an obituary is not an pleasant task,but still it's an important one. While composing an obituary, you are going to do two things, informing the world that the person in question is dead and letting the reader to know just a little bit about what the perished person accomplished before death. Here are some tips on how to write an obituary, hope this will make the process a little easier to create an announcement that will give your family member's memory the respect that is due.

Include interesting facts about the perished:

All lives have meaning and they are important, there is some detail or event that sets our life apart from the others. Search such details and include it in your obituary. Perhaps the perished lived to be over 100, or was awarded an honor of some sort. Seek out such interesting facts and add them at all costs.

Ensure what you've written is accurate:

Some of the common mistakes are omitting names or information or by misspelling words or names. And less obvious errors might be omitting important facts about the perished. Better double check your facts and keep a check list to ensure what you've written is accurate. The best way is to have someone else to proofread the obituary and have a family member check over spellings of names and make sure everyone has been included. Some times even the date of birth and death might be wrong. All of these mistakes should be avoided by simply proofreading.

Make Necessary Announcements:

People who find this obituary in the newspapers may wish to attend the funeral service to pay their respects. Clearly announce the venue details to let people know the date and location of the service.

Write more than one version of the obituary:

For the sake of space in the newspaper, you might keep the announcement brief and only submit a death notice. But there are some websites that let you to post full-length obituaries and of course a complete obituary can be included in the funeral program. Writing more than one version will be very useful for several purposes and allow you the opportunity to write out all the interesting facts you find.

Show, rather than tell:

Show characteristics rather than listing facts. Show that the perished was charitable by actual examples, rather than just saying he or she was "charitable." Show with interesting stories, rather than telling with just dry facts.

Make it joyful and focused on the life:

The last thing you must do while writing an obituary is be perceived as flip or trite. Obituary is an more than a statement of death, it is also an interesting account of the life that was lived. Add obliging facts like the person lived to be over 100, keep it short and sweet, but celebrate the life that was lived even while announcing the passing of that life.

The best advice for writing an obituary is, use this as an opportunity to celebrate the life of the perished. Recollect, converse with friends and family and reflect on his or her life.

Things to Know about Funeral planning

Everyone has opt for a dignified funeral, where they will be praised and honored in the presence of family and friends. Death is one of life's poignant inevitabilities. While facing the unfortunate responsibility of planning a funeral, one needs to consider several legal, financial and organizational obligations.

Steps for planning a funeral:

One of the first steps in the funeral planning process is to check whether or not the perished has a funeral insurance policy, and if so, establish the details and cover of the plan. Secondly, it is important to obtain a copy of the last will and testament. This document will delineate any special requests concerning funeral arrangements. The perished's pre-determined burial or cremation preference can be established, and you and your family can begin to arrange their final farewell. For legal and funeral planning purposes it is necessary to get the copies of death certificate and to apply for a burial permit, if it is the chosen procedure.

It is advisable to take the responsibility of funeral planning by more than one family member. Family members must select and agree on a funeral service to host the service. This decision will be made under the great emotional duress and it is worthwhile seeking a recommendation from a religious advisor or trusted friend. Funeral services will extend professional advice on cremation or burial procedures, as well as the logistics surrounding a funeral.

Compiling an obituary is an important aspect of funeral planning process:

Obituary is a public tribute to the perished and an opportunity to pay respect. You should submit the obituary to the appropriate newspapers for publication. The public will be informed about the passing and notified of the funeral service details. Speak to your appointed funeral service provider as they may offer funeral notices as part of their service packages.

Personalize the funeral service:

Decide on a funeral location, and the type of service that will be held. Family members and the relatives need to reach consensus on the religious conduct and general tone of the ceremony. Music plays an important role in the funeral proceedings. Select music that reflects the life of the perished or songs that emulate your feelings. Select appropriate readings for the funeral service, with the intention of providing comfort and strength to the bereaved person.

