My funeral plans

What is the funeral planner?

This short form is for you to fill in and share with your friends and family. It includes space for practical information, such as who will execute your will and details of your funeral plan if you have one, as well as space to record your wishes.

Download the funeral planner

Why record your wishes?

If you have preferences for your funeral, make sure you have made your family or friends aware of them. You might think that they would know what you want, but there will be a lot of things for them to consider at a difficult time. Things that seem obvious to you may not occur to them.

My mother doesn’t want her coffin in the church. She wants a service but she doesn’t want the coffin in church. Thank goodness she has written it down because she would have been there; I wouldn’t have given it a thought.

If you find it difficult to think about what you would want, you could try thinking about other funerals you have been to. Did you think any of them were exactly what you would want for your funeral? Or maybe they contained things you would want to avoid?

I remember something that didn’t work and as we were coming out of the funeral I said to my kids, I do not want a eulogy. I hate eulogies. I don’t want one. And my son, who has always been very funny, he said, 'Mum you will be dead – you won’t know anything about it.' Which is true.

Remember, you don’t have to fill everything out at once. You can take your time and write down your wishes at a pace that suits you.