Funeral Prearrangements: How to Prepare?
Pre-planning funeral arrangements is a simple way to give you and your loved ones peace of mind. With funeral pre-planning, you can make sure that your wishes are known, understood and respected following your death. As for your loved ones, this short process will relieve them of a financial and logistical burden.
Planning alone or with your loved ones?
In making your arrangements in advance, you will decide how your death will be observed by your loved ones. This includes the more technical details, such as how the body will be disposed of and where you will be commemorated. However, you can also include any ritual or spiritual requests you may have.
Since your pre-arrangements will dictate the way the final good-byes will proceed, it’s a good idea to involve your loved ones in the planning process. In doing so, you can inform them of your expectations and they can discuss with you how they would like to honour your memory.
In this way, you can make sure that your ceremony is a reflection of who you are and that your loved ones will be able to mourn in their own way.
What questions should I ask?
During your funeral pre-arrangements, our advisor will discuss three topics with you:
- Disposal of the body
- Services and other considerations
- Rituals and wishes
The questions listed below will guide your thinking and make sure you cover all the points that will be discussed when planning your pre-arrangements.
Disposal of the body
How the body will be disposed of is the first detail to be discussed. It will influence all the decisions to follow.
Here are the questions to ask yourself:
- Would you like your body to be buried or would you prefer cremation?
- Where will your final resting place be, the cemetery or the columbarium?
Services and other considerations
Your loved ones will have many details and providers to deal with when you die. However, a number of decisions can be made now to relieve them of this pressure.
Here are the questions to ask yourself:
- Would you like your body to be viewed? If so, would you prefer to rent or buy a casket?
- If you opt for burial, what type of coffin would you like?
- If you opt for cremation, what type of urn would you like?
- Would you like to reserve a parlor for visitation? If so, for how long?
- Would you like to reserve a reception room for the funeral meal?
- Do you want to budget now for expenses such as obituary notices, flowers, buffet, etc.?
Rituals and wishes
Once you have discussed the more technical aspects of the pre-arrangements, it’s time to tackle the ceremonial aspects.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Would you like the farewell ceremony to take place on site or would you prefer a religious service at the church?
- Are there any photos, music or texts you would like to include in the ceremony?
- Who will speak at the ceremony?
- Are there any special rituals or traditions you would like to see respected?
- Do your loved ones have any requests regarding the ceremony?
After the preparations comes the planning
Once you have explored these various questions, you can make an appointment with us to plan your funeral pre-arrangements.
Of course, all this is just food for thought. You don’t have to do any of this to meet with one of our advisors. We are here to guide you through the process and can discuss each of these points with you to find the option that suits you best.
Sources:
https://www.fcfq.coop/chroniques/dossier-special-les-arrangements-prealables-funeraires-2332/
