You plan your wedding. You plan your birthday parties, your anniversaries, and your date nights. Why wouldn’t you plan your own funeral? It is completely normal for people to plan big life events, but funerals seem to be the exception. It’s not morbid to think about such things. It is good to do funeral pre-planning for the benefit of yourself and your family members.
Most everyone has an aunt who tells them, “if you bury me without my hair done, I’ll haunt you forever.” Or maybe your aunt doesn’t want to be buried in the color lavender. Maybe wants her nails to be painted blue. One’s funeral is the last chance their loved ones have to say goodbye to them. This is why it is normal to want to look like yourself. It is also normal to have certain wishes. Pre-planning a personalize funeral is the best way to ensure you go out on your terms. It can also ease the burden on your loved ones.
What is Funeral Pre-Planning and How Does it Work?
Funeral pre-planning is when you pre-purchase the items you need for your funeral, such as a casket and headstone. Pre-planning also includes notifying your loved ones of your wishes, requesting a certain cemetery, and getting your affairs in order. There is no right or wrong way to pre-plan, and it can be done at any age.
There are many benefits to pre-planning and to pre-purchasing a casket. For one, it is much more affordable to buy a casket online ahead of time. You can avoid the markups and pushy salesmen tactics at funeral homes. You also save money by locking in a price without inflation. It also allows your loved ones room to grieve.
Funeral pre-planning may sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple:
- You start with a casket. At your leisure, browse the pre-need catalog to find a casket that fits your personality and your price range. Buying a casket online is ideal because you can easily price shop and do research.
- When you have made your choice, go to check out. Checking out is easy. Unlike at a funeral home, no one will try to upsell you online.
- Once you have completed the casket purchase, you will be sent proper paperwork. Give this to your loved ones.
- Now that you have your casket, you should begin to think about other details. These include a headstone, the location, and the ceremony.
- Make sure to put your wishes in writing and discuss them with your family members. While this may be a hard conversation, it will give your loved ones peace of mind to know your wishes.
- When the time comes, a family member just needs to contact Overnight Caskets. We will ship out your casket as quickly as possible.
- If you or your family members have any questions during this process, please contact Overnight Caskets. We are here to help you through this process.
Funeral Pre-Planning for a More Personal Ceremony
Most people know what they want done with their body when they die. Some people are very adamant that they want to be buried as opposed to cremated. This is a normal decision to make, but the planning often stops there. This leaves the family in an uncomfortable situation. When they ask “what would they have wanted?” many families don’t know the answer. The result is often a generic, expensive funeral that does not reflect your personality or your values.
By funeral pre-planning, you can customize your ceremony to be the perfect goodbye that honors your life. Here are some ideas for how to customize your funeral:
1) Pick Out Your Own Casket
Have you thought about what kind of casket you want? Most people haven’t, that’s why pre-planning is so important. In the same way that you probably want to pick out your own car, it is also important to select a casket that you like. There are many options for caskets and they can be customized to fit you.
You can select the material and the color. Overnight Caskets carries high quality metal and wood caskets that will fit in your price range. Our wood caskets are ideal for more classic funerals because they give off natural energy and convey gravitas. If you favor preservation and modernity, then a sealable 18 gauge steel casket may be right for you.
Not only does pre-purchasing a casket make your funeral more personal, it also relieves your family of the emotional and financial burden.
2) Select Your Own Headstone and Burial Location
Headstones are also highly customizable and an important part of funeral pre-planning. There’s that quote that goes “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” Headstones are how your loved ones and descendants will remember you and how your legacy will live on. Therefore it is important that your headstone represents you. It allows those who come after you to get to know a little more about you.
When you are pre-planning your own funeral, you may benefit from taking a stroll around cemeteries. This can help you get an idea of what you want. You have a variety of options for headstones, from large to small, simple to grand. Overnight Caskets carries affordable headstones of all sizes, including flat markers, upright headstones, and special shape headstones.
When you go to pick out a headstone, keep in mind that it is much more affordable to buy a headstone online. Overnight Caskets does not have a pre-purchasing program for headstones. However, your loved ones will certainly be grateful to know that you have your headstone all picked out and that they can order it with ease.
