Pre-Planning a Funeral
Pre-planning a funeral is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. Whether it is for you or a loved one, the first step is obtaining all the necessary information to make an informed decision.
Important of Pre-Planning Your Funeral
We understand that funeral planning can be a difficult subject to talk about with your family. However, that doesn’t mean that it should be avoided altogether. In order to properly honor your life, they need to know your funeral preferences.
With pre-planning, you can organize your funeral wishes and get to know your loved ones a little better in the process. For example, you decide whether you want to be buried or cremated. And for funeral personalization, you and loved ones can ask each other questions about your passions and maybe learn something new about one another.
You also can pre-pay for your funeral when pre-planning your funeral preferences. This way, it’s one more thing that’s taken care of, and your loved ones don’t have to worry about it when the time comes.
Benefits of Funeral Pre-Planning
The funeral should be a time for your loved ones to honor your life and begin their grief journeys together, not for feeling overwhelmed by funeral planning or worrying about how they’re going to pay for the funeral expenses.
By pre-planning your funeral wishes, you give you and your loved ones a peace of mind knowing that it’s taken care of. Then, when the time comes, they can focus on grieving rather than stressing over the funeral plans.
Pre-planning also lets you have a say in how you want to be remembered. You can decide your funeral service type like whether you want something more traditional or a more personalized celebration of life ceremony. For example, if you’re an avid cook, see if your favorite restaurant can cater the service. Or, if you want something more unique, see if the restaurant will host the funeral reception. With pre-planning, you remain in control of your funeral service and how you want to be remembered.
When to Pre-Plan a Funeral
Although we want to say that you should pre-plan your funeral now, you should do it at a time you’re mentally and emotionally prepared to plan a funeral. However, since death can be an uncomfortable topic, you may never feel completely ready to take on this task, but it still needs to be done.
Another factor that plays a role when your funeral planning is your loved ones. To prevent your spouse, children, or other loved ones from taking on the financial and emotional burdens of funeral planning, you can pre-plan your funeral and express these wishes to them. When the time comes, they'll be grateful that everything is already planned out and can focus on coping with their grief and honoring your life.
By pre-paying and pre-planning your funeral, you can make all your funeral decisions at once. This way, you have more time to choose the funeral details and payment option that is right for you. And, if you change your mind, you can adjust your funeral plans at any time. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding funeral planning or adjusting your current plans.
Pre-Paying Options
By pre-paying for your funeral, you relieve your loved ones of that financial burden. If you're unable to make a single payment, there are several alternative funeral payment options to choose from. Our staff is here to help you find the right payment option for your financial situation.
Pre-paying also protects your family from any future inflationary trends. You can rest assured that your funeral cost will stay the same, no matter the rising costs of inflation. This also saves you and your family money in the long run. Instead, those saved funds could be put toward a memorial or donation to a charity that you’re passionate about.
No matter your financial situation, our staff has the knowledge and experience to plan a funeral for all budgets. Whether it’s an elaborate celebration of life or a more intimate, simple service, we’re here to help. Please contact us to discuss your funeral pre-payment options.
What if I Move?
Once you create your pre-plan with us, we store it in our files as a record of your final wishes and decisions. Your plan is easily transferable to any funeral home in the United States, so it can be used wherever you might choose to relocate. No matter where you live at the time of your passing, or which funeral home’s services you decide to use, we’ll make sure that your plan follows you there.
As you go through our pre-planning checklist, here are a few things worth thinking about in detail. Our staff are happy to discuss these and any other questions you may encounter during the pre-planning process and to help you find the best solution.
Which Type of Service Do I Want?
One of the earliest steps in pre-planning involves deciding which type of service you prefer.
Cremation has the advantage of being cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and provides more flexibility for families arranging memorial services. It also allows for many options for how you would like your remains stored, including urns, jewelry, and other memorial keepsake items.
A traditional burial involves the interment of remains inside a casket in a burial plot or mausoleum. Still the more traditional and acceptable option to many, it may be seen as particularly important in certain faiths and by the places of worship of some families and communities.
Talking to Your Loved Ones
It can be difficult to know how to broach the subject of pre-planning with your loved ones. The subject of final arrangements can be difficult for many to openly discuss. Our experts can help you through this discussion and provide resources to further get your message across.
Detailed guidelines are available for how to tackle this part of the process. Our staff are happy to advise on how to manage difficult conversations while avoiding potential pitfalls.
Avoiding Scams
When pre-arranging your service it's important to work with a known and reputable provider and to keep two basic guidelines in mind:
- First, insist on clarity and openness. At All County Funeral Home & Crematory, we are transparent about fees and your final cost so that there are no surprises. We want to set your expectations right the first time.
- Second, learn about your provider. Research how long the company has operated and whether they are a member of professional organizations such as the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association or the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.
Keeping these things in view will ultimately ensure that you have the peace of mind that comes from working with the best funeral home in Florida, like All County Funeral Home & Crematory.