After the passing of a loved one, funeral planning can be almost unbearable. It is similar to planning a big event in only that it takes a lot of thought and planning to achieve the desired result. Within a day or even hours you are possibly; meeting with a funeral director, picking out a casket or cremation urn, choosing a location for the service, choosing a date and time for the service, picking out flowers, selecting music, reserving the hearse and limousine, picking the clothing for the deceased and requesting pallbearers and eulogists. The most difficult thing about a funeral, outside of having just lost a loved one, is the sheer magnitude of choices and decisions that must be made in a short period of time. It is overwhelming for any one person to handle, so be sure to ask for help from family members and friends. They will surely be willing to do anything they are able. Sometimes having someone unknown to the family, like a funeral director, handling all the arrangements can feel a bit intrusive; it is perfectly acceptable to make your own arrangements or perhaps, the deceased may have had preplanned wishes for their funeral. If so, and money allows, try to stick as close to these requests as possible. It will make all who are mourning feel a sense of their loved one amongst them in the planning process and at the service. If you aren’t comfortable with a funeral director and your loved one left no funeral wishes, then it is up to the family to make everything happen. First you must go about choosing a location for the service. Do you want to have it at a church, memorial chapel or at home? The choice is purely one that you and your family are comfortable with. Then you must choose a date and time for the service. The time at which your loved one passes, until the time they are laid to rest, generally ranges from two days to a week.
Next, you will want to choose a casket, burial container, or cremation urn depending upon the deceased and family’s wishes and beliefs. For those that are conscientious about the environment, they now offer “green” burial containers. Caskets and cremation urns can start out inexpensively if you are on a tight budget, but the more costly ones can be true works of art. Flowers are usually chosen from the deceased's favorites if they are known, if not, roses and carnations are used quite frequently, as a casket covering or in a traditional memorial sprays. Also, don’t forget the single flowers to place on the casket at the cemetery after the clergy’s final words. Music is also a very personal choice. Did your loved one have a favorite song or singer? Why not have someone sing at the service or play a CD. As many people do, you might want to choose from the traditional piano or organ funeral marches. If you are having a traditional casket service, then a cemetery burial, you’ll want to reserve the hearse and a limousine for immediate family members as soon as possible. Make sure you specify what type of limousine you want, so you don’t wind up with a stretch limo or something a bit more outrageous. The clothing for the deceased will depend upon whether you have an open casket or closed casket visitation and service. If your loved one had a favorite dress or suit then this would be most suitable or you might prefer to purchase a new dress or suit.
As far ahead of time as you can, reach out to friends and family to be a pallbearers or eulogists. The people that were closest to the deceased will give a more personal and intimate eulogy. Sometimes a member of the family or a friend that has a good sense of humor can eulogize the happy times of the deceased better than anyone. If you don’t mind working with a stranger, and would rather leave all the details of the funeral to a professional, then hiring a funeral director and the services of a funeral home will provide for a beautiful and memorable funeral. Among the many services a funeral home and director can provide are: the casket or cremation urn, transportation of the deceased to the funeral home and then to the cemetery, embalming, arrangements for cremation, use of funeral home for visitation hours, burial arrangements, security permits, and getting obituaries printed in the newspaper. No matter how you choose to memorialize the passing of your loved one, a little help is always needed; the Internet offers many good resources to assist you during this difficult time.