Guest blogger RR writes today for ‘the silent majority of consumers’.
With the plethora of funeral options, some people choose to give their own send-off advance thought and leave instructions to their next of kin. This brief survey aims to focus the mind on some of the boxes that might need to be ticked. If answering this questionnaire, feel free to give additional comments. For example, if you want music at your funeral, and already have specific favourites, do share…
1 Have you been involved in planning a funeral before?
Yes
No
2 Did the dead person leave instructions for the funeral?
Detailed
Partial
No
3 Do you intend to leave instructions for your own funeral?
Detailed
Partial
No
4 What are your preferences for the ‘disposal’ of the body?
Cremated
Buried
Donated to medical science
Other
5 Where do you want your funeral to take place?
Church
Crematorium
Church and crematorium
Woodland burial ground
Alternative venue
At home
Direct cremation with no funeral service
6 Who do you want to officiate at your funeral?
Religious celebrant
Humanist celebrant
Civil/secular celebrant
Family member
Friend
Noone
7 Which of the following do you want included in the funeral service?
Full religious liturgy
Exclusively secular format
Mix of religious and secular
Eulogy/address
Hymns
Prayers
Poems
Bible readings
Secular readings
Classical music
Contemporary music
Moment of silence
Collective call-out of memories
8 How do you want funeral guests to dress?
Black
Colourful
Specific theme
Formal
Casual
Anything goes
9 What are your coffin or urn design preferences?
Traditional
Modern
Wood
Wicker
Cardboard
Metal
Natural
Colourful
Plain
Decorative
Other (eg cloth shroud)
10 What transport do you want to your funeral?
Traditional hearse
Horse-drawn carriage
Alternative hearse (eg motorbike and sidecar)
Own transport
Other
11 Who do you want to carry the coffin at the service?
Undertakers’ pallbearers
Family and friends
Other
12 Do you plan a committal ceremony after the funeral?
Graveside (burial of coffin or urn)
Scattering of ashes
No committal
Other
13 Do you plan a memorial service or gathering some time after the death/funeral/committal?
Yes
No
Maybe
14 If your body/ashes are to be buried, how do you want the resting place commemorated?
Headstone
Plaque
Planted tree
No marker of the spot
Other
Not applicable
15 Do you plan to budget in advance for your funeral?
Specific funeral plan financial product
Regular financial product (eg ISA)
Instructions in a will for the next of kin
Agreement with next of kin to cover costs
No plan
Other
16 How much do you envisage spending on your funeral?
Up to £1,000
£1,000-£5,000
£5,000-£10,000
Over £10,000
17 Which of the following do you want at your funeral?
Big turnout of family, friends and aquaintances
An intimate gathering
Funeral venue hire
Social venue hire
Celebrant
Transport
Service sheet
Flowers/wreaths
Burial site
Memorial stone or plaque
Musicians and choir/singers
Food and drink
Catering staff and waiters
Photography
Memorial slide/video screen
Candles
Other
18 Before the funeral, where do you want your body to rest?
Cold storage in hospital/undertaker’s morgue
At home
No preference
Other
19 What are your preferences for viewings of the body at a vigil or wake?
Closed coffin
Open coffin
Neither
Other
20 If viewings are welcomed, which options do you prefer?
Visit to undertakers’ chapel of rest
Viewable any time at home
Embalmed body
Temperature-controlled, un-embalmed body
Other
21 Do you believe in some form of life of the soul after death?
Yes
No
