Losing someone is an extremely sensitive and stressful time, as emotions are running high. The last thing that anyone wants to do is set a meeting with a funeral director in Salt Lake City, but it has to be done. And somebody has to do it. When planning a funeral service, there are several things that you need to do:
Report the Death and Work with a Funeral Director
Of course, the first thing that you need to do is to report the death to the proper authorities to start the death certification process. You need a copy of the death certificate so that you can accomplish most of the tasks you need to complete, including settling the estate and finishing other affairs like insurance and bank accounts.
Aside from assisting you with the funeral plans, you need to work with a funeral director to finish the death certification process. He or she will also help you transport and store the remains, as most hospices and nursing homes require you to remove the body within a few hours following death.
If the deceased made funeral arrangements before death, you need to work directly with that particular funeral home, as pre-payments might have already been made. Additionally, if you’re using the bank account of the person who died to pay the expenses, you might want to withdraw as much as you need before reporting their death. This is because as soon as their death is reported, all their accounts will be frozen.
Choose the Type of Service
There are several services that you can choose from, such as a funeral, memorial, or graveside.
- Memorial. When a service is conducted after the body has been cremated or buried, it’s called a memorial service.
- Funeral. When choosing a funeral service, you are opting to have the service before the body is cremated or buried.
- Graveside. A graveside service, as the name implies, occurs on the gravesite.
Whatever type of service you choose, you still need to pick a cemetery and find a location for the service like a funeral home, synagogue, church, or other location.
Decide on the Type of Funeral
This is the time to choose the type of funeral you wish for your loved one. You can check out their will, as they might have indicated what type of funeral they want. If not, you can ask their significant other, spouse, or next of kin. If that’s you, then the responsibility falls on your shoulders. The three main types of funeral vary in cost depending on how elaborate or simple you wish it to be.
The three main types of funeral are:
- Traditional
- Direct burial funeral
- Direct cremation
If you choose a burial funeral, you’ll also need to make cemetery arrangements. Aside from the actual service, you need to take care of the little details such as the flowers, transportation, music, and casket, as well as food for the reception. This task is one of the hardest things anyone ever has to do in their lives, but it’s something that must be done. And funeral homes are there to help with the process.
