Your funeral is a hugely important event that you will not be around to ensure happens without a hitch. A funeral will be your chance to give your loved ones some comfort and ensure your life is honoured in the way you wish. Here are the top reasons you should consider planning your own funeral.
There are a number of benefits that lead people to plan their own funeral, but generally, it boils down to two main things: relieving stress for family and having control over the arrangements. Here are 5 reasons why you should plan your own funeral.
One of the best reasons to plan your own funeral is to take some stress away from your loved ones while they are grieving. There will be no arguments over song choice or funeral flowers or who will deliver a eulogy. And your loved ones will not have to worry about if they have made the right arrangements or invited the right people. Planning a funeral is quite stressful, especially when they are grieving.
When you plan your own funeral, you can pick every single detail, from how you will be buried to the food served at the wake. Because it is all pre-planned and prepaid, you do not have to worry about your sister meddling in things or someone forgetting an important detail. You can create a funeral that is completely you and will bring your loved ones comfort as they reminisce about how you touched their lives. The songs played at your funeral and wake will be ones that meant a lot to you and have formed the soundtrack to happy memories.
It is a sad fact of life that our family and friends may not always get along. To avoid any “forgotten invites,” you should plan your funeral in advance. You can provide your funeral provider with a guest list and their contact details so they can notify people of the service details. You may also leave instructions to post the details on social media or in the local paper if you want to get the word out.
Just like weddings, there are many forms a funeral can take and many different price points. With you planning your own funeral, you can spend as much or as little as you want on it. You can decide to buy a family plot if you wish or just to be cremated. You can decide on every little detail and pay for it on a payment plan, just like you would life insurance.
By planning and prepaying for your funeral, you take a lot of financial stress away from your loved ones. Otherwise, they may not be able to afford a funeral like the one you want. Funerals happen before the estate is settled, so it will be paid for out of pocket by your family unless you have paid for your funeral in advance.
If you hold different religious views to your family, you can ensure that your funeral contains the religious elements you desire. It will also allow you to pick and choose which religious elements and traditions you want to use and which ones you want to skip. Planning your own funeral is the only way to ensure that the event goes exactly as you wish. You can pick who will officiate and even the funeral provider that you wish.
It is best to speak to your chosen funeral provider about which elements of your funeral you can plan and pay for in advance. This may even be one of the metrics you use to decide which funeral provider you wish to use. Here is a general list of some of the parts of a funeral you can plan in advance, but we advise you to speak to your funeral provider if there is something important to you.