Ways to Plan Ahead

General

• Gather personal information for your obituary.
• Choose a charity to direct donations to, if desired.
• Choose a funeral home.
• Make note of any instructions for your services and final disposition.

The Funeral Service

• Choose burial or cremation.
• Select a casket or cremation container.
• Choose locations and types of services.
• Choose floral arrangements.
• Select which photographs and memorabilia you’d like to display.
• Consider any customs, traditions, or religious rites that are important to you and your family.
• Choose the clothing you’d like to be dressed in.
• Select music and hymns, if desired.
• Choose a theme for decorations and stationery at your services.
• Arrange transportation for your physical remains and your family.

Participants

• Choose a clergy member or officiator to preside over the service.
• Select any musicians whose talents you’d like to employ.
• Select pallbearers.
• Choose friends or family members to perform the eulogy, read scripture, or prepare a speech.

Final Disposition

• Choose a cemetery.
• Select a burial plot or mausoleum.
• Select a memorial or grave marker and inscription.
• Decide who will keep your urn.
• Decide who will scatter your ashes and where.