What Funeral Plan Options are Available

Funeral plan options

You may not be aware of how many funeral plan options you have. Most people assume they need to use a funeral home. And funeral homes try to simplify the funeral plan process.

Funeral service

A funeral service is held shortly after death and before disposition (burial or cremation). The remains of the deceased are typically present – with either open or closed casket. Disposition usually follows immediately.

If the decedent’s remains will be present at the memorial service in a public venue such as a church, it is almost always necessary to preserve the body through embalming. This is true whether the casket is open or closed at the memorial service. If the casket is open, the body will also need to be prepared for viewing with wardrobe and make-up.

Memorial service

An alternative to the traditional funeral service to the is to hold a memorial service after disposition, i.e. after a body has been buried or cremated. This relieves some of the pressure of making decisions and cost of last-minute travels.

Most commercial funeral providers will accommodate a viewing by immediate family prior to disposition. No embalming is required for the viewing as the body will be refrigerated. Home funerals may include a viewing. In this case, some type of cooling like ice packs is used to preserve the remains.

Home funeral service

In a home funeral, the viewing and the service take place at home.

No service

A funeral or memorial service is not mandatory. Some people prefer to forgo a service and allow loved ones to remember the decedent in personal and private ways.