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Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
17 minute read
Whether we are planning our own future funeral, or faced with the task of organising a funeral at short notice for a loved one who has recently died, we might be asking ourselves, “How does the funeral process work?”. From choosing a funeral services provider, to weighing up cremation vs burial, there are lots of different things to consider. In this article, we want to take a look at the funeral process, and help you to understand it more clearly.
We’d also just like to take a moment to say, whatever has brought you to this page, we understand that you might be facing a difficult time. If you are looking for a provider to support you through this time, Aura is the UK’s top-rated provider of ‘Cremation Services’ on the consumer platform, Trustpilot, with a score of 4.9/5 stars. We offer our compassionate, low-cost funerals to those in need now, and to those planning ahead in the future.
The funeral process you go through or witness could vary widely depending on a number of things. There are many different beliefs on death and funerals in religion, so the faith of the person who has died may play a big part in the format of proceedings. The decline of religion in the UK has increased in recent years, which has made religious funerals less and less common, but this is still very much something that can influence the funeral process.
Another big factor that can guide the process is funeral costs. The budget that people have to spend will influence decisions like whether they’d like to have a cremation or a burial; an attended or unattended service; and whether they’d like to have an end-of-life celebration or memorialisation, or put into practice any cremation ashes ideas.
Of course, there’s also a big administrative element to the process of arranging a funeral. From start to finish; we’ll need to register the death; inform friends and family of the death; appoint a funeral director; apply for probate; and then arrange the funeral.
There’s a lot to see to, but, if you choose Aura as your funeral director, we will be there with you every step of the way. Our industry-leading Angel Team are the funeral arranging experts who handle our direct cremation funerals. They are there to guide you or your family by the hand through all of the different elements described above, as well as to provide emotional guidance and support where needed.
The initial steps in funeral arranging can be quite complex and feel overwhelming. They range from notifying all relevant people about the death (from the local authorities to loved ones), to choosing a funeral director, budgeting for the funeral, and making sure that all legal requirements are complied with.
It can be hard to announce a death to friends and family, because it feels like there’s a lot at stake, and you yourself may still be raw from the immediate emotions of the loss. But talking about death and dying with those around you can be easier than you might think, if you keep a few key things in mind:
The local authorities will need to be informed of the death too. When someone dies, the ‘Medical Examiner’ will send a Medical Certificate of Death (MCCD) to the local Registrar’s office. This certificate contains the ‘Cause of Death’ of the person who has died, and it allows you to make an appointment with the Registrar. At this appointment, you can formally register the death, and afterwards you will be given the Death Certificate.
You might be wondering whether you need a funeral director, or whether you have to have a funeral at all. It’s certainly true that every single person will have a completely different idea of what feels right for them, with some preferring to have a no fuss funeral, with no attendees or service, and others preferring a larger ceremony with all friends and family in attendance. A funeral director is a useful point of contact in any case, and they can support you with the paperwork and admin, the arranging and logistics, and even the complex emotional matters, if you or your family would like.
The funeral director you choose will depend on a range of things, from your preferences, to your budget, to whether you need a funeral now or in the future. If you are looking for a funeral plan, you may wish to compare Aura funeral plans with other leading providers, to help you get a sense of what is out there, and what option might be the best one for you. You’ll need to balance different considerations, from price, to flexibility, to reputation.
Getting a budget fleshed out, whether for yourself or alongside your family, can help you to narrow things down and understand what funeral is going to be appropriate. You can start a funeral checklist, which will allow you to keep track of spending in line with your budget, as well as all the other elements of funeral arranging. Objective consumer sites, like Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert can supply vital information and advice about costs, helping you to make the best decision for you, and to understand things like how much a funeral plan costs.
If you’re planning for the long-term, a prepaid funeral plan with Aura can help with budgeting. Not only does a funeral plan allow you to lock in today’s prices, thus combatting potential inflation and shielding your family from possible funeral price rises, but with Aura, there is a complete flexibility. You can pay all in one go, or over 12-to-24 months at no extra cost; your final price will always be the same.