Burial location is an aspect of funeral pre-planning that is also often overlooked. Location is a great way to make your funeral and your resting place more personal. Being laid to rest in a place that you find relaxing can help your loved ones remember you fondly. If you were an avid fisher or enjoyed boats, then being put to rest near a cemetery pond may be ideal for you. Perhaps you have fond memories of climbing on an oak tree at your childhood home. If the cemetery has an oak tree, you may wish to be put to rest beneath its branches. Make sure you speak to the cemetery and to your loved ones about your wishes when you do make these decisions.
3) Use Your Funeral To Make an Impact
Many families will request that funeral guests donate to a local charity in lieu of sending flowers. If there are causes that are deeply important to you, this can be a way for you to make an impact. Oftentimes when people mourn, it makes them feel better to do something that their loved one “would have wanted.” Requesting donations to charities will provide attendees with a sense of purpose while they grieve.
Additionally, if you are a politically active person, requesting donations in your name allows you to be put to rest in the same manner that you lived. It will give funeral attendees a sense of who you were and what you believed in. It is also an opportunity to make the world a little bit of a better place for the next generation.
Another option for using your funeral to make a positive impact is for you yourself to donate. Instead of purchasing an expensive casket and large headstone, you could go for more affordable options and then donate the money you would have spent to charity. This not only benefits the charity, but it also sends a valuable message about your values.
One great way to cut costs in order to have more money to donate is to buy funeral materials online. Overnight Caskets has simple, affordable headstones starting at $200 and high-quality caskets starting at $850. Compared to spending $6,000 or more at a funeral home, you save thousands by shopping online for your casket and headstone. Then, instead of putting the money you saved into a fancy funeral, you can do some good in the world by donating it to a charity of your choice.
4) Change the Tone and Dress Code
Funerals are a lot like weddings: it is mostly about you and there is a dress code. For funerals, people expect to wear black; however, it doesn’t have to be that way. Another great way to personalize your funeral is to specify a different dress code. For example, if you were obsessed with tartan prints, it may be fitting for attendees to wear something tartan to the funeral. Perhaps you couldn’t bear to part with your signature broach, then attendees could be encouraged to wear their own broaches in your honor.
Requesting a dress code as part of your funeral pre-planning can also change the tone. By breaking the tradition of wearing black, you can turn your funeral into a celebration of life. Not only can this give your loved ones an opportunity to remember you, they will feel closer to you while sporting your signature style.
For many people, personalizing a funeral is so appealing because they want control over how they go out. However, many people pick out their casket and then stop there. But if you truly want control over your final goodbye, then planning more detailed aspects of the affair will thoroughly create a funeral unique to you.
5) Change the Funeral Format
In addition to changing the dress code, changing the format of your funeral is also an ideal way to personalize the ceremony. This is a way for you to incorporate your hobbies, passions, and closest friends into the ceremony. For example, you could request that certain people speak. If you are a musician or poet, you could request that all eulogies be sung, rapped, or delivered in verse. Similarly, if you enjoyed theater, you could request a dramatic reenactment of your favorite funeral monologue. Inviting your loved ones to get in touch with your hobbies to eulogize you will make them feel closer to you. It will also give others an idea of who you were and bring up fond memories in other attendees.
Another option is to request a more interactive service. For example, all the guests could be asked to share a fond memory. By actively involving guests, you can start their healing process and they will feel supported by those around them.
Candlelight vigils are very popular ways for communities to mourn. If you want to personalize your memorial, you could request that guests participate in your hobbies. For example, if you are a musician, you could request a free-style play-along for a memorial. If you loved yoga, you could request a yoga-by-candlelight vigil. This is another area where you could also do good and give back to the community. If you are passionate about a cause or frequently volunteered, you could request that memorial guests volunteer as a form of vigil.
In Conclusion
There is no wrong way to go about funeral pre-planning. It is about you and your wishes. Any guidance that you leave for your loved ones will save them from the anguish of funeral planning. When you pre-plan, you can make it easier for them. By pre-planning a personalized funeral, you allow your loved ones a chance to remember you and say goodbye. It will help them feel closer to you and encourage them to recall fond memories.
If you have questions about pre-purchasing a casket, please contact Overnight Caskets.We are available 24/7 to answer all your questions.
If you are ready to start pre-planning your personalized funeral, browse our catalog today.