Dealing with the death of a loved one can be difficult, especially when you are having to handle the details of planning their funeral services. Funeral homes provide funeral services depending on your needs and can offer individual services or entire packages. Here are some tips to consider when you are working with a funeral home and planning the funeral of your loved one.
Shop Around
Unless you have already decided to use, for personal reasons, a specific funeral home and its funeral services for your loved one's funeral, there can be many funeral services to choose from. It is a good idea to shop around to get a feel for each one and the services of their staff. A funeral home and the funeral director should provide you all the help and support you need to get through a difficult time in your life, so choose one you feel comfortable with.
It is also a good idea to shop around for each specific funeral home's pricing. The funeral director is required to provide a price list before they show you any products, such as caskets. You can also take a price list home with you, which you can compare with other funeral home's pricing lists and make a decision at your own pace.
Be Aware of What Services are Included
If you choose to hire professional funeral services for some or all the funeral service, know what you are paying for and what is included and not included in the services. There are many packages that cover most details of your funeral, but may not cover everything. For example, some funeral services do not cover the transportation of the body and casket to the cemetery. However, most services include the cost of protecting and preparing the body for the viewing and funeral, including embalming and preparing the body's physical appearance.
Be sure you plan for any services that are not included with your package. For example, hire and arrange transportation to the cemetery, whether it be by horse-drawn carriage, transport on a flat bed truck, or other personal request. The funeral director can help you make any of these arrangements that are not included in a package.
Consider Other Burial Options
If you want to plan a funeral for your loved one but use an alternate to burial, there are several you can choose from. You can use a resomation method, which uses heated water and potassium hydroxide to liquefy your loved one's body. This leaves only the bones, which are pulverized and returned to you for burial. You can also have your loved one's body freeze-dried or even mummifeid, just as ancient Egyptians preserved the bodies of their loved ones.
Use these three tips when you are planning a funeral. Contact a funeral home, like Fox John J & Sons Inc, for more help.
