Creating a Pre-Planning Checklist for Your Funeral

Making advanced arrangements for your funeral can provide you with peace of mind and spare your family a great deal of emotional and financial stress. If you want the funeral pre-planning process to go smoothly, a checklist of all the steps you need to take and the decisions you need to make will help. When drawing up that checklist, consider the following information:

Burial vs. Cremation
Deciding whether to bury or cremate a loved one is one of the most difficult decisions many families make when planning a funeral. By making advance arrangements for the option you prefer, you will keep your family from guessing what choice you would have made.

Funeral Type and Location
Two other major decisions that you should make when pre-planning your funeral are the type of funeral you want and your preferred location. Do you qualify for a funeral with military honors? Do you want to have a religious funeral in a house of worship or an outdoor funeral in a place that will remind your family and friends how much you loved nature? Ask yourself questions of this nature, and let your answers guide the decision-making process.

Service Details
When you pre-plan your funeral , you have complete control over the smallest details of your service. You can choose everything from the flowers to the music to the readings to the eulogist, ensuring that your funeral is just what you want it to be.

Payment Arrangements
Most funeral homes that offer funeral pre-planning services have an advanced payment option. If you have saved money for your funeral or have a life insurance policy that will cover part or all of your funeral costs, take advantage of this option to spare your loved ones the financial burden of financing your funeral.

If this list seems daunting, remind yourself that your advanced funeral plans are a work in progress that can be changed in the years leading up to your passing. Working with a certified and experienced funeral service provider who can walk you through the pre-planning process can also help. To speak with an experienced funeral and cremation services provider in the Bay Area, call Chapel of the Chimes Oakland at (510) 654-0123.