If you are struggling to pay for a funeral in the here and now, it may be possible to get help from the UK government. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) offers two options to those who meet the eligibility criteria: the Bereavement Support Payment and the Funeral Expenses Payment. You can also access the bank or building society account of a loved one who has died in order to pay their funeral costs directly from their funds; this can be done through the Grant of Probate scheme.
Some of the most important things to do when someone dies concern the legal steps that need to be cleared before a funeral can go ahead. A medical professional needs to certify the cause of death of the person who has died, and then the death needs to be registered. Once you’ve registered the death with the Registrar, you will receive the Death Certificate, a very important legal document allowing you to start the process of applying for probate, which is the right to oversee and administer the estate of the person who has died.
Once the death is registered, the Registrar will also issue the ‘Green Form’, or ‘Certificate for Burial or Cremation’, which will go to the crematorium or funeral home. This last document is what allows the funeral to legally go ahead.
Whether you’re planning your own funeral in the future, or planning one for a loved one or friend who has recently died, you will have to make some key decisions about the funeral itself. These include the choice of whether to select a burial or a cremation; creating the order of service, if attended; and deciding on where to hold the funeral, both in terms of venue, and region.
Weighing up the pros and cons of cremation vs burial, will be a big decision. In general, burial costs are more expensive than cremation costs because, with a burial, the plot of land for the grave-site needs to be purchased, and the headstone also needs to be purchased, which can be expensive.
Naturally, the cremation process is different from the burial process, with the former emphasising conciseness and also offering more flexibility about what to do with the remains afterwards. With burial, the person who has died is laid interred, where they will always remain, and families can remember a loved one who they’ve buried by paying a visit to their graveside. By contrast, once the cremation has been completed, there are a whole host of different cremation ashes ideas that a family can implement in order to honour their memory in ever more creative ways.
What you decide will depend on your available budget, and what aligns best with your religious wishes or personal preferences.
If you’re thinking about an attended direct cremation, you will have to give some thought to the order of service. You might want to consider writing a eulogy for the person who has died, and to voice an opinion on the music and words to be included throughout the service in general.
For our attended services, whether as part of a funeral plan or something in the here and now, we can support you or your family in finding an independent celebrant or religious minister to help you with the design of a service. They can work with you or your family to personalise an order of service that harmonises the life-story of the person who has died with their favourite music, poetry, prayers, and words, as well as tributes from loved ones.
Naturally, if the person who has died was religious, then it’s likely their funeral will be held in a religious building, like a church or mosque, although it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Religious services can be held at funeral homes or crematoria, as well as secular ones. Those who want a direct cremation may not give any importance to the location of their cremation, where others might want a natural burial at a very particular place, or a service in the local community. This will largely depend on personal preference.
Make sure, if you’re organising a funeral in the short-term, you understand the situation regarding transportation. With Aura, once someone who has died has been brought into our care, we will take care of their transportation to the crematorium in a private ambulance. You might also want to make sure that anyone who is elderly or who suffers from mobility issues, or even who lives far away, but who wants to come to the funeral, has enough time and support to organise their transportation. This could be the difference between them saying goodbye to a loved one they’ve lost and not.
The things that happen at a cremation by Aura concern three main stages: transportation, cremation, and ashes. On the day of the cremation, whether in relation to a funeral plan or more immediate arrangements, the person who has died will be brought to the crematorium from where they are resting in a private ambulance. Before this, they will have been gently washed and dressed at one of our local care centres and placed in their casket, where they will have been resting from the moment that we took them into our care.
As they are carried into the crematorium chapel, music that was dear to them in life can play. They will be placed on the catafalque as this happens. If the cremation is attended by mourners, then the person who has died (within their casket) will have already been placed on the catafalque before the arrival of any guests.
