Pre-Planning Your Funeral: 3 Additional Details To Consider
When it comes to pre-planning your funeral, you've likely already considered the cost of the casket and the funeral service, but there are other details you can attend to. Whether you want to spend down some of the money you have in your bank account to make your estate easier to manage, or you simply want to relieve your family of the burden that comes with funeral planning, here are some additional considerations to think about when pre-planning your funeral.
Funeral Luncheon
The funeral luncheon is typically the place where the family gathers after the funeral service. Hosting a luncheon can be expensive, particularly if you have a large family. Consider putting money aside in a trust or dedicating a portion of your estate to covering the costs of the funeral luncheon. If you have a preference as to where it is held, make sure you include this information in your funeral plan.
Headstone
Purchasing your headstone in advance is a good way to ensure you get the design and the personalized message you want. You can even have the headstone put in place at the cemetery in advance. Ask about pre-paying for any final engravings that will need to be performed, as this takes one more task off of your family's plate. If you don't already have a cemetery plot, your funeral home director can help you acquire one.
Flower Arrangements
You can actually choose your own flower arrangements and pay for them in advance. Partner with your local florist to choose the arrangement you want. If you are looking for certain flowers that are seasonal, have a backup plan just in case the florist can't source those particular flowers when the time comes. Keep the receipts with your other important paperwork and let the funeral home director you use to make other arrangements know which florist you have chosen. This will make it easier to coordinate the delivery in time for the funeral.
Remember that you can also list out some of your final wishes in your funeral plan as well. For example, you can print out a playlist of songs you want to be performed, and you can even indicate which person you wish to perform a eulogy. All of this information should be filed with the funeral home director, but be sure to keep an extra copy in your personal files just in case the original paperwork gets misplaced. Let your loved ones know where you've filed this information away, so they can find it when the time comes.
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