Funeral services are opportunities for family and friends to share fond memories, mourn together, and begin the healing process. Planning these services is an emotional process and a solemn responsibility. Many people find it overwhelming to prepare for a service when grieving. If you recently lost a loved one and aren’t sure how to begin making funeral arrangements, this guide will help you. 

How to Prepare a Funeral Service

Check Your Loved One’s Will

Review your loved one’s will for any wishes they may have specified. Your loved one might only have indicated their preference for burial, cremation, or another method of caring for their remains, or they might have provided detailed instructions for their remembrance service itself. If they left no instructions, draw upon conversations you or other family members may have had with them about their preferences. 

Decide the Details

Choose a funeral home location, date, time, and type of service. Your funeral home will walk you through the available options, whether you prefer a traditional church ceremony, a veteran service, or a unique celebration of life. The date you choose will depend on personal preferences, the religious affiliation of the deceased and their family, and if there are family members who will need to travel to the gathering. 

Communicate With Loved Ones

Tell close loved ones about the arrangements you’re making directly. Work together to come up with a larger guest list of people to invite. You should also create an obituary to notify members of the community in the newspaper or online. If you’re unsure what to include in the obituary, your funeral director will be able to offer advice. 

Delegate Tasks

You don’t have to do all the planning on your own. Talk to other close family and friends and give them tasks to handle. For example, someone could select the flowers for the service, another could liaise with the church, and another could host a luncheon after the service. A funeral director is also a valuable source of support during the planning period. 

Personalize the Service

Many people commemorate their loved ones by personalizing the service. There are countless ways to do this: displaying photos from special moments in their lives, creating a playlist of songs they loved, or incorporating a quote from their favorite writer into their eulogy. 

If you’re looking for a funeral home in Rochester, NY to help you plan a funeral service for a loved one, look no further than DiPonzio Funeral Home. Serving Monroe County residents since 1931, these compassionate guides will help you create a service that honors the departed in a special way. They’ll also help with funeral pre-planning for those who want to make their own arrangements. Call (585) 429-6700 or contact the home online to start the planning process today.