Funeral Planning - Some Basic Decisions

A funeral involves a series of fast decisions, which often are hard to make because of the overwhelming grief involved. This is why it is usually advisable to hand over the funeral planning to a funeral director who can handhold you in the overall organization and ease some of the stress. The funeral planning in many ways is a "closing ceremony" on an emotional plane for humans. It is easier to say good-bye to the loved one and accept the demise because of this ritual. It was often observed that people who did not have the opportunity of putting the remains of their dear ones at rest, take longer to heal and overcome their grief, because theirs is intermingled with the hope that maybe they will one day, come back.

Preparing Yourself for the Funeral

Hence, the funeral planning is a little more than the actual laying at rest of mortal remains of someone we love and care about. It is a closure time; it is a way of detaching ourselves emotionally as well as physically from them. It will still take a lot of time to heal and for the pain to turn into nostalgic memories; however, this is the first step.

The basics involved in a funeral planning are:

1. The flower arrangements,

2. The vehicles (which includes the hearse),

3. How to announce the funeral (through the press or through any other means),

4. If there is a burial - what type of memorial stone should be there, what would be the epitaph?

5. If there is a cremation you may like to buy an urn, or scatter the ashes on a particular favorite location of the deceased or adopt a rose or any other plant, or have an entry in a memorial book.

6. Decide who will direct the funeral service - the local church pastor or the priest on duty at the cremation ground, or any other

7. In case the funeral service would be done by a person who did not know the deceased, it is good if you have something briefed about him/her to the person conducting the service would feel appropriate

8. Choose the music or hymn that you want to be played during the ceremony

9. Have people say goodbye through eulogies

If you appoint a good and experienced funeral director, you will not have to worry about any of the details of the funeral planning because, he/she will take care of everything. In that case, he/she would be the only person you would need to talk to throughout the ceremony, giving you sufficient time to grieve for the departed soul without worrying about the rest of affairs, while being assured that everything is carrying on as it is supposed to.