2024 Traditional Funeral Service Essentials Guide
As you set off on the path of funeral planning with your trusty 2024 guide in hand, each detail becomes a heartfelt tribute to the memories dear to you. Explore the core of preparation with our easy-to-follow Funeral Planning Checklist. Here at Potter’s Field Funerals, we’re by your side to help you create a meaningful goodbye that reflects the time-honoured traditions of a modern and traditional funeral service. Let us support you through this emotional journey with kindness and understanding.
Beyond the Obvious: Often Missed Details in Funeral Plans
It is rare for any of the essential elements of funeral arrangements (the main services an affordable Funeral Director provides) to be missed or overlooked. However, it is possible for little touches or personal elements (that only family and friends can know about) to not make the list. I use the phrase ‘not make the list’ here deliberately because when you are involved in organising a funeral, making a list is generally a good idea.
Consider a meeting with family and close friends to talk about the funeral ceremony and note down the elements that are important or significant. Aim to do this before you meet with the funeral director because they will be able to discuss, advise and assist you with these matters as part of the overall traditional funeral service organisation.
If you have a large family or a circle of friends involved, another useful tip is for the group to appoint one person as the primary contact to liaise with the affordable funeral home director. This person is often referred to as the ‘funeral commissioner’ or funeral liaison’.
Unless there is no one else who wishes to be consulted, the commissioner is not generally expected to take responsibility for making all decisions and choices. The role of the funeral commissioner is to be the central communication point between the family and the affordable funeral services director. Directing all the communication via one person (who is regularly reporting back to the family) is a very good way to reduce the likelihood that any instructions or details are overlooked.
Pre-planning Proactiveness & Strategising Funeral Details
Pre-planning a traditional or contemporary funeral service is a simple and practical thing to do – but it is not for everyone. For some people, the idea of planning their own funeral is daunting, or just not something they wish to contemplate at all. For others, imagining their own funeral in great detail, and going about planning out every part can be comforting.
In reality, any amount of guidance left by the deceased can be useful. Practically speaking, there are two personal preferences that, if shared by the deceased prior to death, are really helpful for those planning the funeral.
The first is to let relatives and friends know that a burial is preferred to cremation, or vice versa. The second is to indicate whether you would prefer a private service with family only, or a public service with a wider circle of friends and relatives. Establishing these two things sets up the basic format of the traditional funeral service, and allows family and friends to participate in all the different ways they may wish, confident that they are honouring the central wishes of the deceased.
If you have been considering leaving some instructions for your family, these can be as detailed as you wish, or as simple as suggested above.
Discover a different approach with Potter’s Field Funerals, an independently run funeral service in Melbourne that values community over commerce. We offer a range of services, from affordable funeral home options to traditional and modern funeral services, tailored to your needs and budget. Choose us for an intimate and dignified farewell led by caring funeral directors available 24/7. Embrace our eco-friendly ethos with green funerals and support our cause for equal access to quality services through Bereavement Assistance. Honour your loved ones with a meaningful ceremony – reach out to Potter’s Field Funerals today. Call us at (03) 9568 4047.
Written by Kevin Hartley
About the author:
Kevin Hartley has been involved in every aspect of the funeral industry for 30 years. He focuses now on promoting sustainable funeral practices, natural burial grounds and has a passion for encouraging people to participate in truly meaningful end-of-life practices and events. His writings combine years of practical experience with formal psychological insights.
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