Saying goodbye to Gran

If you are reaching the end of your life, one of the final gifts you can give your family is to help preplan your funeral. This is a good way to make sure that your family doesn't need to find the money and energy to create a funeral service that honours your memory once you have passed away. 

Here are some of the items to consider choosing before you pass away.

Funeral director

By meeting with the funeral home before you die, you can chat with the funeral director and find someone whose sensibility agrees with yours. This can allow the funeral service to be more personalised, and it's often very comforting for your friends and family to have the service performed by someone who met you in person. You can also tell the funeral director any specific instructions that you don't want to write down - including issues with your family that you would like them to avoid mentioning even obliquely (for example divorces or long term family tensions).

Music and readings

This can also be a way that you can personalise the service by discussing your favourite readings and music that you might like played. At the same time, you can think about which person you'd like to perform the readings or music, particularly if you had a musician in your family that you've always liked to hear. At the same time, you might also like to leave a space for personal comments and speeches if some of the family might like to include their own touches.

The coffins and treatment of your body

One of the most expensive parts of a funeral is the coffin and treatment of the body (cremations vs. burial). As your estate is not settled by the funeral, these amounts need to be paid by the family if they are not prepaid, and this can put extra stress onto a family if you haven't preplanned and paid for your funeral.

You can make a realistic decision about how much you would like to be spent on your funeral. This means that your grief stricken family doesn't need to be making decisions on which type of coffin you'd prefer, as they can be confident you've chosen the best coffin and method of disposing your body that you wanted.

Finding a funeral director that suits your personality and has a connection with you can help you to plan a funeral for yourself. By preplanning a funeral, you can help your family to have less stress and more freedom to mourn you without external logistical pressure. For more information, contact local funeral directors.