Funeral Celebrant or Funeral Director: Which do you need?

As funeral celebrants have become more popular, many people are left wondering why they need a funeral director if they have a celebrant and vice versa. The answer is simple… it depends.

Think about a traditional funeral where the funeral director handles details such as taking care of the body, transporting the deceased, and various other tasks. But then, your clergy member takes care of the ceremony. Working with a celebrant is similar to that. The funeral director takes care of the logistical and practical considerations, and the celebrant works with the family to create the ceremony. That’s not to say that funeral directors never handle the officiating duties. It just means that it’s not always that way.

Historically, most funerals have been framed around religious ceremonies and rituals led by clergy members. Over time, society has become more diverse and, in some areas, less spiritual. With this shift, families have looked for alternatives to faith-based ways to commemorate the lives of their loved ones.

That’s where the funeral celebrant comes in. These trained professionals work with the family to design the perfect funeral or memorial service. Their key focus is on making the ceremony personal. Of course, many celebrants are also pastors and religious advisors, so using a celebrant doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t incorporate spiritual components. It just means you now have another alternative in choosing who you want to officiate the funeral.

For a more thorough explanation of how funeral directors and celebrants work, click here.

Want to learn more about funeral celebrants? Explore these articles.

• Using Funeral Celebrants: A Growing Movement
• Funeral Celebrants and Funeral Officiants: Creating Personalized Ceremonies
• Request our Guide to Using a Funeral Celebrant

What is Day of the Dead?

Each year, as Halloween rolls around, we see more and more references to the Day of the Dead. But what exactly is this commemoration all about?

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a colorful and significant Mexican holiday that celebrates the memory of loved ones who have died. The holiday is typically celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, dates coinciding with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Day of the Dead is not a somber occasion but a joyous celebration of life and death. It reflects the belief that the spirits of the departed continue to exist in the afterlife and can be reunited with the living during this special time. It is a unique blend of indigenous Aztec traditions and Catholic influences, creating a rich cultural celebration that has gained recognition and popularity beyond Mexico’s borders.

During the Day of the Dead, families come together with their community to honor and remember those who are no longer with them. This is done through a combination of festive and solemn traditions, including creating colorful altars or “ofrendas” adorned with marigold flowers, candles, incense, food, and drink. These ofrendas are meant to welcome the spirits of the deceased back to the living world.

As part of the tradition, families often clean and decorate the graves of the deceased, often with marigold petals and sugar skulls, and they may spend the night there, sharing stories and memories of the departed. There are parades, musical performances, and artistic displays featuring intricate sugar skulls and decorative skeletons, known as “calacas” and “calaveras.”

So, this year, as you notice the unique decorations and references to Day of the Dead, you’ll know what it’s all about.

EstateExec is designed to help everyday people with the job of the estate executor. The company offers a software program that provides automated guidance and financial accounting specifically for estate management.

To learn more about EstateExec and how it can help you with your executor duties, visit their site by clicking here.

Teraloom offers ash scattering memorials at sea and on land. Events can be personalized with a meaningful location, date, time, officiant, flowers, and more. As part of the service, Teraloom secures all necessary permits, makes the arrangements, and takes care of logistics.

To learn more about what Teraloom offers in your region, click here.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU WITH PLAN A FUNERAL:

How to Make Funeral Arrangements
Buying Funeral and Memorial Products
How to Plan a Funeral
Plan Your Funeral Before You Need It

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today? TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post Funeral Director or Celebrant appeared first on Funeralwise.

Summer 2023

As if planning the funeral weren’t enough, once the arrangements have been made and the service has taken place, there is still a lot to consider, especially if you are named as the estate executor.

If you are thinking about your own funeral arrangements or helping a loved one, it can be extremely helpful to family and friends to keep in mind what happens after the funeral.

Our page, After the Funeral: What You Need To Do, is packed with helpful information on the steps to take once the funeral is behind you. If you have a funeral plan with us, remember that the Complete Version has helpful to-do lists that can be accessed by you or the Plan Guardians you have designated.

If you have questions on what happens post-funeral or any other funeral-related questions, email us at support@funeralwise.com.

>>Read More: After The Funeral

EstateExec.com — Help with Estate Execution

From time to time, we work closely with companies specializing in areas related to the funeral industry and are complementary to the information and services we offer. One such company is EstateExec.com. EstateExec is designed to help everyday people with the job of the estate executor. The company offers a software program that provides automated guidance and financial accounting specifically for estate management.

To learn more about EstateExec and how it can help you with your executor duties, visit their site by clicking here.

