Funeral preplanning lays out a plan for the service you wish to have, and ensures your family won’t have to make as many difficult decisions during a time that will already be challenging. That being said, there are a number of factors to consider to ensure all the necessary arrangements are made. Your funeral home will help you cover the basics, but before you start working with them, you should start planning at home so you'll know what to ask for.

What to Keep in Mind When Preplanning a Funeral 

1. Choose a Funeral Home

When you establish your plan, you'll also create an account with your chosen funeral home so you can prepay for the services you've chosen. Sometimes these funds can be transferred, but sometimes they can't, so you need to make sure to choose a home that offers the services you want and trust.

2. Burial or Cremation

Both burial and cremation are common options in the U.S. today. Which you choose depends on your personal preferences and beliefs. Burial is more traditional in mainstream America, while cremation provides a wider range of choices for the final resting place of the remains — including the option to incorporate them into art or jewelry.

3. Services & Events

Your funeral plan may include a funeral, memorial service, wake, graveside service, or any number of other peripheral activities. Your choice of burial or cremation can influence the schedule — for instance, you likely won't have a viewing if you choose direct cremation.

4. Necessary Purchases

You'll need to choose a casket unless you're opting for cremation, in which case, you may want an urn. You'll also need to choose a burial site and purchase a headstone during funeral preplanning.

5. Personal Touches

While you may not need to arrange these items with your funeral home, you should think about them during the planning process and write down your wishes. These include who you'd like to speak at your funeral, any music you'd like to have, requests such as what you'd like the attendees to wear or where any donations in your name should be sent, and similar choices that will help personalize the proceedings.

If you're ready to start the funeral preplanning process, visit Whitley's Funeral Home in Kannapolis, NC. For more than a century, this funeral home has offered compassionate services with a personalized touch for families throughout Cabarrus County. Whether you choose burial or cremation, they’ll handle everything leading up to and following the service. They also offer funeral pre-payment options to best suit you and your family. To speak to a funeral director today, call (704) 933-2222 or reach out online.