Organising a funeral can be daunting, especially if you have never done it before.
Unless your faith or personal spirituality requires it, there is no great hurry to set a funeral date. Taking time will allow you to assess your budget, discuss your plans for the funeral and raise any deposit.
When organising a funeral, it is important to think about a number of things, including:
- Whether you would prefer to use a funeral director or organise it all or partially yourself
- How much it will cost and if there are ways of reducing the cost
- Whether you would prefer a cremation or burial
- Where and when you want it to take place
- How you will pay for it – please see our guide to raising funds
You will also need to think about registering the death and letting people know; there is more information on this in our guide to Practicalities after a death.
Did you know?
If you do not have the funds to pay for a funeral you can approach the local council where the person died and ask for a public health funeral. If the person died in hospital, speak to the bereavement office there first. See our page on public health and hospital funerals for more information.
Tip
If using a funeral director, check if they will charge you extra if the body is in their care for longer than a set period of time.