Benefits of Planning Your Funeral While You're Still Alive

Having an end-of-life conversation with your loved ones and planning your own funeral may seem like gloomy topics of conversation, but more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of planning your funeral while you're still alive. For many people, one of the most significant benefits of planning your own funeral is that it relieves a huge burden from the shoulders of loved ones. Sitting down with a funeral director, and making your own end-of-life plans will also guarantee that all your wishes will be met when you pass on.

Leaving Loved Ones Behind

Saying goodbye to a recently departed loved one and having to plan a funeral is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks a family can face. After a death, families are often left wondering important questions about their loved ones’ wishes and desires, and must put aside feelings of sadness and loss to make decisions about how to best pay respects to that person. Not only is this a painful and emotionally draining process, but it also interrupts the grieving process that everyone must go through.

A Final Gift to Friends and Family

But imagine being able to relieve your loved ones of this burden simply by making these choices for yourself. Instead of saddling family and friends with difficult decisions, you can sit down with the funeral director of your choice and plan your funeral now.

This will give you a say in what happens after you pass on, determine what kind of funeral and service will be held in your honor, and allow your loved ones to grieve in a natural way when the time comes. Moreover, pre-planning your own funeral can also alleviate a financial burden for your family because you can choose to pre-pay for the costs or arrange to have the money set aside.

Planning the Funeral You Want and Deserve

Funeral planning takes time because there are numerous factors to address. But the process can be expedited when you're planning your own funeral, because you have a better understanding of your end-of-life wishes than anybody else. When you pre-plan your funeral, you get to decide:

• Whether you'll be cremated or buried, and where your final resting place will be
• What outfit and jewelry you'll wear in the casket
• What kind and style of casket you'll have
• What types of flowers and music there will be
• Whether you'll have a funeral, memorial, or celebration of life service
• When and where the ceremony will take place
• Who will act as pallbearers
• What charities you want guests to donate to in your honor

Plus, when you plan your funeral, you get to make special requests of certain people, can ensure that certain religious rites are performed, and can request that special family traditions are carried out. And while a will is a legally binding document that ensures your end-of-life wishes are carried out, many wills aren't read until it’s too late (after the funeral), meaning your wishes will go unheeded unless you’ve pre-planned the affair.

Planning your funeral is becoming an increasingly common event as more people realize the benefits of pre-planning. Not only will you relieve grieving friends and family of the burden of planning your funeral after you pass, but you also get to guarantee that all your wishes are carried out, and that your life is celebrated the way you want.

If you're interested in discussing pre-planning arrangements, simply give us a call at Laing Funeral Home we can get the process started.