How to Plan a Funeral

Contributor

By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(37 Ratings)

Planning a funeral is a difficult task, in which you must consider the wishes of the deceased as well as the survivors.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Acknowledgment Cards
Eulogy Books
Flowers

Step 1

Meet with the other principal mourners to discuss their wishes and preferences. Find out if the deceased left any instructions regarding the funeral. Discuss religious preferences and how much money the family is willing to spend.
Step 2

Consult with a religious leader or a funeral home if you would like help with any of the details, including location of a burial site or disposition of ashes, casket or cremation container selection, transportation, legal issues, flowers and music.
Step 3

Choose the site where the funeral will take place. This is most often a church or temple, but it could also be a funeral home or at the graveside. (You may also decide on a more informal memorial service.)
Step 4

Select someone to conduct the service. This could be a religious leader, funeral home personnel or a friend of the family.
Step 5

Appoint pallbearers if you are having a formal funeral. Pallbearers can include special friends or business associates of the deceased, though the funeral home can usually provide them if there are no preferences.
Step 6

Assign someone to give the eulogy. Typically, the family will choose a family member, religious leader or close friend. Contact the person who will give the eulogy as soon as possible to give him or her time to talk with the family and organize notes for the service.
Step 7

Consider including music in the service. Choose a piece with special meaning for the family, perhaps having a family friend be a vocalist or instrumentalist.
Step 8

Choose flowers for the service. What is appropriate depends on the family's wishes and the amount of money it wishes to spend.
Step 9

Place an obituary in the local newspaper announcing the date, time and place of the funeral.
Step 10

Consult the funeral home about having printed programs for the funeral service. Get input from the family regarding their design.
Step 11

Buy a guest book for guests to sign as they arrive, if one is not provided.
Step 12

Coordinate all of the above with the funeral home, which will arrange to transport the coffin to the funeral, remove the coffin to the burial site, or take care of other details as requested.

Comments

jazzinc said

Flag This Comment

on 7/21/2009 Hi all - Although planning guides and hoping that your loved one takes the time to write it down, are all great ideas - it seldom happens. My Father recently was sick and my family was by his side the entire time or hustling from work to the hospital. No one could take the time to drive around and handle all the details. Fortunate for us we hired Jennifer from 4celebrationsoflife.com to handle it all. We met with her at the hospital, told her what we were thinking and she took it from there. She called and set meetings for us with the church, the reception site, brought us flower choices, she even assisted with the Obit and Eulogy writing and review/coaching. It happens so rarely in your life, but people think they know what is needed - we didn't, but she did. She saved us money using her preferred vendors and even set up the VA services a few weeks later. The photo boards the...

Bls46 said

on 5/1/2009 BLS46 email bonkauth@aol.com

on 5/1/2009 I am looking for information from anyone who has held a home wake funeral in IOWA

maggiesmom33 said

on 11/24/2008 Thanks Owen919. I ran into this issue when my grandfather passed and really liked some of the online funeral guest books as opposed to what was offered at the funeral home. You can find classy and cost effective guest books online - yes, there is shipping but most sympathetic sites offer a discounted overnight shipping for our specific cases (and there is typically no tax). Glad I helped!