The death of a loved one almost always hits relatives completely unprepared. While all you want to do now is to withdraw and mourn in peace and quiet, to top it all off, you also want to take care of various tasks – above all planning and organizing the funeral.
Not only do you have to ensure that the wishes of the deceased are taken into account as much as possible, but the funeral costs should also be within a framework that does not go beyond the available budget. But maybe in this situation, you do not have the strength at all to move from undertaker to undertaker and obtain appropriate offers?
In this case, we recommend that you simply obtain a non-binding offer for a funeral online. On the internet portal of the provider memoria, which we would like to present to you in detail in the following article. In our guide on the subject of funerals, we also address the most important questions relating to this sensitive topic. What can a funeral cost? What types of burial are there? These are just a few of the points that will be answered here.
Planning a funeral: what should I pay attention to in general?
It is best if the person to be buried has already dealt with the topic of dying and death during their lifetime and has written down how the burial should be carried out and what special requests there are. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and therefore relatives are often faced with some difficult decisions. In general, there are a few important points to keep in mind when preparing for any funeral. We have put together a checklist for you below so that you don’t have to research first in an emergency but can concentrate on the essentials:
Who should be buried?
First of all, this is the most important point. On the one hand, it may be the burial of a recently deceased relative – or you would like to make provisions yourself in good time and make appropriate preparations for your own funeral. If the latter is the case, then you can best answer all further questions yourself. For other people, you need to work with the information you have at the time.
Where should the funeral take place?
It is of great advantage if you know where the last resting place of the deceased should be and where the funeral service should take place, if necessary. For elderly people who have live in the same place all their lives, the local cemetery will be the obvious option. But especially in this day and age, when people are moving more and more frequently, the assignment is no longer so easy.
What kind of funeral do you want?
In addition to the classic burial, there are now several officially permit types of burial. This not only includes cremation but also a sea burial or a tree burial is possible. Here it is worth gold when there is reliable information about what the last will was.
Do you want a certain type of coffin or urn?
It is very helpful if you know exactly what type of coffin is require for a conventional burial. It looks similar to a cremation with the urn. If the deceased has made very good provisions, the coffin or urn may even already exist.
Are there any specific ideas regarding tombstones and grave design? Some people have very precise ideas about what their grave should look like. While some like it simple, others want a grave that is less modest. Here again, the last will of the deceased is the all-important factor, because that’s what it’s all about.
Are you aware of any wishes regarding the choice of music or funeral speeches?
People who have been serious their lives will likely want a classic church funeral with appropriate contributions from a pastor or preacher, while others would prefer to see a free funeral orator at your funeral. The ideas regarding music can be similarly different. Here, too, it is easiest for the relatives, the more specific wishes of the deceased have been passed down.
Should it be a public funeral or should it take place in a private setting?
This is a particularly important point. Because if a public burial is desired, you as a relative must not fail to make the public aware of the place and time of the burial by means of an obituary notice in the local newspaper. If, on the other hand, it is a funeral in the closest family circle, then such measures are not necessary.
Also Read: 11 Essential Vitamins and Minerals for a Long and Healthy Life
What is the range of funeral costs?
In addition to all of the above, there is of course one that is absolutely vital. Because ultimately all other things are based on this. So be as realistic as possible in clarifying what the funeral can cost. After all, an unlimited budget is only available to very few people here and it is of no use if you go into excessive debt just to be able to cover the funeral expenses for a loved one.
In addition to the points mentioned, you should also look out for keywords such as death certificate and make a note of the transfer if something like this is necessary under certain circumstances. As tough as it sounds, the financial component shouldn’t be overlooked when conducting a funeral. So it makes sense to compare prices. Because you can now get the same services online, often much cheaper than at the undertaker on site. Because in the end there is one wish above all: to enable the deceased person to say goodbye to this world in a dignified a way as possible.
What types of burial are there?
A burial no longer necessarily has to take place in a classic way in a cemetery. After all, people are different and accordingly, there are different wishes when it comes to the ultimate rest. The nice thing is that nowadays various alternative types of burial are also possible. In the following we would like to briefly introduce you to four of the most popular variants in more detail:
Burial:
Classical burial is still the most frequently chosen form of burial. The deceased is first placed in a coffin, which is then completely sunk into the ground. With this form of burial, there is a classic grave in the cemetery, which the relatives can visit. This is usually decorated with a tombstone and floral decorations.
Cremation:
With this type of burial, the deceased is cremated in a crematorium. The ashes are placed in an urn, which is then placed in a designated area of the cemetery. Cremation is also known as urn burial. Here, the relatives also have a place that you can visit to mourn or commemorate. However, the sometimes quite high effort for grave maintenance as with a classic grave is eliminated. One of the reasons why many people choose cremation is because they do not want to burden their loved ones unnecessarily.
Burial at sea:
A popular alternative to burial in the ground or ordinary urn burial is a burial at sea. In earlier times, this type of burial was only available to selected people such as seafarers. Now, however, anyone can choose to do so. The ashes are put into a biodegradable urn and then given to the sea as part of the mourning ceremony. There are a few rules to be observed. Burial at sea is not allow in all waters and, for example, no flower arrangements or funeral wreaths may be thrown into the water. The scattering of flowers or petals, however, is allowed. People who are particularly close to nature or who deliberately do not want to have a permanent grave in a certain place often choose burial at sea.
Tree burial:
Tree burial is a form of burial that is also enjoying increasing popularity among nature-loving people. It works on a similar principle to burial at sea. After the crematorium, the ashes are bury in a biodegradable urn under a tree. For example, in areas specially set up for this purpose in cemeteries or in a so-called FriedWald or rest forest. As with burial at sea, there are no costs or expenses for tending the grave. If you have an interest in a tree burial, it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the different variants in advance and then decide which seems most appropriate for you.
What does a funeral cost?
Indeed, one of the most common questions ask by loved ones after a death in the family is: What does a funeral cost? That is absolutely understandable. Because in addition to the grief and the emotional burden, there is now also the uncertainty as to whether the funeral can be financially manage. Above all, the relatives want to take into account the last will of the deceased, which may be in the context of a funeral decree has recorded certain things and desires.
How high the funeral costs will ultimately be can hardly be in general terms. Because it depends on many different components that play a role. Should the burial take place in a coffin, and if so, are there any special requests on the part of the deceased? Or is an urn burial desire? Maybe it should even be a burial at sea.
What the funeral will cost is ultimately also influence by factors such as the choice of flower arrangements, the number of guests or the appointment of a professional funeral speaker. Even if general statements about sums, as already indicat, can hardly be reliable, it can still be said that you have to reckon with at least several thousand euros for the funeral costs. Depending on how many special requests there are, the scale is of course almost open to the top.
