You usually don't have much time to plan a funeral for a close loved one. After all, you can't plan when a person will die, leaving you rushing to plan the funeral when the time comes. So, what steps should you take when planning a funeral? Here is a guide to help you learn some of the primary steps you must take.

Choose the funeral home

The first thing to do is to choose a funeral home. The funeral home should be in a convenient place for loved ones and friends to attend, so you might want to choose the town where your loved one lived. You may want to contact a couple of funeral homes to see if they have availability, as some may not. Additionally, you might want to stop by the funeral home if you're unfamiliar with it to ensure that it's nice, clean, and welcoming.

Consider the funeral type

Next, you might want to think about what type of funeral service you want for your loved one. For example, what did your loved one want you to do with their body? You can choose from cremation or burial, but you must make decisions with both options. For example, you must choose a casket if they wanted a burial service. Additionally, what type of service did they want? Many people have a showing one day and a funeral the next day.

Hire a minister

You might also need to hire a minister to speak at the service. If your loved one attended a church, you can ask them. If they don't have a church, you might need to look around to find a minister or clergy to hire for the service.

Choose the music and pictures

Many funeral services include music and slide shows. If you would like to include these things, you'll need to select musicians and songs. Additionally, you'll need to collect photos to include in the slide show. You can ask the funeral home if they prepare slide shows. If not, you might have to work on this step.

Write the obituary

The funeral home will help you write the obituary, which you can put in the newspaper and online. You can also include it in the funeral cards you hand out at the service.

Talk to a funeral director

As you prepare for your loved one's funeral, you can follow these steps to get started. You'll have additional ones to complete throughout the process, and a funeral director can help you with these.

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