Funeral Planning Online

Sea Burial: A Sea Lover’s Choice

For many people, the desire to be buried in the sea would seem like an oddity, but for those who are passionate about the waters; this is something to be expected. If you have lived most of your life at the sea or near the sea, this would be a practical choice.

Sea burial has become a relatively accepted alternative to traditional funeral practices. In fact, there are quite a lot of people these days who wish to be buried this way. However, while it may seem out of the ordinary, sea burial must be looked upon with respect and dignity. By granting a dead person’s wish to have his remains surfing the waves does not literally mean dressing the dead person in his best suit, riding a boat, and then dropping him off in the middle of the open sea.

A comical story’s been told about some people who did just that - literally. Upon the wish of their friend, these people sailed out to sea, bringing with them their dead friend. They clothed and wrapped him well, and tried to make the funeral as solemn as possible, singing appropriate hymns as they made their way to the middle of the sea where they dropped their dead friend. Unfortunately, he did not sink as they had expected; but, he went round around the boat while his two friends tried desperately to reach him using an anchor hook.

Eventually, their dead friend was washed to shore by the waves with seaweeds, baby crabs and something else covering his body. Before long, the boat which had his friends aboard reached the shore. Unfortunately, a local policeman saw the whole scenario which he did not find funny at all. What was worse was that they did not have a death certificate to show upon demand and so, they had to stay in prison until they could produce one.

Funny as it may sound, sea burial should not be taken lightly at all. When you are planning a sea burial for your sea-loving friend, make sure to accomplish all the required documents such as death certificate, environment certificate, authority to bury the dead at sea and similar other documents. You may also seek the services of certain funeral parlors in your area. They can help you with the documentations and other preparations as well to make the sea burial as solemn and dignified as it should be.

Thinking about Pre-planned Funeral - Creepy or Beneficial?

Talking about a funeral is a frightening topic to some; but if you look at it optimistically, you will come to realize that it is indeed practical to think about it in preparation for the unavoidable. It’s a reality that all will be faced with the certainty of death – only within each other’s time; usually at the time when you least expect it except to some who have terminal diseases. Bringing up the issue of pre-planned funeral in a discussion is a sensitive subject.

On the other hand, keeping away from this subject would only add burden as you and your family deal with bereavement. This is the reason why it is advisable that you seek out and obtain a pre-planned funeral.

A funeral is one of the things that any individual would noticeably avoid thinking about. A pre-planned funeral may not sound worthy of note to some, but dwelling about some positive points you may very well consider the thought of having one. The first line of reasoning is with regards to the funeral cost. You may not be aware of the fact that funeral costs are elevating each year – yes it is! Imagine how much it would cost ten to fifteen years from now?

You may set some savings in preparation for this, are you sure that your allotted money is enough for the funeral service that you want? It makes sense to settle for a pre-planned funeral as an effective method to get away from the ever-increasing funeral prices and at the same time choose the kind of funeral service and casket that you prefer.

During the time of bereavement, funeral arrangement transactions can only add confusion to one of the loneliest time of your or your loved ones. Bereaved relatives may not come up with the best decision associated with the funeral because of their sadness. With a prepaid funeral everything – funeral chapels, casket, funeral service, and memorial park are inclusive and guaranteed with your pre-plan funeral guarantee certificate. Therefore; minimizing the burden and securing funeral requests.

Other probabilities that pre-planned funeral plans can offer is the opportunity and capability to choose who will benefit under the specific plan, settle on your preference of funeral service and the method on how you will pay for the plan – opt for the plan that will work best for your financial capabilities and situation.

During the time of bereavement, when everyone is faced with sorrow leaving everyone at their worst emotional condition; a pre-planned funeral can lighten the load that they are facing because of the death of a loved one.

Funeral Consumers Alliance

There is an organization which aims at protecting the consumers so that they can choose a dignified funeral. This organization is the Funeral Consumers Alliance, or FCA in short.

In fact, this organization is a non-profit organization. One of its job is to monitor funeral industry so as to make sure that vendors in the industry are providing good services.

Yet the most important thing the will do for the consumers is to print leaflets to raise the public awareness on various choice of funeral services. It will certainly help to educate the consumers. As a matter of fact, there is no other organization which will help to educate the consumers about the funeral industry.

The affiliates of FCA are mainly non-profit funeral planning groups. The affiliates have been liaising with some funeral homes so that some discount price can be offered.

In the website of FCA, there are plenty of tips and resources on funeral planning. Some of these resources are totally free. There are also some books and videos which can be sold to people so that they can learn more about funeral planning.

