Life can sometimes take a turn for the worst and you may lose one of your family members. You may then be faced with planning their funeral. To get through this difficult time and honor this loved one the right way, take these steps when funeral planning.
Decide Between a Casket or Urn
There are two ways you can honor a loved one who's passed on: casket or urn. Both are advantageous depending on the circumstance. If you don't have a lot of money to spend, an urn may be the best option. Your loved one will be cremated and their ashes will be put in the urn. You can then honor this urn any time.
Caskets are much more expensive, but they're a more traditional way of honoring a loved one. You have many different casket options to choose from as well, with different price points. When comparing these options, try choosing one that works best for your particular budget and family tradition.
Avoid Going Over Budget
Since this can be such a depressing time, you'll be in an emotional state. This makes it quite easy to overspend and put your family in financial trouble. For this reason, you need to compose yourself and avoid going over budget at all costs.
Instead, only buy what's necessary for the funeral. Plan this out with your family and write down a concrete budget figure. Having this by your side gives you a constant reminder of how much you can truly afford. If you're having trouble figuring out all of these costs, you can always get help from a funeral planner.
Write an Appropriate Speech
Even though funerals are sad, you should consider writing a speech. This enables you to honor your family member and show guests just how special their life really was.
When writing a funeral speech, you don't want to be overly wordy. Just try speaking from the heart and incorporate a few personal anecdotes into your final message. Once you've written a rough-draft, consider having a family member or friend look over it. This way, you can ensure your funeral speech is perfect for the audience in attendance.
Losing a loved one is never easy, especially if you're tasked with planning their funeral. You can get through this difficult time by making the necessary preparations and researching what funerals today involve. The more prepared you are, the easier the funeral will be to plan.