While planning the funeral service it is important to create memorial cards in honor of the perished. Arrange bouquets, wreaths or sprays of flowers to adorn the funeral home or casket. These beautiful arrangements are traditional mark of respect. One of the most important funeral planning responsibility is to appoint a family member or close friend of the perished, to deliver a eulogy. This is a personal remembrance speech and an expression of praise, and provides insight into the perished's life.

Importance of funeral cover:

When one is faced with the atrocious experience of planning a funeral, the importance of having a funeral or burial plan becomes increasingly evident. Grieving family members should not be fraught with additional financial stress. Make the necessary precautions by having an affordable funeral insurance policy that will relieve your family of exorbitant funeral expenses in the event of your death by offering a cash payout to cover the costs of a funeral.

With appropriate funeral planning and the insurance policy in place, your family will experience peace of mind and financial relief in the midst of a harrowing time.

Plan your Own Funeral - Creating a Smart End of Life Plan

Most people don’t even like to think about their own mortality. Planning your own funeral means admitting that you will indeed one day die. It also means getting what you desire for the right price while offering yourself and your loved ones peace of mind. If you have considered planning your own funeral, here are some reasons to stop procrastinating and start planning,

Get What you want:

While you plan your own funeral, you are ensuring that you get everything you want and nothing that you don’t. You can decide what you want done with your corpse, whether it’s to be buried, cremated or donated to science. If you choose to be buried, you can choose your own burial plot, mausoleum and casket. If you had rather be cremated, you can decide whether to place your ashes in a columbarium, which is a mausoleum dedicated to this purpose, or be scattered according to state laws.

You can also choose the type of funeral service you want by requesting that your loved ones throw a party to celebrate a life well lived, without your body present, or decide to have a traditional funeral service with a viewing of your casket or anything in between. Planning your own funeral service will ensure the guests honor and remember you the way you had like them to.

Save Money:

Most funerals are planned after the person has already died. It’s done by family members who are grieving for the loss of someone they love. So making the decisions ahead of time can reduce the amount of “emotional” money spent. By planning ahead, you can make sure that your loved ones are aware of any available death benefits. Social Security pays a one-time lump sum, and the Vets Administration has a benefit for veterans. Your private indemnity, trade union or church may have benefits that you’re entitled to as well. So by planning ahead, you can have all this information available for your loved ones.

Pay in Advance:

Generally it's not recommended to pay for your funeral services in advance, it may be something you want to consider if you’re trying to “spend down” your assets to qualify for Medicaid. This would be done only if you’re planning on staying where you are and feel confident that the company you are choosing will stay in business for a while. A better option for most people is to set aside the money to pay for your funeral in a third party trust fund. This way your money will continue to accrue interest until the money needed. All you need to do will be constitute someone in charge of the account and make sure they know how to access it when the time comes.

Lessen the Burden on Your Loved Ones:

Losing someone you are loving is an emotional and very difficult time. Clambering to make funeral arrangements and find the money to pay for them are not ideal ways to spend the first few days of grieving. So by planning your own funeral in advance, you have given your loved ones a gift. You are letting them to focus on their grief and celebrate your life without worrying about what to do next.

Peace of Mind:

Planning your own funeral gives you peace of mind. You know that, when the time comes, things will be done your way with your money. You have taken off the burden of your loved ones and made your own decisions.

Planning your own funeral may seem odd to some but it is on the increase as a practice. More and more people are realizing just how helpful it will be for a grieving and stressed family to know the funeral wishes of their loved one.

Funeral Services – How They Work

Death of a family member is an traumatic experience to any family. In that dolorous situation, preparing for the funeral is also an emotionally tough task. However, we are not able to decide the life span of beloved one, we need to accept the irreparable loss and making appropriate funeral arrangements is the best way to say good bye to beloved ones. In that traumatic conditions, shop around for the best funeral services is really an hectic work. To resolve this issue, we need to take the helping hand of some well established and experienced funeral services.

Funeral arrangements should reveal the lifestyle of the beloved one, and it should be suitable to the family traditions. Majority of the funeral services follow a set pattern, though the pattern can change to accommodate any cultural inclinations that the perished may have had or his family members believe in. The first stage of a funeral service can extend from a couple of hours to several days and it is called visitation. In this, relatives and acquaintances assemble in memory of the dead person. The second phase is formal funeral proceedings in any location like a church, a chapel, a mortuary or any other place that bore a special significance for the perished person. You also have to book a funeral coach or herse to bear the body, if the funeral is to take place at an outdoor spot.