There is also a forum in the site for people to discuss various issues on funeral and funeral planning. Another valuable section in the website is the legal section. The legal right for various people involved in a funeral will be discussed.

It is really a good resources for people who have thought of plan for the funeral ahead. To become a member of FCA, a little bit of donation will be required. However, it is just a small amount which is equal to the cost of a good meal!

Visit the Official Website of Funeral Consumers Alliance

Ideas for Bereavement Verses

Bereavement Verses can be something very personal. It helps us to express our emotions. The true feeling will be expressed using a verse.

In fact, it will be a difficult task for one to write a bereavement verse, considering the feeling of one when writing it. In most cases, verses will not be written on oneself. Others will help to write it. Yet it should bear the notion that the verse is going to express the emotions of the people who are involved in the funeral.

It is quite difficult for us to find the right word when writing the verses. And it will change according to the relationship between us and the deceased.

I have done a brief search on the web and find some samples of bereavement verses. Of course no one would like to write it but it will be useful when you have to do it in some cases.

If you are looking for some Christian bereavement poems, you can visit the following site.
http://www.heavensinspirations.com/bereavement.html

Below are some of other sites you can find ideas on bereavement verses.
http://www.slimfish.co.za/bereavement-verses/
http://www.memorial-keepsakes.com/bereavementverses.html
http://sympathycardsandverses.googlepages.com/
http://www.cardsshoppe.com/wording_Bereavement.asp

Baby Bereavement Gowns

Buying baby bereavement gowns is not an easy task. It is actually a very sad assignment that needs to be done after an baby passes away. Usually, no one will be planning for such unhappy and difficult task. But unfortunately, if it is really needed to do so, it is not very difficult to find one. Babies who passes away will generally need to wear baby bereavement gowns. As a matter of fact, most of them are white in color. They actually looks like Baptismal dresses. They are fabricated for both sexes. There can be a range of different sizes, styles and patterns for people to choose from.

The choice of baby bereavement gowns is based on how old did the baby dies or passes away. It will probably be needed to purchase a regular one if it is an older baby who passes away. Those who died afore their gestational age will probably need smaller baby bereavement gowns. Special arrangement of outfits may needed in this case.

It is true that baby bereavement gowns will be the clothes the baby who passes away will wear forever. Choosing and purchasing the best or the most suitable one will be an emotionally overwhelming task.

If the infant passes away during a hospital stay, baby bereavement gowns may probably be offered by chaplain. People may send baby bereavement gowns to the hospitals as donations in such situations. These are essentially crocheted, knitted or sewn white dresses with actually very little detail. They are fabricated in various sizes. There are even sizes that is suitable for for micro-premature babies whose weight is beneath 1 pound at birth.

It is aswell a matter of time. If it is a sudden death of the infant, there will only be a very short period of time to search for baby bereavement gowns. In most cases there will only be three to four days. A simple Christening clothes can be purchased. On the contrary, if the death of the infant is somehow anticipated, baby bereavement gowns can be purchased some time beforehand.

Below are some online shops which provide baby bereavement gowns:

Baby Bereavement Gowns for Pre-Mature Infants
Preemie Pride
BabyLink.com
Babydevine.com

Normal Size Baby Bereavement Gowns
Christening Gowns - Christening Outfits
Angel Christening Gowns.com

How Do You Write Funeral Thank You Notes?

You will probably need to send some funeral thank you notes to the people who have attended to the event. However, you may find that it is not easy to write the notes. Of course this is because you may not have the experience to do that before. Below are some tips for you to write funeral thank you notes.

Write from you heart

In most cases, the funeral thank you notes do not need to be long paragraphs. You can write it briefly. What is more important is that you have to do it from your heart. You should write the notes with your sincere. Otherwise you will just miss the point of doing that. Remember, no matter what you are going to write, you have to be write it politely.

Whom to send

As a matter of fact, you do not need to send funeral thank you notes to everyone who has attended the event. Of course there is no rules for that, you can send them to everyone if you want to. However, if you are not going to send to all people who attended, be sure you do not miss anyone who sent flowers, donations, cards etc. In some cases you may even consider sending the cards to people who have shown their sympathy but did not have a chance to come to the funeral.

When to send

Usually, you should try to send the funeral thank you notes within two weeks after the funeral.

Do not put pressure on yourself

Of course it is important to write and send the cards. However, you may be extremely exhausted after the event and you may need some time to recover, both physically and psychologically. There is no point to put too much pressure on yourself to do it.

Ask others to help

If necessary, you may also ask other family members to help you to write the funeral thank you notes. Certainly, you may also ask them to send the cards for you.