Teraloom — Unique Memorialization Ceremonies

With the increased popularity of cremation, so too has the demand for more personalized and unique scattering ceremonies. Teraloom, a company based in Colorado, has set out to offer scattering services in the destinations of your dreams.

Teraloom offers ash scattering memorials at sea and on land. Events can be personalized with a meaningful location, date, time, officiant, flowers, and more. As part of the service, Teraloom secures all necessary permits, makes the arrangements, and takes care of logistics.

To learn more about Teraloom, click here.

What’s a Funeral Celebrant?

Funeral celebrants (or funeral officiants) are professionals who work with families to design custom personalized funerals and memorial ceremonies. The celebrant’s role is to make sure that the ceremony reflects the deceased’s personality, culture, values, and wishes.

Learn More About Working With a Funeral Celebrant

Request our Guide to Working With a Funeral Celebrant

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today? TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post After The Funeral appeared first on Funeralwise.

March 2023

Artificial Intelligence and the Funeral Industry

If you follow the news, then you’ve likely seen lots of stories lately about artificial intelligence. From bots that write essays and create images to videos where you can’t tell real from imagined, AI is everywhere these days. AI has the potential to transform many industries, including the funeral industry.

This month’s newsletter highlights the questions we are asking about the potential impact of AI on how we plan for funerals, how we memorialize our loved ones, and how some funeral homes are incorporating AI into their day-to-day operations. While it’s too early to say whether artificial intelligence will impact the funeral business for the good or the bad, it’s safe to say it will most certainly change it. We’ll keep watching as AI matures and keep you posted on how it shapes the industry.

An AI Chatbot Thinks We Should Plan Our Funeral In Advance
At Funeralwise, we often think about what the future of funerals will look like. So it’s not surprising that lately, we’ve been pondering how artificial intelligence will impact the way we plan for our own passing and honor those who go before we do.

How will the current popularity of chatbots impact the way we buy funeral services? How will they be used to tell the stories of our loved ones? Will AI help us plan our own funerals?
We recently posed a funeral-related question to ChatGPT-4, one of the most advanced chatbots available to the public. We asked, “What are the reasons I should create a funeral plan before I die?” and it gave us ten reasons to plan ahead. We encourage you to take a look. If you have thoughts on the subject, please tell us what you think in the comments area for the article.

>>Read Artificially Intelligent Funeral Planning in our Forums

Do Robots Deserve Funerals?
Giving a robot a funeral seems like a ridiculous proposition, but have you ever seen those famous Boston Dynamic Robots dance? As robots become more sophisticated and lifelike, interesting questions about what to do when they reach the end of their lifespan arise.

In our Digital Dying blog, Justin Noble recently examined the issue of giving hardworking robots a funeral. For his take on the topic, click on the link below.

>>Read “Do Robots Deserve Funerals” in our Digital Dying Blog

Are Robot Morticians Just Around the Corner?
As far as we know, there is no such thing as a robot mortician. In fact, the concept raises all sorts of concerns.

But is the idea really all that far-fetched? Our blog, Digital Dying, explored the question all the way back in 2018.

We don’t think the industry is ready for such a leap quite yet, but we suggest you read the article and see what you think.

>>Read More About Robot Morticians

Our website is chock full of resources to help make planning a funeral or memorializing a loved one easier. Below is a short list of some of the most popular. You may not need them now, but bookmarking them will ensure you have them when needed.

• How to Plan a Funeral
• Find Out How Much a Funeral Costs
• Wise Solutions for Planning Ahead
• Learning About Cremation
• Creating a Celebration of Life
• How to Shop for Funeral Insurance

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today? TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post Funeral Planning Advice from a Chatbot appeared first on Funeralwise.

September 2022

PREPAID CREMATION PLANS
Prepaid cremation plans allow you to pay for cremation before you need it. In addition to the actual cremation, you can pay in advance for other elements, such as a memorial service or celebration of life. Prepaid plans are available for the full range of cremation services–from simple direct cremation (no service, remains returned to family) to a full traditional funeral with visitation before cremation.
In most cases, you will contract directly with a funeral home or cremation provider for the services you want. Depending on your chosen service provider, you can arrange to pay for services in one lump sum or a series of installments. One of the most popular methods for paying for a cremation in advance is to take out an insurance policy that will be used at your death to cover the costs of the services you purchase.

More about Prepaid Cremation Plans

If you think a prepaid cremation plan might be right for you, our Preplanning Specialists can help you decide. They can also help you find the right financial tool to fund your plan. To start, click the button below and complete the brief information request. A Specialist will get back to you with more info. Email us at support@funeralwise.com if you already have a plan with us and would like to learn more.

