Although your own passing can be a difficult and emotional thought, funeral pre-planning is a positive way to ensure you and your family’s needs are met. When you sit down with a funeral director, there are important considerations you’ll want to make, such as choosing a headstone. Covering all your bases will ensure your family doesn’t have to make last-minute decisions and that you’re memorialized in a unique and individualized way. Below, learn aspects of a funeral to consider to alleviate you and your family’s stress. 

What to Consider When Planning Your Funeral

1. Design Your Ceremony

Funeral pre-planning begins with the ceremony. Decide where you want the viewing to take place. It may be a church, funeral home, or a place that has meaning to you. Pre-planning allows you the freedom to choose music, if desired, or what passages will be read. You can also select whether you would like an open or closed casket. You might also want to think about if you want a religious figure or family members to speak, and what will follow at the reception.

2. Choose a Memorial

A headstone is a lasting reminder of your life and the impact you had on friends and family. Knowing that you picked out your memorial and love it will help your family immensely after your passing. You can choose a large monument, a vertical headstone, or a simple grave marker that is flush with the ground. Consider lettering, messages, and any engraved images you’d like. Many people choose to customize their memorials with symbols like a cross, the Star of David, or an angel. Once you have decided on these options, you can then work with a local funeral monument store to design your ideal headstone. 

3. Decide Between Cremation or Burial

Family members might have a hard time deciding your burial wishes after you have passed. If you select this before your passing, it can alleviate that pressure. Generally, cremation services have lower costs and offer more options, such as keeping your ashes in an urn at home or spreading them at a favorite place. Traditional burials, however, are a popular ceremony and often help family members feel close to their loved ones after death. Think about where you’d like to be buried, and organize any ceremonial gravesite details you prefer, such as reading religious passages.

If you’re interested in purchasing a headstone or other monument in the Rochester, NY, area, McGee Monuments is your go-to supplier. These compassionate professionals offer over 100 styles and colors to choose from and will ensure you purchase something that fulfills all your needs. Call (585) 546-4602 to speak with a representative and visit their website to explore their products.