Arranging a funeral can feel daunting. There's a lot to organise at what is already a difficult time. Understanding what needs to be done and what your options are will help make the arrangements easier.
Funerals are usually arranged by a close friend or relative. Most people will use a funeral director to help them with the arrangements. If there isn’t anyone to arrange a funeral, the local council or hospital will arrange a simple public health funeral.
Funeral costs
Funerals are expensive, so think carefully in advance about how much you can afford to spend and ways to reduce the costs. You could be entitled to help with funeral costs – see Paying for a funeral for more information.
Funeral directors
Most people arrange funerals through a funeral director. You don’t have to – it will be much cheaper not to, but you’ll have a lot more to organise. You could opt to organise some parts of the funeral yourself and have a funeral director arrange others. Check in advance that they’re happy with this. Funeral directors can provide a number of services, including:
collecting the person’s body from the place where they died, storing it and delivering it to the funeral
providing a coffin and a hearse
arranging pall-bearers
dealing with the necessary paperwork.
Make sure you choose a funeral director who is a member of one of the following professional associations, which have codes of practice:
Look around and get a number of quotes before you pick a funeral director and ask for a breakdown of what is included in the cost. If the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan, this might state which funeral director to use.
Arranging the funeral yourself
It’s often much cheaper to arrange the funeral without the help of a funeral director, but there will be a number of things to consider. The Natural Death Centre, MoneyHelper and your local council’s cemeteries and crematoriums department can give advice.
What did the person who died want?
The person who died may have left instructions explaining the type of funeral they wanted. You don’t have to follow these, but people usually do and it can be a helpful starting point. Otherwise, you might have to consider this question yourself, perhaps together with others who knew the person.
Funerals are very personal and there are a number of options available. For example, you might want to consider:
where and when the funeral will take place
whether the funeral should be religious or non-religious
whether it will be a burial or cremation
whether you want to consider environmentally friendly options, like woodland burials
whether there will be a wake and where it will take place
what sort of coffin or shroud you want
whether any music will be played at the funeral
who will deliver any eulogies or readings
whether you want people to give flowers, or perhaps make a charitable donation instead
how much you can afford to spend on the funeral – see Paying for a funeral for more information