No one wants to think about preparing for their funeral. The idea of leaving our loved ones behind is both morbid and sad, and we like to think we’ll be around for a long, long time.
However life doesn’t always work out the way we plan it. And one of the best things you can do for your family and friends is to have all of your funeral plans sorted, so that they don’t need to take precious time and energy to make decisions when they’re mourning and feeling drained and devastated.
Write your last words
Whether you want to have a loved one say a eulogy, or you would prefer to just say goodbye yourself, writing your last words is a good way to get in a good frame of mind for preparing the rest of your funeral.
Take a few days to think about who has greatly impacted your life, and who you would like to thank and say goodbye to. Don’t rush the process, and be sure to leave it for a week and then come back to it so you can add anything you’ve left out, and make any edits necessary.
Plan the service
The service itself can take some time to plan. Do you want a religious service? Or would you prefer agnostic? And would you like to be buried or cremated?
You may want to leave some things up to your family, who may want to change the service around slightly, or add some parts.
Choose your favourite songs, and decide if your service will reflect your personality. What would you like guests to wear? What kind of flowers do you picture at your funeral? Do you want it to be a celebration of your life? Or would you prefer for it to be reserved and serious?
These are all important questions, so it may be a good idea to speak to a funeral planner and get some help if you’re not sure what’s involved in the planning process.
Organise food
After the funeral you’ll find that most families like to get together for a wake. This can be one more thing for your family to organise, so if you have a catering company and package in mind, it’s easy to pre-pay for this, or even just leave your wishes in your will, so there are less decisions for your family.
Select a Memorial stone
Compared to some of the other decisions, choosing a memorial stone isn’t as hard as you may think. These can often be pre-paid, and you’ll find the hardest part is choosing between the many headstones and other memorials.
Whether you want a large, fancy, showpiece of a headstone, or something a little more understated, this is where your family and friends will be visiting you on birthdays, anniversaries, and special events like Christmas. You’ll want the headstone to be unique, stand out from surrounding memorials, and express your personality as much as possible.
