Especially if no will was left after the death of one of your close relatives, planning for a funeral on short notice can be a very hectic experience. While the question of whether to embalm the body won't involve as much money as the question of whether to get an expensive vault or a grave liner, your answer will still greatly influence the feel of the funeral proceedings. If any of these three situations apply to you, getting the body embalmed is most likely your best option.

You Need To Transport The Body Many Miles To The Funeral Site

If it'll take a substantial amount of time to transport the body to the funeral site, you will need to employ some kind of method for preventing or slowing decomposition. While embalming a body before transporting it won't be a cheap process, other options like renting a large refrigeration compartment that you can stuff the body in during transport will be much more expensive.

It only makes sense to refrigerate the body during transport if you have plenty of money and absolutely don't want an open casket funeral. On the other hand, since stationary refrigeration compartments generally aren't nearly as expensive to operate as mobile ones, embalming is not necessarily the clear way to go if the person died near the prospective funeral site.

You're Expecting A Large Number Of Guests At The Funeral

The more people show up to the funeral, the more it makes sense to have an open casket. When you have a large number of people in a room at one time, relieving awkwardness and stress with a traditional activity like an open casket walk is a good idea.

To roughly determine how many guests will come to the funeral, pay attention to how many people respond to both your snail mail and online notices. While not everyone who makes a comment on a social media site about the funeral will necessarily show up, gauging responses is still a useful way to figure out everything, from how big of a space to rent to how much of a catering bill to budget.

The Body Doesn't Show Any Major Outward Signs Of Sickness

One of the most common reasons for not embalming the deceased is noticeable signs of sickness or injury on the body's front side. Especially if these signs are particularly visible on the body's face, you probably don't want an open casket funeral.

On the other hand, minor abnormalities can be fixed with makeup during the embalming procedure. If you're only worried about a small scar on the body's face, for example, there's no reason to fret and dismiss the idea of embalming entirely.

A professional funeral service like Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles-Newbigging Chapel Limited offers funeral arrangements. Contact them or another service to ask about your embalming options. 

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