At the end of this service, family members and conversances will participate in the graveyard proceedings at the chosen cemetery. This can be managed by either a family member of the perished or a priest depending upon the preference of the family. Certain matters have to be taken care of at this stage involving the person leading the service, whether some items of the perished will be displayed, and the kind of flowers used.

The burial is the final part of the ceremony, and its site depends on the burial tradition of the family or personal liking of the perished. The burial site can be anything from a chosen tract on family land to a cemetery, or the body can even be cremated according to the wishes of the perished.

Funerals-to-die for provides you the best funeral services which includes the cost of all funeral arrangements. Please visit us to find more information about our services.

Checklists for Funeral Arrangements

Planning a funeral for the death of a loved one can be extremely overwhelming, No one wants to talk about death, much less people are making the funeral plans for a loved one who is terminally ill. But this will give you and your family member peace of mind, help to denigrate stress during a grieving time and let you to honor the person you love and care for. Here are some basic yet essential steps to consider for your loved one’s funeral,

Make the big decisions early:

Don’t wait until the demise of your loved one’s to select the funeral home, casket, place of burial or even the music and flowers, so better plan all these in advance. But making such decisions while the person is still alive is really an stressful experience for everyone involved. Another big decisions will be whether your loved one will be cremated or buried, type of service like graveside, church or at funeral home and whether to incorporate your loved one’s religious beliefs into the service.

Engage your loved one in the plans:

Include your loved one in the funeral plans, from start to finish if possible. Really it’s a difficult topic, but it’s well worth having that conversation, it can draw people close, and it can also definitely give peace of mind to know you’re doing exactly what your loved one wants. It’s really a gift to listen and have a conversation to someone’s wishes. This conversation will let your loved ones to finish writing that last chapter of their life, and it can be very healing and gratifying for them to know that their wishes will be carried out. It’s their last gift to their family.

Shop around for a funeral Service:

Surveys shows that most of the people simply choose the funeral service closest to them or the one their family has always used. Funeral services must give you price quotes over the phone and also must provide printed, itemized price lists when you come in person to discuss funeral arrangements. Things like a velvet-lined casket, flowers, music, special transportation or a large service can make that price jump significantly, so anticipating such costs can help lessen the burden. Don’t be afraid to shop around, it could save you money.

Compile and collect necessary documents:

Don’t wait for your loved ones demise to assemble the necessary paperwork and personal information, the clearer your mind is, the easier it will be. In general, you’ll need information like Social Security number, date and place of birth, life insurance policies, veteran information, wedding anniversary date, names of church and pastor, cemetery information, jewelry and clothing preferences, etc., for the funeral director.

Write the obituary:

Though the funeral services assemble and release an obituary for the media, family members can get closure by taking on this important task. Be sure to include life accomplishments, memberships, education credits, military service and names of spouse, siblings, children, etc...

Compile a tribute video/slide show:

You need not be a high-tech wizard to download photos for a memorable slide show or even make a tribute video that could add a very special touch to a memorial service or family gathering. Now most funeral services are really into this and will often at least suggest making a collage of the person’s life and displaying it on an easel, It’s very comforting, and this gives perspective to the whole person’s life and not just their death.

Personalize the service through music and flowers:

Music can really speak to the person’s life, and it’s one of the best ways to personalize the funeral and make it even more meaningful. Singing or playing their favorite song can be incredibly powerful, prominently displaying the person’s favorite flowers can add beautiful and meaningful visuals to the funeral as well.

Gathering after the funeral:

Sharing time with family and friends immediately after the funeral is also important. If your family wishes to host a luncheon for friends and relatives after the funeral, be sure to decide upon the menus, location and other logistics well in advance. It’s one less thing to worry during such a stressful time.

Makes sense and protects your loved ones by Preplanning their funeral.