Sending Flowers For a Funeral - How to Do it Right

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sending flowers for a funeral or memorial service can be very stressful. It can be difficult to know what is appropriate… but it doesn’t have to be. There are no formal rules for funeral flowers, and nowadays you can go beyond the traditional arrangements and send something more personal. Read on to discover what you need to consider when sending flowers, so you can make it easier on yourself.

First, remember that funerals are meant to comfort the living, and the flowers you send are a gesture to them, not to the person who has died. Your flowers symbolize sympathy, and are a token of remembrance to the deceased. Choose an arrangement that fits your relationship to them. If you were acquaintances, you don’t need to send a huge, showy bouquet. If you were close, you may want to choose something more personal, rather than a pre-selected funeral arrangement.

Think about the deceased person liked. Did they have a favorite flower, or plant, or color? If so, choose flowers that reflect them or they would have chosen themselves, even if they are not considered ‘appropriate’ for a funeral. And you don’t have to send cut flowers. A potted plant or potted flowers are nice as well, especially if it is one they had around the house or admired, and will last longer than cut flowers.

If you don’t know their preferences, there are good choices you can make that will fit. Lilies, roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are all common flowers for funeral arrangements. Calla lilies and prayer plants, both potted, can be kept blooming for a long time and the family can take them home rather than leave them at the funeral parlor for disposal.

Finally, think about your budget, That may seem crass, but too often people spend more than they need to on sending flowers because they are afraid that if they don’t, their gesture will seem cheap. Spending a lot is not important… expressing your feelings is what counts.

Sending flowers for a funeral doesn’t have to be hard. Just keep these things in mind, and above all follow your heart.

Being a former funeral director in Australia, Tony Wilton is well qualified to write on this topic.

Find flowers for funerals and all occasions at his site Flower Deliveries Online

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Wilton

  • Posted by admin at 23:45:16 in

A Funeral Fit For a Family

Dealing with a death of a friend or family member is not an easy thing to do and so deciding for a natural burial and a natural cemetery can be difficult as well. When deciding on where to place your loved one, there are many options that can be chose, but it is usually up to the person who has died. Usually, if at a certain age, your loved one will have written a will that will greatly help on giving them what they wanted and equally sharing what they have left behind. In a case where there is no will, the situation can become increasingly more difficult, so please encourage all of your family to have prepared and updated wills as they increase in age.

Though it may seem a bit morbid, it is important to mentally prepare yourself for death and death around you. It must be understood that even though it is tragic, it happens every day and that there is a time for everyone. Dealing with the painful loss can be devastating as it is, but letting it linger will only make it worse. Planning the funeral right away and getting over the grief is the best thing that you can do in that sort of situation.

When someone dies, they have a few different options in which they can be buried. Many people choose to have a traditional burial in which the body is preserved and then they are lowered into the ground by a casket in a traditional ceremony. Other people like the idea of cremation. By taking this route it saves your family a lot of money and it is very simple because when it all comes down to it, you are simply turned to ash. Some people think of it as a spiritual thing and their family will either save or spread their ashes by the sea, for example.

Either way, you have to choose a way that you would like to be buried at your very own funeral. If you do not discuss it with a family member, it should at least be written down in a notarized will. Sometimes death cannot be planned and it happens in an instant where no one expects it. In this case it is up to the rest of the family to decide what happens, but in the victim’s best interest of course. A funeral is never fun, but if you can make it more about the happy remembrance of a person rather than the dreadful sad thoughts, it can be a better time than you think.

Normally, you would not think of a funeral as a fun event, because it is dark, remorseful, and often sad, but it is important to look back on the good times and remember a person in happiness. More recently people have even set up colorful funerals in which the color black is not allowed. Funerals are inevitable and have become simplified without a spiritual setting in most cases.

Connor R. Sullivan recently researched natural burial methods for an article about ecological burials. He was fascinated with the natural cemetery methods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connor_R_Sullivan

  • Posted by admin at 23:44:52 in

The Responsibilities of a Funeral Director

The role and responsibilities of a funeral director has evolved over the years from someone who prepared the deceased for burial to the modern funeral directors of today, who perform many other duties to help the family through their difficult time of loss. Funeral and memorial service duties that were once handled by friends, family or clergy quite often become the director’s responsibility.

A funeral director oversees every detail in the planning and preparation of a funeral. They will make sure the body is transported to the funeral home along with the necessary death certificates and paperwork. All the details are handled by this person so the deceased’s family and friends can grieve without having to deal with paperwork and other legalities.

The family will meet with the funeral director after their loved one dies. Together, with their help, the family will choose a casket, vault or urn. The funeral service will be planned, as well as discussions about the flower arrangements, music, pallbearers, clergy, headstone or grave marker, etc. Virtually every aspect of a funeral or memorial service is planned with the director’s help and assistance. They will also arrange payments to all third party vendors, so the family of the deceased doesn’t have to write numerous checks. One payment to the director will cover all the necessary expenses.

Often times, a funeral home will have rooms and facilities available for the family to organize photos or create a video slideshow of their loved one. A funeral director will make these rooms available to the family and offer any help they can in selecting a guestbook and thank you notes.

After meeting with the family, it is then the funeral director’s job to prepare the loved one for the service either by embalming or cremation. All preparation such as casketing, dressing and applying make up will be done by the funeral director or licensed morticians that work at the funeral home. The funeral director will contact the cemetery to arrange for the digging of the grave or arrange for an opening of a vault, such as in a mausoleum. They will also be in touch with the family’s chosen clergy member and relay all information about the time of the service and chosen musical selections. The director will also send obituary information to the local newspaper and will contact the deceased’s life insurance provider to inform them of the death.

