No-one ever wants to think about dying. It would be wonderful if you could live forever, but of course, that isn’t reality. At some point, hopefully, once you have lived a long and full life, it will be your time to pass. Whether you are leaving behind a big family with a spouse, children, and grandkids, or you have a smaller family, it will be up to those who are left behind to arrange your funeral and see that you are given that beautiful send-off. Obviously, it will be a very painful time in the life of your loved ones, so why not make things a little simpler and plan your own funeral?
Planning your own funeral may sound morbid at first, but it is a wonderful gift to leave your family. All the decisions, arrangements, and even costs will be covered so it’s not on their plates, and there is the fact you know you’ll get the funeral you wanted. Here’s a look at the major steps to take during the process.
Decide Where and How You Wish to Be Laid to Rest
The first thing to decide will be logistics. Where and how do you want to be laid to rest? Do you wish to be buried or cremated? Do you want to rest in a traditional grave outdoors, perhaps near other family members, or do you want to be indoors? If your wishes are to be cremated, where will this be done, and what will happen with your ashes?
Funeral homes can actually help you make all these decisions. Take, for example, Simple Cremation, which as its name suggests offers cremation services. You can chat with them to get a free quote, information about their services, and they will be able to answer all your questions. They even offer a pre-payment option so that your family isn’t faced with paying the expense right then and there.
What Type of Service and Events Would You Like?
Then there is the question of the service – what kind of service would you like? There are graveside services, memorial services that follow the cremation or burial, there is the celebration of life that can happen a few days after you pass or weeks/months after, private service in your home, etc. You’ll also want to decide if you want a viewing, wake, and/or reception before the service and burial.
What About the Special Touches
If you want to be really involved in the planning you can also go so far as to create a list of people you want to be invited and who you would like to speak at the burial and reception. There may also be some clubs, organizations or associations that you are part of that you would like to be notified of your death.
Answering as Many Questions as Possible
Planning your own funeral in advance is all about answering as many questions as possible so that your family doesn’t need to during such a stressful and sad time.
