Thinking about your own funeral can be difficult. For many of us, the path of least resistance is to purposefully never think about it at all. It’s easier to think that your funeral should be your family’s responsibility. They know you well, and will know what to do when the time comes.
The reality is, the only person who really knows what you want is you. When you preplan your own funeral arrangements now, you ensure that there are no questions left unanswered for your family. Chapman Funerals and Cremations has been helping families say goodbye to loved ones for 160 years. We know what it’s like when a family feels conflicted about what their loved one would have wanted. We believe the best time to plan your funeral services is now.
Why Should I Preplan My Funeral Services Now?
You might feel like planning your own funeral arrangements is premature. It’s normal to think that funeral planning should happen when you’re nearing the end of your life. The truth is that the longer you put it off, the less likely it becomes that you will ever plan your funeral services.
No matter where you are in life, when you preplan now, you free yourself from the stress of thinking about it later, when other concerns might take priority. Additionally, when you preplan now, you lock in the current price. Even if funeral costs increase in the future, your family will not be financially burdened when the time comes. This will save them from feeling stress while they are trying to navigate life while mourning.
How Do I Preplan My Own Funeral Arrangements?
Preplanning might seem difficult, but you won’t be doing this alone. When you preplan, you work with a funeral director to make every decision. It’s ok to feel uncertain about what you want. We will help you go over your options and make arrangements that best suit your needs.
We encourage you to consider involving a close family member or friend. Not only will you benefit from the added support, but they can also bring up points or suggestions that you might not have thought about yourself. It’s important to remember that while your funeral should reflect who you are as a person, your friends and family will be the ones who actually experience your funeral. It’s important to take their needs into consideration, too.
How Can I Make My Funeral Arrangements Unique?
One of the biggest advantages of preplanning your own funeral is the chance to personalize every aspect of your services. You can make all the big decisions, like choosing between burial or cremation. If you are religious, you can make sure your services are a reflection of your faith. And then there are all the smaller but meaningful decisions, like what music will be playing, who you’d like to give speeches, and even what you’ll be wearing if you choose to have a viewing.
When you personalize your funeral, you save your family from having to wonder what you would have wanted. Sometimes, not knowing what their loved one wanted can become a source of conflict for a family. When you make your funeral an intimate reflection of your time on earth, your family will find solace in your services.
Chapman Funerals and Cremations on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and the South Shore area make it extremely easy to begin funeral planning. With an online form, you can start the preplanning process or you can choose any of our locations on Cape Cod and the surrounding Massachusetts area to sit with a funeral director and have them guide you through the process.
Preplanning your funeral may feel daunting, but we’re with you every step of the way.