LET’S GET STARTED

FROM OUR MAILBAG: SECOND RITE OF INTERMENT
We get a wide variety of questions in the Forums section of our website. One question we’ve been getting a lot recently is, “Why does the cemetery want to charge me for burying two urns in the same space?”
The fact is, when you buy a burial space, you don’t purchase the land. What you buy is the right to bury the remains of one body in the space. That is called a “Right of Interment.” So when you want to bury two sets of remains, whether two urns or an urn and a casket, you must pay for the Second Right of Interment to cover the additional remains.

>>Read What is the Second Right of Interment in our Forums.

TALKING ABOUT YOUR FUNERAL
Our last issue highlighted the importance of discussing your funeral plans with your loved ones. It’s an important issue, so we want to ensure you didn’t miss our article. After all, your plan doesn’t do much good if no one knows about it.
Having the talk is not always easy, though. Our article features helpful tips on how to get started and things to consider.

>>Learn More About Having the Talk

SCATTERING ASHES
People are often surprised to hear that there’s more to scattering ashes than just tossing them to the wind.

Once you decide where to scatter, you should ensure it’s legal to scatter in your chosen spot. Choose an appropriate container. Consider wind conditions–everyone stand upwind!

>>More About Scattering

INSURANCE RESOURCES
While many people know us for our planning expertise, Funeralwise also specializes in funeral, burial, and cremation insurance.

Whether you are looking for basic information or are ready to buy, we can help you make the right decision for you and your family.

Our insurance pages are rich with information to help answer your questions and sort through your choices.

>>Learn More About Funeral Insurance

GIVING GIFT BASKETS
Sending a gift basket to express your sympathy is a thoughtful and practical way to let someone who is grieving know you are thinking about them. In some cultures, giving food items is preferred over flowers and other gifts.
You can purchase a gift basket directly through our store by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. The link takes you to Design It Yourself Gift Baskets, for which we are an affiliate.

>>VISIT DIY Gift Baskets

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today? TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post Prepaid Cremation Plans appeared first on Funeralwise.

May 2022

DO YOUR LOVED ONES KNOW WHAT YOU WANT?
Creating a funeral plan can be rewarding since it lets you slow down and reflect on what’s important to you regarding end-of-life arrangements. Once your plan is in place, you have the peace of mind of knowing that your family won’t have the burden of trying to guess what you would want when the time comes.
One vital part of funeral planning that is sometimes forgotten (or avoided) is making sure your loved ones know what you want. The trouble is, it’s not always easy to start the conversation.
Our article “Talking About Your Funeral Plan” has tips for getting started and how to ensure the process goes smoothly. While the article focuses on sharing your information with others, most tips also apply when you want to discuss the subject with others to discuss their plans and how they want their arrangements taken care of.
We always recommend that your funeral plans be recorded online or in hard copy. If you are thinking about what you want for your funeral but haven’t yet written it down, we suggest you take advantage of our Wise Planning System.

>>Read Talking About Your Funeral Plan

WANT ONE LESS THING TO WORRY ABOUT?
Do you travel for pleasure? How about for business?
Regardless of why you hit the road, it makes sense to consider purchasing an affordable Travel Protection Plan.
Travel plans cover the cost of getting you home should the unthinkable happen. While it’s hard to imagine needing such a plan, it can make good financial sense. Take a few minutes to learn why purchasing a travel plan is smart, no matter how much you travel.

>>Learn More about Travel Protection

MAKING FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS EASIER
Making funeral arrangements when someone dies unexpectedly or without a plan can be complicated. There is lots to do and not much time to do it.
You can make arranging a funeral easier by knowing what to do and who to call.
For detailed information on making funeral arrangements, visit the Arrangement Pages on our website. You can also download a copy of our Guide to Making Funeral Arrangements or our Funeral Planning Checklist.

WISE PROTECTION PLAN
The Wise Protection Plan, available only through Funeralwise, is designed to help you create your own meaningful funeral with the help of an expert Preplanning Specialist who helps ensure that you have sufficient funds available to pay for it. The Plan is the most comprehensive tool in our family of Wise Planning Solutions. It can help you give yourself and your loved ones the peace of mind that comes with knowing sufficient funds will be available for your funeral. We encourage you to look at the Plan and see if it’s right for you. We are always available to answer any questions you may have.

>>Learn More

LET US ENRICH YOUR GROUP OR ORGANIZATION
Are you a group, organization, or faith-based community that would benefit from offering its members access to our unique set of planning tools? If so, we’d like to hear from you.
Funeralwise offers a unique program designed to enhance the benefits you currently receive as a result of your membership in a group or organization.
When your community teams with Funeralwise, it doesn’t just get access to our funeral planning tools; it gets dedicated support, personalized attention, and much more.