Tips for New York Funeral Arrangements

Maybe you are overwhelmed or confused. You may have several questions in your mind while arranging a funeral in New York.

A great relief can be obtained by choosing a funeral home where you feel comfortable. In the New York State, it is necessary for you to get a licensed funeral director. Only the funeral director can make arrangements for the preparation, movement, and burial/cremation of the deceased. He/She is also in charge of filing the death certificate and coordinating with the cemetery.

When you meet with the funeral director, you have to ask for a General Price List to show the merchandise and service available. There are a lot of things you need to decide on. Whether you prefer burial with formal viewing rights or choose direct burial or cremation. If you prefer burial, you need to decide whether you will rent or buy the casket. You can also select the kind of funeral service you desire.

When you have confirmed your selections, you will receive an Itemized Statement which will include a contract. This is a legal document which gives you an obligation to pay for the funeral cost.

Here are some tips to help you for New York funeral arrangements:

1. The state does not require the use of an outer internment receptacle such as a casket. However, many cemeteries require at least a suitable container to be used which may be an unfinished wooden box or any container made of materials such as cardboard, canvass, or pressed wood.
2. Burial vaults/Grave liners are also not required by law but some cemeteries will compel you to purchase them to prevent sinking or collapsing of the grave. If you prefer not to buy a burial vault, you should choose a cemetery that does not require it.
3. The New York State does not require embalming. Your funeral director should obtain specific approval from you before proceeding with this service. Your funeral home may require embalming only if you choose to have a particular service such as open casket viewing.
4. If you choose to embalm the body or prefer to select the viewing or visitation of the body, the funeral director cannot refuse your wishes. He/She may only advise you against viewing due to the condition of the body or cause of death but the final decision is still up to you.

Remember, you are the customer and you should not be pressured to get the merchandise or service that you do not want. You have the right to ask questions, compare prices and to complain if the funeral arrangement is not handled correctly.

Free Funeral Program Template

When you are planning for a funeral, you may probably need to think of the run down of it. To this end you will need to create an order of service. However, you may not really know what the run down should be.

Of course your funeral director should be able to help you. At the end of the day it is one of his / her job to help you to set the run down and create the order of service. Yet you may need to add some touches to it so that it can reflect the wish or personality of the deceased.

You may try to find a Free Funeral Program Template on the internet for your own reference in order to do so. You will probably find that a lot of people will be searching for a free funeral program template. Of course you should only treat this template as a reference and you should write the program from your heart!

You can find a Free Funeral Program Template from http://web.onetel.net.uk/~maggyw/sf/templatea.html

Wording for Funeral Invitation

When planning for a funeral, you will inevitably need to print some invitations. However, you may not know how to do the wording for funeral invitation. Basically, you will put all the important information such as the date and venue.

Below are some sample wordings:

Sample 1:

The Funeral Service of NAME,
Will take place at PLACE,
DAY, DATE, at TIME.
The friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend.

Sample 2:

Yourself and family are invited to
attend the funeral of NAME,
at PLACE,
on DAY, DATE, at TIME.

The above samples are for your reference only. In order to make sure that everything is correct, you should consult your funeral director for all the details.

What Does a Funeral Planner Actually Do?

When the one you love pass away, you will be of course very sad. However, you should also need to plan for the funeral. To this end you will probably want to get the best memorial service. You can only do it once and certainly there is no any second chance. A funeral planner can actually help you to get everything right.

You may be curious what such a planner actually do. As implied by the two words “funeral planner”, you will know that he / she will help you to plan the funeral of your beloved one. There is no doubt the planning for such an event is not an easy task. You may be already very sad and exhausted. And you still have to take care a lot of different issues.

For example, you will need to consider the run down of the event. But do you know how can you do it? Not all of us will be experienced in this and the planner will be the right person to advise you about this. He / she will discuss with you about the wishes of you late beloved one, and try to incorporate all the wishes into the event.

In fact, your planner should able to aid you in all aspect of the funeral services. If you need advices on burial sites or places to dispose ashes, he / she should be able to give you the most professional advices. They may even give you some advices on legal issues when needed!

The site of the actual funeral is also very important. Usually the site will be a church or a funeral home. You may have no idea on the place of the event. The funeral planner should also be able to help you in this aspect.

Although the planner can virtually help you to take care all you need to consider. You should get involved in the whole planning process. First of all you will need to confirm with him / her and make sure that the planning will be in line with the wishes of the deceased. If the funeral is not a pre-planned one, it is you who makes the final decision. You cannot just rely on the planner. You need to decide which option will be the best for the deceased.