Recently my 23 year old daughter got engaged and it has been interesting to put my funeral director lens on things as I have watched all the effort and planning that has gone into getting ready for her wedding day. The venue, the dress, the guest list, logistics, timings etc. Similarly, my 18 year old daughter is in her final year of high school and it has been interesting watching her make plans for university next year. Which school, what course, what degree etc.
Significant life events usually involve planning and yet, when it comes to a funeral, people often put it off until it is too late. Our experience is that only about 10% of funerals are planned in advance. Planning a funeral is actually quite easy, and it is much better considering your options before you need to as it takes away the emotional stresses of making decision when affected by grief. Planning can be as simple as thinking about a few basic ideas such as will I be buried or cremated? What song would I like played? Who should speak? Or where will the service be held? It could also be as advanced as having us record your wishes and even paying for things in advance.
At Dil’s, we recently created a funeral planning guide entitled “Your guide to planning a beautiful funeral” if you contact us we are happy to send you a copy, or you can download an electronic version from our website. The guide will step you through different aspect of planning a funeral and has space to record your wishes and thoughts. Once, completed we suggested sharing a copy with family and also keeping a copy with your important papers. Once, completed you can then then get on with living your life confident in the knowledge you wishes are known.
For more information or to order your copy of our planning guide email info@dils.co.nz