>>Learn More

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today? TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post Sharing Your End-of-Life Plans appeared first on Funeralwise.

August 2021

RETIREMENT PLAN VERSUS FUNERAL PLAN

Are you taking the right approach to funeral planning?

For most of us, planning for retirement is an ongoing process. We start early in our careers, tweaking and refining as we go. As life events call for it, we modify the plan.

Crucial to any retirement plan is a set of financial estimates for how we plan to get to where we want to be. If we find that we won’t have the money we need to meet our objectives, we modify the plan along the way. This “update as you go” planning strategy for retirement is tried and true.

When it comes to final expense planning, however, the typical approach is to create a detailed plan for how we want our body to be taken care of and what our ceremony should look like. We may include other end-of-life concerns, but then that’s pretty much it. The plan sits in a drawer and gathers dust. On top of that, our end-of-life plans often neglect to consider how we will pay for them.

Instead of using a one-shot approach to funeral planning, why not look at it the same way we do for retirement? Create a plan—including a strategy to pay for it—and update the plan as your needs change. Thinking about end-of-life planning this way is likely a big change, and it may not be easy. Funeralwise can help. Our latest Forums article offers more insight into the topic. It also has links to tools that are designed to help you meet your goals. Why not take a look now?

>>Read The Full Article

WISE PLANNING TIP: ACTIVATING YOUR PLAN

One of the most powerful features of our Wise Planning System Complete Plan is the ability of your Plan Guardians to “activate” your plan when the time comes. If you currently have the Wise Plan Essentials Version and would like to have access to the “activate” feature, an upgrade is available.

Activating the plan turns on features that are helpful when the time comes to make final arrangements.

On activation, helpful tools are added to your plan. These tools include:

• Post-Funeral Checklist
• Arrangements Checklist
• Address Book and Death Notification Messaging Tool
• Collection of Vital Information

If you aren’t sure which version of the Wise Planning System you have, log in to your plan and click on MY ACCOUNT on the left-hand menu. Your plan type is displayed at the top.

For more information on the Wise Planning System, click here. You can also email us at support@funeralwise.com. We are always happy to answer your questions and provide additional information.

FUNERALWISE PROTECTION PLAN

If you are looking for a comprehensive solution to end-of-life planning, we have good news. Funeralwise now offers the Funeralwise Protection Plan. The Plan is designed to help people design their own meaningful funeral and ensure that there are sufficient funds available to pay for it. What better gift to give your loved ones than the peace of mind of knowing that when the time comes, you’ve got it covered.

To see if the Protection Plan is right for you, click on the button below.

CARING FOR CREMATION ASHES

As cremation becomes increasingly more popular, the question of what to do with the ashes often comes up. You have lots of options! Among the most common are:

• In-ground burial or niche placement
• Scattering
• Display in a decorative urn
• Creation of an art piece or jewelry

To learn more about the many options for handling ashes, read our Forums article.

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today. TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.v

The post Retirement Plan vs Funeral PLan appeared first on Funeralwise.

February 2022

FUNERALWISE HAS A NEW FRESH LOOK!

Over the past few months, we’ve been working hard to give our website a cleaner, more modern feel. Of course, we’ve still got all the information you’ve come to rely on, but the new navigation is designed to make it easier to find.

In addition to what you see on the surface, we’ve improved our back-end processes to make the site quicker and more responsive on mobile.

We continue to work to bring you the funeral-related information you need along with the most comprehensive funeral planning tools available. We hope that you’ll take a few minutes to try out the new site. We’d love to hear what you think. If you have suggestions or comments please email us at support@funeralwise.com.

The Funeralwise Team

WHAT IS A DEATH DOULA?

For many reasons, not the least of which is the pandemic, an increasing number of people are finding themselves alone when death is near. Enter the Death Doula. These professionals are trained to help people transition peacefully and with love.

Doulas do much more than offer moral support to the dying. In fact, they can provide valuable services to the entire family.

>>Click here to learn more about the role of the Death Doula.

NEW COLLEGIATE URNS!

If you’ve shopped for a cremation urn, you know that they can all start to look the same after a certain point. That’s why we are constantly on the lookout for new and unique options.

We recently added a number of urns to our collection. One of the most popular is the new Collegiate Urns.

These urns are available in a variety of school colors. They are perfect for the diehard fan or for any proud alumnus.

>>See the new Collegiate Urns

THE WISE PROTECTION PLAN

At Funeralwise, we know a little something about planning funerals. In fact, we recommend that everyone take the time to consider how they would like their end-of-life plans to be handled. After all, the best time to plan a funeral is BEFORE you need it!

