Usually, plans must be made in a few days after your loved one has passed as a body doesn’t keep too long. Generally, the bereaved meet with a funeral director for an hour or two, making arrangements. If there is a church involved, a meeting with the pastor and or priest will take another hour. Usually funeral homes can have everything ready to go in 3-4 days. It’s up to the bereaved how long the wake and service lasts; it can be a couple hours or longer. There really is no right or wrong, a funeral should be planned to meet the wishes of the deceased and the need of the bereaved for closure.

What are the advantages of planning ahead of time? Well, you get the kind of funeral you want and your grieving relatives will not be burdened with having to make these decisions at a very traumatic time. Who or what determines whether the funeral service is held in a church, at the funeral parlor, or at graveside? The religious beliefs of the deceased and the relatives will determine whether to have a church funeral service. When each of my parents died we had a full church funeral service in the parish church of which they were regular members of the congregation, followed by a short service at the crematorium. Atheists and people who are not religious would not want this and would probably arrange some kind of non-religious ceremony. Who handles the grave digging and burial procedure at the gravesite? The funeral directors handle the arrangements with the cemetery that provide the grave-diggers. Is a gravestone necessary? What does one cost? Consider that a gravestone is very necessary to mark the final resting place and record full details of the deceased. Many people like to visit the graves of their loved ones regularly and place flowers and mementoes. Take a walk in your local cemetery on a Sunday and see how people tend their family graves and plant flowers etc.

Cost of the gravestone depends on the material used. Granite is the most durable, comes in various colors and can be polished, and it is also the most expensive. Marble can be carved into statues and intricate designs but is not as hard wearing.