Funeral pre-planning in Philadelphia is a simple way to eliminate stress on your family in their time of loss, reduce funeral costs, and ensure that your wishes are honored. However, it’s common for people to neglect funeral planning while they’re alive, thinking they have more time or simply wanting to avoid the topic of death. This short-sighted approach to end-of-life planning is unfortunate; we’re all going to die, and pre-planning the funeral gives you control and enables you to reduce costs. If you’d like to take advantage of funeral planning in advance, but aren’t sure about the process, here’s what you need to know about what funeral pre-planning entails:

Your Plan can be Simple or Elaborate

You can plan end-of-life services as simply or as detailed as you like. If you feel overwhelmed or apprehensive about creating an extensive funeral plan, start by making some simple choices and conveying your wishes. You might begin by deciding whether you’d like to be cremated or buried, and where you’d like your remains to rest. Once you select burial or cremation, work with a Philadelphia funeral home to put your plan in place, making the arrangements and deciding when and how you’d like to pay.

The More Detail You Provide, the Better

While Philadelphia funeral pre-planning doesn’t have to be complicated, the more detail you’re able to provide, the easier it will be for your family to follow your wishes. If your end-of-life plan only communicates your cremation or burial desires, your family is still left with myriad details to arrange. If you make those decisions yourself, your family simply follows your plan when the time comes – reducing stress on your loved ones and making it easy to honor your wishes. A more detailed Philadelphia funeral plan might include:

Naming pallbearers Selecting funeral readings Specifying the funeral music you’d prefer Naming an officiant, and Deciding who you’d like to eulogize you at your funeral.

Making these Philadelphia funeral decisions yourself gives you the opportunity to plan the funeral you actually want to have, and helps your friends and family remember you in the manner you’d prefer.

Pre-Paying Funeral Costs Helps You Control Funeral Expenses

If Philadelphia funeral costs are important to you, pre-planning your funeral is a critical tool in controlling your funeral expenses. When you pre-plan your funeral, you select the services you want – and ignore the services that don’t matter to you. Additionally, if you pre-pay for your funeral, you may be able to secure today’s Philadelphia funeral prices – you won’t have to worry about how much Philadelphia funeral costs will rise between now and the time when your family follows your plan.

Pre-planning your Philadelphia funeral doesn’t have to be a daunting process. The friendly staff at John P. Donohue Funeral Home is here to answer your questions and assist you with your funeral pre-planning with sensitivity and tact. Call us at (610) 991-8842.