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Take out a pen and some paper and begin brainstorming ideas regarding your funeral. Write down whatever comes to mind, at least at first. You might include things that you've seen done at other funerals that you thought worked well. As you are sketching out ideas, pay attention to the intangibles as well. For example, what kinds of emotions do you want your funeral to create in others? Do you want your funeral to feel like a celebration or be a bit more somber in tone? You will need to choose between a burial or cremation. With a burial, your body is interred in the ground either with or without embalming. With cremation, your body is cremated to ash and the remains are placed in a container of your choice. You also have the option of a green burial, which is an environmentally conscious way of handling your deceased body. Go to the Green Burial Council website for additional information. It is your choice whether to have a gathering before or after your funeral or none at all. You can have a service in the funeral home or a graveyard service at the cemetery. You can have a body viewing or wake before your funeral as well. This decision should be based, at least in part, on how comfortable you are with others viewing your body after death. You can always opt for a closed casket service as well. Go and interview several funeral directors. Read online reviews. Ask friends and relatives who have attended funerals if they have any recommendations. All funeral providers are required to provide you with a price list upon request. It is sometimes hard to differentiate between a locally-owned home and a franchise or corporation. Make sure to ask about the funeral home's history as you shop around. You will also want to decide if you'd like to use one facility for the entire reception and funeral process or if you would like to only purchase part of a funeral package, a direct burial without a reception for example. Many people choose to have their funeral receptions held at a church or even at their home. If you plan to follow religious conventions, you'll want to reach out to your minister, priest, or rabbi to discuss the details. Some churches or individuals charge fees for their services and you'll want to ask about these now. You may also want to discuss using the church facility for part of the reception as well. A eulogy is a short speech delivered at a funeral in which the speaker discussed the life of the deceased. It is not required to have eulogists and, if you choose to include speakers in your funeral, you will want to carefully select people who know you well. Ask them in advance if they would be comfortable saying a few words when the time comes. You can select a poem that is particularly meaningful to you. Or, perhaps a few sentences from your favorite author. Maybe even a few lines that you've written. Spoken song lyrics also often work well. Select the readings that you would like to include and consider who you would like to read them as well. You might say, "I've started thinking about my funeral plans and, when the time comes, I would like for you to read a passage from Poe, if you are okay with that." Think about the type of atmosphere that you would like during your funeral. Would you prefer violins or flutes? Do you want music at the graveside or just at the church reception afterwards? Be aware that you can also opt for a combination of live and recorded music as well. Make notes regarding your wishes and discuss them with the funeral director. Consider keeping a file on your computer containing possible memorial images to be used solely or as part of a general video during your funeral. You can also put these images on a zip drive and give it to a relative. With technology now you can get even more creative if you like and request that your tweets or blog entries are also incorporated in your funeral. They could be added on to the program or projected alongside photos of you. It is also a good idea to put a close friend in charge of alerting the online community (Facebook, Twitter) regarding your passing. You can script a message for them to send along or leave it up to them. All of the personal touches that you add may have associated fees. And, regardless of whether you choose cremation or burial, your funeral home will likely add a set of standard fees onto your final bill. These fees can include the cost of obtaining death certificates or even housing your body. Keeping in mind how much you can reasonably spend will help you to make realistic choices. For example, you can sometimes opt out of embalming and choose refrigeration instead, which can cut the cost. Many funeral homes will accept payment for your service in advance. Ask the funeral directors about their policies in this area. Some states require that these monies go into a trust of some sort for security, whereas other locations offer very little in the way of security.
Make a list of your likes and dislikes. Decide on a type of funeral. Decide on a reception style. Choose a funeral home and memorial site. Decide if you want a religious element. Select your eulogists. Decide if you want to include readings. Select music for the service. Choose photographs or other displays. Consider your budget when planning. Look into prepayment.