Over the years, we’ve found that for many people, the do-it-yourself approach doesn’t fit, or the planning is done, but it’s missing one crucial element–how to pay for it. Luckily, we’ve come up with a solution. We now offer the Wise Protection Plan.

The Protection Plan, available only through Funeralwise, is designed to help people create their own meaningful funeral with the help of an expert Preplanning Specialist and ensure that there are sufficient funds available to pay for it.

Whether you are planning for yourself or a loved one, the Wise Protection Plan may be just the thing you need to get it done. It’s the most comprehensive tool in our family of Wise Planning Solutions. It can help you give yourself and your loved ones the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there will be sufficient funds available for your funeral.

We encourage you to take a look at the Plan and see if it’s right for you.

>>Learn More About the Wise Protection Plan

10 TIPS FOR HAVING A CHEAP FUNERAL

Lots of people look for ways to have a cheap funeral. It’s not that they don’t care about the funeral; they just can’t afford today’s funeral costs.

Fortunately, with some pre-planning and a little creativity, you can have a nice end-of-life send-off without breaking the bank. In other words, you can have a cheap funeral that doesn’t look cheap!

>>Click to read the full “10 Tips For Having a Cheap Funeral” article

COMING SOON TO FUNERALWISE

Within the next few weeks, we will introduce two new resources that we think you will find particularly helpful.

The first is a webinar designed to provide you with everything you need to get started on your funeral planning journey.

The second is a comprehensive funeral planning e-book.

Keep an eye out for emails explaining how you can take advantage of these great new tools.

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today. TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.v

The post We Have a Whole New Look appeared first on Funeralwise.

November 2021

As we move through our day-to-day business it’s easy to take the things that are important for granted. For a business like ours, we rarely get the opportunity to say thank you to the people who make our work possible, you.

As we head into the holiday season, we’d like to take a moment to let you know how grateful we are to have your support. We hope that you never need us, but when you do, we’ll be there to offer support, guidance, and assistance. Thank you!

HANDLING GRIEF OVER THE HOLIDAYS

For most of us, the holidays are a time filled with joy, celebration, and family. If you are grieving, however, this time of year can be particularly challenging. Besides navigating the typical hustle and bustle of activity, situations that you might have looked forward to in the past can become emotional triggers. From family traditions that evoke the memory of the missing person to encountering people who aren’t aware of the situation, there are many ways that the holidays can amplify grief.

Remember, grief comes in all shapes and sizes. There is no timeline and no right or wrong way to handle it. So be patient with yourself and take care of your needs in the way that works for you. Our article Handling Grief During the Holidays offers some tips to help you manage your unique situation. This article can also be helpful if you are trying to help someone manage their grief.

If you feel your grief is more than you can handle, don’t hesitate to reach out to a friend, a loved one, or an organization specializing in helping people work through troubled times.

More Resources on Grief:

• The Path to Healing from a Loss
• Helping Others Grieve
• Grief: Don’t Cheer Me Up!

THE FUNERALWISE PROTECTION PLAN

At Funeralwise we know a little something about planning funerals. In fact, we recommend that everyone take the time to consider how they would like their end-of-life plans to be handled. After all, the best time to plan a funeral is BEFORE you need it!

Over the years, we’ve found that for many people, the do-it-yourself approach doesn’t fit, or the planning is done, but it’s missing one crucial element–how to pay for it. Luckily, we’ve come up with a solution. We now offer the Funeralwise Protection Plan.

The Protection Plan, available only through Funeralwise, is designed to help people create their own meaningful funeral with the help of an expert Preplanning Specialist and ensure that there are sufficient funds available to pay for it.

Whether you are planning for yourself or a loved one, the Funeralwise Protection Plan may be just the thing you need to get it done. It’s the most comprehensive tool in our family of Wise Planning Solutions. It can help you give yourself and your loved ones the peace of mind that comes with knowing that there will be sufficient funds available for your funeral.

We encourage you to take a look at the Plan and see if it’s right for you.

>>LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROTECTION PLAN

CELEBRATION OF LIFE VERSUS A FUNERAL

As the funeral industry evolves, so too do the number of options you have for creating ceremonies to honor the deceased. Deciding what’s right for you can be confusing. Should you choose a Funeral or a Celebration of Life? What’s the difference.

In short, a Celebration of Life is really just a more personal, less formal version of a funeral. But that doesn’t mean you have to choose one over the other.

Our article “Celebration of Life or Funeral: What’s the Difference?” breaks it down for you.