After the funeral service, the funeral director arranges transportation from the funeral home to the cemetery. They will also transport flowers to the graveside, with any extra flowers and arrangements going to where the family suggests - such as donations to hospitals, etc.

A funeral director will help the family and friends of a deceased love one get through the funeral process without having to worry about the details. Together, with the director’s professional guidance, the family can focus on grieving and fondly memorializing their loved one.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of Morrissett Funeral Home. The funeral planners offer a variety of options for honoring and paying remembrance to your departed loved ones. Morrissett Funeral Home offers personal service and attention to help with the burden its patrons experience saying goodbye during this difficult time. For more information on their Funeral Homes Richmond Virginia please visit their website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Budda_Oliver

  • Posted by admin at 23:44:14 in

How Much Does an Average Funeral Cost?

This article provides average funeral cost data for American funerals.

The average cost for an American funeral, like other goods and services, has been steadily increasing over the last two decades. Anyone that has seen a late-night television commercial for funeral insurance knows the typical American funeral costs more than $6,000 - but is this an accurate estimate? The short answer is “no.”

Unfortunately, this $6,000 estimate is several years old and doesn’t take into consideration the additional expenses associated with burial in a cemetery and the purchase of a headstone. Once all funeral-related costs are factored in, the typical traditional funeral service will cost the average family closer to $8,000 - $10,000. But before we discuss specific funeral costs, we need to spend a few minutes discussing how the funeral industry works. This will help us understand where our money goes when planning a funeral.

Average Funeral Costs: How the Funeral Industry Works

Most people planning a funeral use the services of a funeral home. The funeral director is either the owner of a funeral home or, more commonly, an employee of a large corporate-owned chain of funeral homes. In most cases the funeral director’s compensation is tied to the profits he generates for the funeral home or the sales commissions he earns by selling related goods and services.

While the funeral director will serve as the family’s main service provider when arranging a funeral service, other businesses are involved as well. In addition to the funeral home, most families will need to use the services of a cemetery and a headstone dealer. Often times, the funeral director will coordinate the purchase of goods and services between the family and the cemetery and headstone dealer. While this is certainly convenient for the family, you need to remember that you are really buying things from three separate business entities: the funeral home, the cemetery, and the headstone dealer.

The funeral director’s main responsibility is generating profits for the funeral home. Unfortunately, this often means the funeral director’s main objective is to increase the amount of money you spend at the funeral home, leaving cemetery and headstone costs as a separate expense for the family. This is why the typical funeral service is publicized as costing $6,000 - because the family often pays about $6,000 to the funeral director. However, the family still has to pay the cemetery for the purchase of a grave spot and the dealer for the price of a headstone. It’s these additional goods and services that add another $2,000 to $4,000 to the price of a funeral. Unfortunately, many families do not find this out until after they have signed a contract for the funeral services with the funeral director.

Average Funeral Costs: Three Key Components

Because the typical funeral home charges $6,000 for their services, but the average family often spends closer to $10,000 when all is said and done, it makes sense to break funeral costs into their three main components: what’s paid to the funeral home, what’s paid to the cemetery, and what’s paid to purchase a headstone or grave marker.

First, the funeral home

It’s no surprise that most families call a funeral home when someone they love dies. The funeral home dispatches a funeral director to pick up the body and bring it back to the funeral home. The funeral director then schedules a meeting with surviving family members to help them arrange the funeral service.

The family spends approximately $6,000 on goods and services purchased from the funeral home. Here is a price breakdown of some of those typical costs:

* casket - $2,300
* funeral director’s basic services fee - $1,500
* embalming and body preparation - $600
* funeral ceremony and viewing - $1,000
* miscellaneous (hearse, death certificates, obituary, etc.) - $600

Next comes the cemetery

The average traditional funeral service is followed by body burial in a cemetery. While most cemeteries used to be owned by non-profit organizations, nowadays many are owned by the same for-profit corporations that own the funeral homes. The average family will spend approximately $2,000 for goods and services at the cemetery. Here is a price breakdown of the typical costs:

* grave space - $1,000
* cost to dig the grave ( sometimes called the open/close fee) - $1,000

Many families are surprised to learn that the price they pay for the grave site does not include the cost to dig the hole for burial, but this is how it works.

Don’t forget about the headstone or grave marker

While the typical family has spent close to $8,000 by now, there are still more costs involved in completing the funeral transaction. If the body is buried in a cemetery you will also need to purchase a headstone or grave marker. The type of stone you are required to buy depends on the section of the cemetery in which the body is buried. A headstone is typically a two-piece granite rock that sits on top of the grave site. It’s typically two feet high. A grave marker is typically a flat granite or bronze plaque that lies flat on the ground on top of grave site. Here is a rough approximation as to what you can expect to spend on a headstone:

* Headstone - $2,000
* Grave Marker - $1,000

Again, the funeral home may coordinate the purchase of the cemetery space and headstone on behalf of the family - it just depends on the funeral home. While this can be a great convenience to the family, the price can be higher because the cemetery or headstone dealer will have to pay an additional sales commission to the funeral home.

Average Funeral Costs: Can they be lowered? - YES!

It is fair to say that many families are truly surprised when they add up all the costs associated with a funeral. Fortunately, proper funeral planning can yield considerable savings. I have spent nearly ten years helping families plan more affordable funeral arrangements, and I have found that with a little planning and knowledge, the typical family can realistically reduce their out-of-pocket funeral expenses by $3,000 to $5,000. If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can review a money saving funeral guide.

Michael Testa, CPA, CFP
Funeral Expense Expert

http://funeral-tips.com/… the web’s most popular site for money-saving funeral tips.

Learn how to reduce and control runaway funeral costs by visiting http://funeral-tips.com/planning-a-funeral-with-the-funeral-savers-kit/.

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  • Posted by admin at 23:43:51 in