There is no one way to hold a funeral – besides the actual cremation/burial, there are no required elements.
It is your choice what it includes and how you want it to be.
A ‘traditional’ funeral generally involves a hearse and limousine meeting at the home of the deceased before travelling to the funeral venue, possibly including an additional trip if the cemetery or crematorium is located separately.
This can be a pricey way of holding a funeral and not to everyone’s taste.
Besides selecting individual products and services from a full price list, a few options can be:
Simple Funeral
Many funeral directors, if you choose to use one, offer a simple funeral package for those who want to attend. This is one way of reducing costs. It is important to check with funeral directors what their package includes before signing up in case it doesn’t include everything you want. If not, ask if it is possible to add these on.
CMA Attended Funeral
All companies have to offer an Attended Funeral on their Standardised Price List, using set wording. In some cases it is similar to, or the same as, a simple funeral and can be a less expensive option. The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), who designed the price list, intended it to include the core elements of a funeral, though for some people and faiths it may not provide key things, for other people it may include elements they don’t want, such as a viewing.
The precise content of some services is unclear from the wording, so be aware of the following things and check with the funeral director exactly what they will provide:
- Companies are not required to include dressing the deceased in their own clothes, but some may do this for the same price
- Staff to transport the coffin into the venue, or to the graveside, on a wheeled bier/trolley are required, but whether pall bearers are provided to carry the coffin depends on individual companies
- Funeral directors are expected to set a date and time “taking into account as fully as possible the wishes and needs of the Customer”
Direct Funeral / Unattended Funeral
Some people prefer not to have a service, or don’t feel the need to have the service and cremation/burial at the same time. Some high-street funeral directors, and many online companies, offer 'direct' cremations and some offer 'direct' burials too. This is when the body is cremated or buried without anyone present. If you wish to have a service or memorial, this can be done elsewhere in any way you wish - beforehand with the deceased present e.g. at the funeral director’s chapel of rest if they offer this, or after at any venue you like, perhaps with the ashes present.
The Standardised Price List (SPL) calls this an Unattended Funeral. Very little information is provided on the SPL, but we advise not to assume that either a viewing of the deceased or dressing them in their own clothes is included. It is best to check.
Points to be aware of:
- Direct cremations/burials are substantially lower in cost, but do tend to require all payment upfront.
- The Standardised Price List only refers to adult funerals – you will need to check companies' other price lists for children’s funeral costs.