A funeral is probably the last event anyone wants to plan.Planning a funeral means acknowledging our own mortality, and most people do not get excited about that.
Regardless of whether you want to plan your funeral or not, you will eventually have one. If you do not plan it ahead of time when, someone else will be planning it while also grieving that you’re gone.
Planning your funeral means saving your loved ones the heartache of doing it for you. Here are ten steps to ensure that your Los Angeles funeral burial is as tasteful as possible.
1. Choose How You Want Your Remains Treated
This one has to come first, as this will make any future decisions for you. If you want a natural burial, for example, you will need to choose a funeral home and cemetery that can accommodate that funeral format.
If you want to be cremated, do you want an urn? Would you like your urn to be buried, or given to a relative? These are the decisions that will for the rest of your decisions.
2. Choose Your Funeral Home
In some areas, there may only be one funeral home or one chain. Since funeral homes are the one business everyone will eventually use, in most places there are several.
If your family always uses the same place, this decision may be easier, but if you don’t want to use them it becomes especially important to make this decision ahead of time.
3. Choose What Type of Funeral You Want
Do you want a religious or non-religious service? Would you like the casket open if possible? Do you want a single speaker, perhaps a pastor, or would you rather multiple family members and friends eulogize you?
These are all questions that you should plan for. If you have someone specific that you would like to speak with, it never hurts to ask them ahead of time.
4. Make a Budget
This may mean paying ahead of time so that family is not stressed out trying to figure out how to pay for your funeral. It could mean setting money aside in an account that your executor can access, or having a life insurance policy.
However you make your budget work, make sure your survivors will know how to access the funds when the time comes.
5. Location
The funeral home will handle moving the remains, but you need to decide where you want them moved to. Would you like your funeral at the funeral home, with a brief graveside service? Would you like to spend the entire service at the cemetery?
There are also additional locations often used. You may want to have the funeral at your church, then move to graveside, or not have a graveside service at all. If you were in government, you might lie in state at the government agency you served in. make sure to decide this ahead of time so the proper parties can be notified.
6. Length
Decide how long you want the service to be ahead of time, so the funeral director can make sure to plan appropriately.
7. Music
If you have specific songs that you want to be played, make sure that the person executing your funeral knows, and that they KNOW. for example, if you want the Air Force Hymn, make sure they know what that is, or you may have
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