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CREMATION

As cremation grows in popularity, so too do misconceptions about what it is and what the dos and don’ts are. For example, choosing cremation does not mean that you can’t still have a funeral.

If you are trying to decide if cremation is right for you, or you just curious about it, our article “10 Things To Know About Cremation” will answer some of the most common questions. Our website also has a comprehensive section about cremation that can answer questions and clear up myths.

>>Read 10 Things to Know About Cremation

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today. TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.v

The post We Are Thankful For You appeared first on Funeralwise.

The life of a funeral celebrant is rewarding. It can also be highly challenging. Earlier this year, Celebrant Barry Slocombe found out just how challenging. He decided to share his experience with us so that we could get a peek behind the curtain and see just what life is like for a Celebrant. Here is his story:

In a unique set of circumstances, I was contacted on August 15 by a family member requesting an Inurnment and Celebration of Life service on September 16, 2021. As Celebrants, we usually have 3 – 5 days’ notice to prepare for a service. The preparation includes: meeting with the family, conducting research on prose, poetry, music, and prayers, creating the text and structure of the service, and securing family approval.  With 31 days to prepare for this service, I accepted with an enthusiastic “yes.”

As I mentioned, this service presented a unique set of circumstances to which my contact then explained the details. Four decedents from the same family had all died within the past 13 months. Due to Covid 19 service restrictions, the family could not hold individual services. While most Celebrants have dealt with Covid 19 related death services over the past 2+ years, this was not the case. Only one decedent had passed away due to Covid 19. The other three passed away from natural causes. However, with service restrictions now sufficiently lifted, the family felt it was appropriate to hold a single service for all four decedents. The relationship among the decedents was interesting–3 were biologically related, and the 4^th was previously married to one of the decedents.

My contact requested that the Inurnment service be held first, followed by the Celebration of Life service with about 45 guests attending. This was to be followed by a light lunch. Typically, a Celebration of Life or Memorial service is held first. The service will typically include family members and guests and is followed by the burial service of either a casket or urn. An Inurnment can involve placing the urn in a niche or a mausoleum. In this case, it was an inground Inurnment. This means the urns were placed in the ground at a designated site, much like a casket burial.

During the initial conversation with my contact, he inquired about my fee to handle the multiple services.  Because I had to give this some thought, as I had not conducted a service of this nature, I advised him that I would get back to him shortly. To determine the fee, I took my standard charge for a Celebration of Life and an Inurnment and multiplied it by 4. I applied a 20% discount to achieve a fee that I felt would be fair to the client yet profitable.

My fee was accepted. I advised him that I would require 50% of the fee at the family meeting, which was arranged for five days out. I do not ask for a partial payment when I initially meet with the family if I receive the service from a funeral director. The funeral home pays my fee after the service. I request 50% of my fee to be paid when the family contacts me directly.  In this situation, I was not only contacted directly, but the service was complex. So I felt my request was justified.

There are many essential components in creating the service. One that I feel is of the utmost importance is the “family meeting.” I meet with the family, usually 2 -5 members. A typical meeting lasts about an hour and a half. I prefer to meet the family representatives at their home as this is their “comfort zone.” They are likely to be more at ease than in a public space like the local Starbucks.

The Family Meeting

The family meeting consists of securing information about the loved one to create the service. I also assist them in creating an Order of Service, so the service flows smoothly and professionally. The Order of Service acts as a guide for the Funeral Directors. It advises them when to play music, start a video or slideshow presentation, and usher guests. At the family meeting, I also consult on poems, music, prayers, eulogies, mementos for the service, how they accept condolences from guests, etc. The final list can be lengthy depending on the family’s wants and needs.

For this service specifically, I decided to prepare a mock-up of the Inurnment service that I would present to my contact and family members during the family meeting. I included a Bible reading and two poems. The poems were great fun. As you know, poems usually refer to “him or her” and not “they,” which I needed to change and still make them rhyme. It was an interesting challenge, particularly on one poem, as I recall.

I have created a 38 question Service Planner that I use during family meetings. Using the planner allows me to secure the information I need to prepare the service. Since four lives were being celebrated, I revised the Service Planner and reduced the number of questions to 20. Each decedent’s immediate family member(s) would have the same questions, so they would all be treated equally in the telling of their loved one’s life story. I also prepared an Order of Service for both the Inurnment and the Celebration of Life. Armed with this and my music stand, I met with four family members, one family member for each decedent, and delivered my mock presentation to them in the living room of their home.

