It's Never Too Early To... Plan your own funeral

Planning your own or helping to plan your loved ones funeral can be a very practical and a very cathartic thing to do. Of course not everyone wants or feels able to do this, but making your thoughts and feelings known to your loved ones can help enormously following a death.

Knowing what someone would like to happen can help to reduce some of the responsibility on family members, so having conversations about this and planning ahead is really important and can also allow for many meaningful discussions.

There are many different options, and you are not limited to having a traditional funeral or even using a traditional funeral director if you don’t want to, but it can help many families to do so.

Funerals increasingly reflect the passions and interests of the person who has died, planning your own funeral allows you to share these aspects of yourself.

Having the opportunity to plan your own funeral can be a deeply moving and life affirming process.

It's never too early to plan your own funeral

Hear from Holly Lyon-Hawk, a freelance funeral director, about how you could start thinking about planning your own funeral.

It's never too early to plan your own funeral

Hear from Holly Lyon-Hawk, a freelance funeral director, about how you could start thinking about planning your own funeral.

Consider whether you want a funeral director involved...

Do you want a traditional funeral director involved or are you considering arranging a funeral yourself or with some support from an independent funeral director?

If you’re considering using a funeral director, and would like to explore your options, there are a number of places you can go to look. From a simple web search, to asking friends and families, do explore your options, and find the right person to help plan your funeral. You can also search for funeral directors using a Funeral Directory.

Find a Funeral Director

Consider what sort of service is right for you…

“Do I want a funeral service, and what sort of service might I want?“

You might think you don’t want a funeral service, but not know why that is, or think that services can only be carried out in a church. It can be difficult to know the options you have available to you without looking into it, so we’ve summarised a number of options.

Find out more about Funeral Services

Paying for your funeral

Funerals can range in cost, and it can be a real worry for people, and their loved ones, about how they’ll pay for the funeral they want. There are a number of costs to consider, but also a number of places where you can control how much you spend, depending on what is important to you. For some, funeral costs can be a worry, not knowing how you or your loved ones will pay for the funeral you’ve planned – there are a range of ways to pay, from pre-paid funeral plans, to support for some people who are eligible.

Find out more about funeral costs

Burial vs Cremation

Although more people in the UK choose cremation over burial, there are many different opinions and preferences across the country. You may have cultural beliefs that mean one is more preferable, or you may not know why you’d choose one over the other – it may be a choice you make alone, or it may be a choice you make with loved ones.

Explore options around burials and cremations

Considering your environmental impact

Some choices are easy to make such as biodegradable materials that your coffin or shroud can be made from. You can now quite easily obtain wicker, cardboard, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Wood, willow, banana leaf or wool coffins. You also don’t have to be buried in a coffin at all, you can choose a simple cotton or linen shroud, or a woollen blanket.
Embalming is not considered environmentally friendly due to embalming fluid seeping into the soil.
Both burial and cremation are an environmental concern, and both have consequences. Currently it could be argued that burial is considered slightly more environmentally friendly because no air pollution is created as from being cremated.
Composting and resomation/aquamation (water cremation) are not as yet available in the UK.
Location is another more environmentally friendly choice. With woodland and natural burial sites becoming more available.

The content of your funeral service

Your funeral service is unique, and something that should reflect your and your loved ones’ wishes. There are many different formats for funeral services, and different elements that can be included, from readings, to poems, music and more. You could consider the following points:

Who will take responsibility for organising the day?
Who should be invited?
Any particular music, songs, poems or readings?
Are there any special clothes that you would like to be dressed in?
Would you like to write your own eulogy?
Are there particular people you would like to carry your coffin?
What would you like people to wear, any particular colour?
Would you like flowers or donations to your favourite charity?
Do think about leaving some meaningful tasks for your loved ones to do, so they feel involved

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It's Never Too Early To... Plan your own funeral

Having the opportunity to plan your own funeral can be a deeply moving and life affirming process.

It's never too early to plan your own funeral

It's never too early to plan your own funeral

Consider whether you want a funeral director involved...

Consider what sort of service is right for you…

Paying for your funeral

Burial vs Cremation

Considering your environmental impact

The content of your funeral service

Explore our 'It's never too early to...' campaign

It's never too early to get your affairs in order...

It's never too early to communicate your wishes...