In the case of an unattended cremation, a crematorium attendant will then speak a few words out of respect for the person who has died, before the coffin is brought to the crematorium chamber. As soon as possible thereafter, they will be cremated. Where the cremation ceremony was attended, there will likely be a service led by a celebrant or minister, complete with music, a eulogy, and poetry or readings dear to the person who has died. Otherwise, our process is the same. Contrary to one of the most popular cremation myths, the coffin is not reused for other cremations, but consumed by the heat along with the body of the person who has died.
Within 21 days of the cremation taking place, we can either return the ashes by hand to the family at home, or we can scatter them on their behalf at the Garden of Remembrance belonging to the crematorium. We return the ashes in a durable scatter-tube, ready for transfer into an urn, or for use in implementing cremation ashes ideas like a cremation ashes tattoo. It also makes it easier to scatter the ashes or disburse them among family members at a celebration of life honouring the one who has died.
It’s often customary for families to mark the passing of their loved ones in some way – in fact, as we can learn from ancient myths and legends about death, it’s something that human beings always seem to have done. A wake is a good example of this, with many different religions having some version of this ritual, or rituals like it.
This practice has evolved in recent decades to refer mainly to the practice of gathering socially after someone’s death, and doesn’t even need to have any religious connotations. This can be done at the home of the next-of-kin of the person who has died, or, as is frequent these days, at a bookable venue such as a pub or a hotel lounge. It not only helps people to reminisce and grieve together, but also to talk about death and dying. Hosting at home is likely to be more affordable, as you can even ask family members to contribute by bringing a plate of food or something to drink with them.
What each family wants to do is entirely up to them, and guided by personal preference above most things. Whilst a family-led memorial ceremony, or even a social gathering long after the person has died, is one of the most meaningful ways people have of remembering a loved one whom they’ve lost, many even like to avoid gatherings like this altogether, which is completely okay.
Once the funeral is over, including the possibility of an end-0f-life celebration of some kind, there are a number of things you or your family may need to attend to, such as post-funeral administration, and looking into grief support for you and other family members.
As part of the funeral process, you will need to complete and obtain certain pieces of paperwork, one of which is the Death Certificate. The Death Certificate can allow you or your family to tie up a lot of loose ends in the life of the person who has died. For example, it will allow you to apply for probate, which is legally required before the executor of someone’s estate (named in the will of the person who has died) can start to discharge things. Administrative matters relating to the will are important generally, but probate could also be very important for paying for the funeral itself. This is particularly true if the family is relying on funds within the bank account of their loved one, or an over-50s life insurance policy in their name to pay for their funeral. When someone dies without a will, it’s still possible to execute their estate, but you will need to apply for a “grant of administration of letters” instead.
Aside from these vital jobs, you will also need to notify clubs, societies and other groups of the death of their former member, to close their bank accounts, and to cancel any monthly subscriptions that they had.
Dealing with a loss in the family, whether coping with the death of a parent, or anyone else dear to us, can be incredibly difficult. There are a number of things that you can do to make things easier for yourself and your family. It’s very important to remain in regular contact with other family members who have suffered the same loss; this will prevent both you and them lapsing into solitude, too much of which can be damaging for our mental health. It’s also important to look after your physical health, by trying to keep as active as you can, and to eat healthily; these will positively impact sleep, which will help you to cope with grief more easily.
There are a number of different resources available too, which can help you to come to terms with a loss. The NHS offers mental health services that many people find useful, and about which many are unaware. Various charities, such as Sue Ryder, can point you in the direction of resources like death cafes in your local community which you can join. These are great if you’d like to talk to someone who doesn’t know you, but who may be grieving a loss themselves, about what you’re going through.
We hope that this article has answered your questions. But, if any further questions have arisen, whether about the funeral process generally, how to arrange one, or how to cope with grief, we are here to help you and answer them.
Aura prides itself on the compassion, patience and kindness of its service to those in need. Our direct cremation services are available to both those who need to arrange something at short notice, as well as preparing for the future with a prepaid funeral plan. In both cases, it’s our wonderful, compassionate Aura Angel team who’ll be there to lead you or your family across the difficult terrain of funeral arranging for a loved one. They’re not only experts in funeral arranging, but can lend you an ear if you need to talk.
