Making arrangements for a funeral can be difficult, especially when you are grieving. However, it is important to make sure that all the details are taken care of so that your loved one’s send-off goes as smoothly as possible. This complete funeral checklist in Australia will help make the process a little bit easier.
With this funeral planning checklist, you get extensive assistance with funeral service. It’s important to keep in mind that you can contact a funeral director for assistance at almost any stage during the process, whether you just need advice or someone to fulfill responsibilities on your behalf. A funeral director isn’t only someone who does funeral service, it’s not uncommon for individuals who don’t want a funeral to still contact one for help with paperwork and things like arranging transportation for a loved one’s body. With this funeral planning checklist, you will be able to manage the funeral better.
It’s natural to be overwhelmed by the death of someone close to you. Making arrangements for funeral service after contacting a funeral director requires a planned funeral planning checklist. A funeral director can assist you with any questions you may have, but you will always have the final say and can do as much or as little as you want – or feel able – to.
How Do You Prepare for a Funeral Service in Australia?
Immediately Afterwards
Death can occur anywhere. What is essential is to get the death certificate. This is the first thing that you will have to add to your funeral planning checklist. Yet again, the funeral director will be able to help you with the death certificate. Alternatively, family members can get this one of the important documents.
After that, you may tell the people you know or known to the deceased person about the death. You may call everyone by yourself, or tell your close ones to inform others. You can speak to your loved one to plan a funeral for the departed soul. Memorial services are also there to help you commemorate the life of a person.
What Should be Included in a Funeral Plan?
- Once you inform everyone, the next thing to include in your funeral planning checklist is whether you want to go for burial or cremation.
- Whether you want to use your own burial plot or go for a preferred crematorium.
- The venue or location. You can take the help of a funeral service to assist you with the whole process. Funeral service won’t cost you much and can make the entire process convenient. You can tell the memorial service about your preferred venue, such as place of worship, funeral home chapel, crematorium chapel, private property, graveside, public space, and others.
- You need to think about what you will do with the remains. If you are going for burial, you can go for: grave, crypt, or private property. If you are going for cremation, you can choose from a cemetery lawn, kept in the family home, scattering, and wall niche.
Think About the Funeral Service Checklist
Memorial service can help you prepare the funeral service checklist so that everything happens in the right way. Here’s what the funeral planning service checklist should include:
- Whether you would like a wake, visitation, or viewing.
- You can go for a single service, where the ceremony takes place in one particular location. Dual service is also there where the ceremony starts at one location and gradually proceed with the crematorium, where the final committal ceremony takes place. There is the graveside service as well, where the entire process takes place at the graveside. You can also go for direct committal, where there won’t be any service and attendance.
- Then, you can think of organizing a reception or gathering for people to join you in the loving memory of the deceased.
- You can choose a funeral home service to dress the deceased. The funeral home will dress the deceased and fix their makeup if you are going for the waking process. Once done, the body will be placed in the coffin.
- Include in who you would like to officiate the entire ceremony. Do you want a celebrant, priest, minister, clergy, or funeral director to add that to the funeral planning checklist. Do you want someone to serve as pallbearers, deliver eulogies, someone to deliver prayers, songs or hymns, and music that you want to be played?
- Add the number of attendees who will be joining the funeral to the funeral planning checklist.
- Add coffin, cremation run, grave marker, inscription, tombstone, gravestone.
- Transportation for the family members, flowers, photos, thank you cards, memorial books, and musicians.
- Set the time and date for the funeral and catering service. What kind of food and beverages would you like to serve on the day of the funeral?
Funeral Cost
As per FTC, Federal Trade Commission, funeral homes must provide people with a formal statement of costs that will be included in the service. The organizer can choose the services they want, rather than going for the complete package. You can take a look at all the services provided by the memorial service provider and customize a package that meets your requirements.
The basic service fee will include all the specific services that will be included in a funeral. This will consist of the funeral director cost, services you opt for, funeral home cost, funeral home attendants, securing death certificates, permits, and coordinating with the burial arrangements.
You can go for optional service costs, where the fees will be based on the optional services. For example, the price may include use of vehicles, use of a funeral home, embalming, transportation of body, interment, cremation, and burial containers.
Cash disbursements fee will cover the cost of services and goods. The good that the funeral home purchases from other third-party vendors. The service may include the cost of obituary notices, clergy services, flowers, music, caters, etc.
Conclusion
These are all the things that you should include in the funeral planning checklist. Remember, every funeral ceremony will be different, and there can be some plus and minus in the list, but essentially, these are the common things that one should include in the checklist.