Most people don’t realise that you have a choice with a Funeral Service.
Just because you go to a Funeral Director to arrange the Funeral Service of a loved one, does not mean that you just have to go with what he/she says. Most people especially at such a horrendous time of grief do not realise they have the following choices as to how they say goodbye to a loved one.
- You can let the Funeral Arranger know if you want a certain Celebrant to conduct the service even if they are not contracted to that Funeral Director. You can have a Pastor, a Priest, a Buddhist Monk, even a close family member who is comfortable with doing the Service.
- The Service does not have to be at a Funeral Parlour Chapel either. It can be in a Church, at a grave site, at a Cemetery Chapel or it can even be in your own home.
- If your loved one had certain religious beliefs or cultural ones then they can be incorporated into the Service also.
- A Photo Tribute, Candle Lighting, Flower Tribute, Butterfly Release or Doe Release, Scottish Pipers are just some of the things that can make a Funeral Personal.
- Also you do not have to settle for a wooden box if you are an environmentalist, there are other choices that we are not always told about such as Wicker Caskets, untreated pine Caskets, Recycled Cardboard Caskets.
- Don’t want flowers there, then that is OK too. Lots of people ask that the money that would spent on flowers be donated to a charity such as the Heart Foundation, certain Cancer organisations etc.
- Whether it’s a cremation or a burial the family can still walk the coffin out to the Hurst and you don’t have to be 18 years old to do so. Most coffins are wheeled out these days due to OH&S regulations which are understandable.
- If you have a family member who is close to death or even just an elderly family member, it is nice if you can talk to them before they pass away, as to the type of Funeral Service that they would want. Sounds morbid, but remember if you have a passage they have chosen or a piece of music that they want played it will make your grieving process so much less knowing that you have acted out their final wishes.
- The reason we do go to Funeral Directors is because they are the one’s responsible for the legal paper work to do with the Births, Deaths & Marriages Dept. in each State.
Remember you only get one chance to say Goodbye to your loved one, SO DO IT YOUR WAY. If the Funeral Director is not happy with your choices then find one that is, for your own piece of mind.
I am not saying that Funeral Directors/Arrangers are set in their ways, as most are extremely compassionate and helpful and they have many resources to help you through such a sad time, but if you do come across one who will not bend remember you are the one who is suffering and things should be done according to your wishes.