Weddings, not unlike funerals, take a lot of planning. With a variety of elements requiring perfect planning to make the day run as smoothly as possible.
Planning an event is not every budding newlywed's forte, so many couples choose to hire a wedding planner to help them arrange their special day. The planner works with the couple to help design and arrange the different parts of the event in accordance with exactly what they want.
The pressure for the day to be perfect means that wedding planners play an important part in allowing the happy couple to set the tone for their celebration without having to take on the stress of the arrangements themselves.
Although very different, the same principles applied to planning a wedding can also be applied to arranging a funeral. There is pressure for both to be perfect, both require a lot of preparation and are deeply personal events, meaning that there is a need for careful planning and organisation, whilst ensuring that the needs of the family are put first.
Personalised Funerals
Half a century ago, funerals were very by the book, following a similar order of events each time and having little in the way of individual elements. However, these days funerals are all about personal preferences, with elements relating to the deceased from flowers to music, poems and readings and even transport, holding significant sentimental value in the deceased's life.
This year nearly 80% of funeral directors have reported an increase in the number of celebration of life funerals they carry out, highlighting a greater interest in a more personalised event that is not as reflective of a traditional funeral. And as death and dying become less of a taboo subject, and more people talk about how they want their funeral to be, celebrations of life are becoming more popular than funerals.
With this comes the call for a personal touch, and inevitably an increased level of planning as the role of the funeral director as 'funeral planner' begins to hold much more weight.
In the past, a funeral director would be responsible for the core service and burial or cremation but now they consult more widely with the family to arrange floral arrangements or sourcing music, from a live organist to the deceased's favourite song on a crematorium sound system.
Funeral Planners?
Although not often described as such, many independent funeral directors already assume the role of funeral planners. Typically, smaller and family-owned, they provide a personal, caring service, always on hand to help when needed, answering any questions as well as providing a range of helpful information.
Like wedding planners, the funeral director makes sure all of the organisation of the day is taken care of. They ease some of the stress of the funeral helping to make life easier for friends and family by taking care of the things that make someone's final farewell special. Family members can concentrate on remembering their loved one during the service, knowing the details of the day have been taken care of by a professional.
And, as more people include personalised elements in their funeral service, the planning element of the funeral director's role will become increasingly important.
Golden Charter has one of the largest network of independent funeral directors in the UK. Many are long-standing, family-run businesses and all provide a compassionate and professional service. Find out more about how you can plan for your funeral with one of the funeral directors in our network. Request a free, no obligation information pack below or call 0808 169 4534.
