A funeral is always a somber affair. The whole world seems to stop spinning, and time is halted. But alas, there are responsibilities to take care of and though planning a funeral service may be hard, with all the legal and financial matters to attend to, there are ways to alleviate the difficulty somewhat.

A funeral is given to give meaning to the life of the deceased. It is a celebration of life, as well as a send off to the dearly departed. It gives cause to have family and friends come together to remember the deceased while at the same time give comfort to each other. If the task of funeral planning falls on you, you had best be ready.

The best course of action when planning a funeral service is to hire a funeral director. Not only do they know what to do in these times, they also think clearly as to all the details that need to be done. They understand that you are in a state of mourning so they do everything as much as possible, keeping you updated. However, when the matter of finances comes up, it falls on you to inform those closest to the deceased as to how to pay for the funeral service.

A director can also handle all the technical planning and logistics of the funeral. If the departed has left a list of wishes on how to be buried, take that into account as well. Let the director know if the deceased had wanted to be buried, entombed or cremated. The costs of each vary, so be sure that all financial matters have been prepared by you and the family. Also, you can ask guests to donate cash in lieu of flowers to a favorite charity of the deceased. Make it known by word of mouth or through the obituary.

Finally, you can also prepare a funeral that fits the personality of the deceased. If the departed was a happy go lucky individual and loved music, you can play his or her favorite music while asking everyone to dress as a musician. Of course, if the deceased wished for a somber or formal funeral plan, make sure to let it be known. It depends on religion, traditionally people wear black, but the Chinese wear white sometimes. So make sure to accommodate the departed’s religion and customs when planning their funeral service.