You may ask, ‘What is the significance of a music stand?’ While all funeral homes and event centers have a wooden podium, cemeteries do not. I feel it is more professional to have a stand to rest my service script rather than hold it. My script is organized in a binder rather than having loose or stapled pages.  When I attended the family meeting, I took the music stand with me for those reasons, and it gave the family a better idea of what to expect from me as the Celebrant.

We then set about determining what the families wanted to occur at the Inurnment, i.e., Who would place the urns? Was anyone going to speak? Etc. The family chose to have only family members attend the Inurnment service, and the Celebration of Life service included both family members and guests.

Fortunately, the four sites were located within 6 feet of each other, so we were not faced with traveling through the cemetery.   The Inurnments took place in the oldest cemetery in Vancouver, and members of the family had purchased the sites several decades ago.  Consequently, the decedents were placed beside several other family members inground.

When conducting a single Inurnment service, I use a white wooden stool to set the urn on so it has a place of honor at the service, rather than sitting on the ground.  However, in this case, the stool was not wide enough to handle four urns. I had to devise an alternative to accommodate the urns.  I used a 4-foot piece of wood, painted it white to match the stool, and secured it to the wooden surface of the stool.  It was solid and allowed for a more pleasing visual than being crowded together.

As part of planning for the Inurnment service, the family identified a member from each of the decedent’s immediate family who would place the urn.  We also made minor amendments to the Order of Service, made the final selection of 2 poems, Their Journeys’ Have Just Begun, and I Am There and two songs, Tears in Heaven and Over the Rainbow, and the reading of The Lord’s Prayer.

Creating a Personalized Service

Interestingly, this family had Hawaiian heritage. The Inurnment service would begin with playing a conch shell and reciting, in the native tongue of a beautiful Hawaiian poem about life, death, and ancestors. Not being familiar with this tradition, I researched the meaning and significance of a conch shell ceremony. I discovered that the blows of the conch shell symbolize the journey of the ancient Hawaiians and our own journey in that eternal moment. 

Conducting research and applying that research allows me to feel that I am part of the Celebration rather than an MC reading notes.  I have found, and have been told by families, that those touches of understanding and connection to the service are felt and appreciated.  Celebrants are presented with interesting issues at services ranging from cultural or heritage and even a family’s request that all guests will be wearing baseball caps, as the deceased was a ballplayer or hockey jerseys, for the deceased’s love of the game. 

It’s then a Celebrant’s responsibility to dig deeper into the decedent’s favorite team, a player who made a significant impact on their life and incorporate that into the service.  Celebrants must be flexible, creative, well-researched, and able to incorporate and accommodate the family’s wishes.  It makes for a far more personal, thoughtful, and memorable service for the family and friends of the decedent.

I was advised that I would be working with a sign language interpreter at the Celebration of Life, something I had not done before.  The family arranged the interpreter to accommodate the deaf guests. There were 11 deaf or hard of hearing guests, and two of them offered to give eulogies at the Celebration of Life.  As you can imagine, the sign language interpreter was invaluable as her “signing” allowed the deaf guests to understand what I was saying and allowed the two deaf eulogists to convey their message to all the other guests.  Again, this allowed and welcomed all guests to be part of the service.

As I’m sure you can appreciate by now, this service was unique and very interesting to undertake.  It was challenging to some degree and entailed a lot of work and coordination.

Final Preparations

After my initial meeting with the family and over the next two weeks, there was a flurry of emails and phone calls from various members of the four families.  This entailed writing four short eulogies, having the respective family member review their eulogy and make revisions. I was asked to deliver the eulogies on behalf of the family member at the Inurnment service.  In most circumstances, a family member or friend delivers the eulogy. But because the family members did not feel comfortable speaking in a public setting, I was asked to write and read the eulogy on behalf of the family member. There were also revisions and additions to the Celebration of Life service as new information was given to me.  

It was a lot of work, a little stressful at times, but very satisfying.  As I reflect on this opportunity that was presented to me, it was a very gratifying experience.  It entailed a lot of thought, effort and, at times, offered its challenges and tested my organizational abilities.  However, I received a sense of joy and satisfaction from handling it as I created and led a service for four decedents. 

When you are entrusted with organizing a Celebration for one decedent, you work with one family. In this situation, I had to consider the dynamics of working with four families.  How could I co-ordinate a service encompassing each family’s wishes yet deliver a service for four individual families that had flow and consistency?  By reducing the number of questions from 38 to 20, I garnered more specific information that was relatable to all decedents.  Another top-of-mind issue was the timing factor; what is an acceptable timeframe for each service, the Inurnment, and Celebration of Life?  I had to allow the same amount of time, or thereabouts, to each family and yet not have the services drag where the family and guests become anxious.  These issues, and more, had to be taken into consideration when planning the entire service.

