It s the thing people fear most, the stuff religions are based on and the thing everyone is inching a bit closer to each morning they wake up - death. And the ceremony that transitions people to the afterlife has become increasingly complicated and expensive, The process of preserving bodies has been around for centuries. Some of the most famous embalmers were the Egyptians who used Nile River to preserve bodies. Thousands of years later, people are still being preserved, but the process has changed along with society - mainly there are a lot more choices. Arranging services before death with a funeral directors has also become an important part of the funeral business.
Prearranged funerals are able to ease the burden of planning funerals for the living.
It gives us the basic information in advance. The family picks out a casket, the kind of services they want and other details of a funeral that can save a family grief and possibly some money. Usually they have given it some thought and they buy something that is sensible and within their means. Sealed caskets, generally made of steel, can neatly preserve bodies for years, while wooden caskets add an element of beauty to the service, said Doug Ritchie, a funeral director in Louisiana. It is really a matter of taste.