Death is a difficult but necessary part of life. Managing funeral arrangements along with all the other details of the situation and along with your emotions can be stressful. When you have an understanding of the steps you can and need to take, it makes going through the process easier. The following provides you with some recommendations to help you prepare for a funeral for your loved one.

Shop Around

When you have some time and foresight in advance of a death, you can make some decisions about the final interment selection so you can find the right price for your budget. Funeral costs can vary in price depending on where the services are offered in addition to the type of casket you choose, so understand that you can shop around as you make the funeral arrangements. Contact a few local funeral homes to get estimates of their pricing, then make a decision from there. Remember that when a loved one dies, the funeral arrangements you choose can include services such as embalming and other preparation of the body or you can customize the service more toward what you and the other family members prefer.

Meet with a funeral director at a chosen funeral home and they can provide you details of the funeral, its cost, and what will be managed by their office. You may find that they offer specific services you won't need and others that fit in perfectly with the funeral you want. For example, if you want to hold the funeral at your home with a closed casket, or if you plan to cremate your loved one's remains and hold a memorial at the cemetery, you can arrange this with the funeral director.

Choose the Type of Funeral

There are a lot of options that you can consider with making funeral arrangements. Be sure you consider any last wishes of the deceased first if there are specific instructions. Otherwise, you can arrange the funeral with the rest of the family members. Unless the deceased has specific requests for their remains, you can choose the funeral details and service for how the family and loved ones prefer to memorialize and celebrate their life. For example, you can cremate their remains and spread them over their favorite beach or camping spot. Or you can arrange for an open casket viewing at their church or at the funeral home.

If you plan to hold a funeral and graveside service at the cemetery, make sure you consider any veteran status of the decedent. If they served in the military, arrange for a military honor guard to participate in the burial.

Contact funeral homes in your area, such as Carter Funeral Home-Denbigh, for more information. 

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