After a long 13 months for these mourning families, losing four loved ones over a short period of time, and being unable to deliver them to their final resting place, a beautiful warm, sunny day welcomed family and friends to a very heartwarming Inurnment and Celebration of Life service.

A Note about the Author, Barry Slocombe

Barry Slocombe is a Professional Funeral Celebrant located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He became a Celebrant 5 years ago in 2016, following funeral home experience, broadcasting, and domestic and international public speaking engagements.

You can contact Barry at www.funeralcelebrantvancouver.com. 

The post Four Funerals And No Wedding appeared first on Funeralwise.

May 2021

FUNERAL INSURANCE: PRENEED OR FINAL EXPENSE? What’s right for you?

At Funeralwise, we’re all about planning. As we always say, the best time to plan a funeral is BEFORE you need it. Preplanning your funeral doesn’t have to cost you anything (see our Wise Planning System). Still, eventually, you’ll have to think about how to pay for your end-of-life needs. Luckily, when it comes to paying for a funeral, you have lots of options. Let’s talk about one of the most popular methods—funeral insurance. There are two basic types of insurance designed specifically for paying funeral and burial expenses: preneed insurance and final expense insurance.

ETIQUETTE FOR VIRTUAL FUNERALS

Over the last year and a half, we’ve all learned to do things a bit differently. This is particularly true of the funeral industry. A spike in the number of deaths, combined with limits on in-person gatherings, has forced funeral directors and consumers to get creative in finding alternatives to the traditional funeral.

For an ever-increasing number of people, the solution is the virtual funeral. So instead of attending in person, we head to the computer to join with others via online conferencing software.

Surprisingly, the technology has been available for at least a decade. We just weren’t ready for it. Industry analysts think that sooner or later, the public would have embraced live- streaming anyway, but we’ll never know. We expect, though, that inviting friends and family to participate in funerals and memorial services online is now an important trend that is likely here to stay. As our expectation for the proper way to hold a funeral evolves, questions arise as to the appropriate way to dress, speak, and behave while attending. To help answer these questions, we have compiled a comprehensive list of tips and suggestions for etiquette when attending a virtual service. We invite you to take a look. You never know when you might need a little advice.

>>LEARN MORE ABOUT VIRTUAL FUNERAL ETIQUETTE

If you are grieving or know someone who is, we have resources on our website that may help. If you are feeling overwhelmed, we encourage you to reach out for help. Visit our Path to Healing page.

HAVING A CHEAP FUNERAL THAT DOESN’T LOOK CHEAP Saying you want to have a cheap funeral doesn’t mean you don’t care about the end-of-life celebration; it means that you don’t want to break the bank to do it. Luckily, there are ways to have a funeral or memorial service that pays fitting tribute to the deceased but in an affordable way. Read our full 10 Tips for Having a Cheap Funeral to learn more about how you can focus on what is really important in honoring someone who has died without spending more than you have to. >>TIPS FOR HAVING A CHEAP FUNERAL

FEMA FUNERAL REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

The pandemic has been hard on all of us in one way or the other. For those who have lost a loved one due to the virus, the journey has been particularly challenging. So it came as a big relief to many when FEMA announced it would open its funeral expense reimbursement program.

The program is now in full swing, with FEMA’s application hotline (844-684-6333) operating Monday through Friday from 8 am – 8 pm Central Time. Visit our page on the program for complete details.

>>FEMA COVID FUNERAL REIMBURSEMENT PAGE

CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

When you confirm your email address you help us make sure that only those who want our information get it. You also help ensure that the emails we send get through to your inbox. If you haven’t yet confirmed your email address or aren’t sure, click on the button below, and we’ll send you an email with a link for confirming. To say thank you, we’ll send you a copy of our Guide to an Affordable Funeral.

>>Click to confirm your email address.

ARE YOU AN INSURANCE AGENT? Did you know that Funeralwise has a program designed especially for Final Expense Insurance Agents? Click here to learn more

SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT US

If you haven’t gotten an invitation and you’d like to share your opinion, email us at support@funeralwise.com.

DON’T HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN YET?
Why not take a few minutes to get started today. TRY THE PLANNER

ALREADY HAVE A FUNERAL PLAN?
Take a few minutes to make sure it’s up-to-date. GO TO YOUR PLAN

Funeralwise.com is the place to go on the web for everything you need to know about funerals. Whether you are planning a funeral or attending one, we will provide you with straightforward answers to your questions and step-by-step instructions to guide you on your way.

The post Focus on Funeral Insurance appeared first on Funeralwise.