2023
What Is Involved in Preplanning a Funeral
What is involved in preplanning a funeral is comprised of several steps, but it largely depends on what type of funeral you want. In today’s blog, we will talk about some of the potential steps that you could take, but that may not apply to all cases.
Funeral Home
You may first want to choose a funeral home. In some cases, it may be possible to prepay some of the cost, but this possibility may not be available everywhere.
Grave
If you know in advance where you want either a body or ashes to be buried, then you may purchase a plot ahead of time—such as near family relatives. In that case, there will likely be one funeral home associated with a particular cemetery or mausoleum.
Your Will
You may mention your burial or funeral services in your will, but it is not legally binding, and it will be up to the executor of your estate, usually in conference with other family members to make these decisions. In British Columbia, you can add a “Memorandum” to your will, which is, again, not legally binding, but which sets forth your wishes about certain things like your funeral. What is most important is to let your family and executor know clearly what you want. If you never discuss it with anyone, they cannot know how you would want your wishes carried out.
If you have prepaid for a plot in a cemetery and have documentation to that effect, then that wish is clear. You may want to visit more than one funeral home and meet some of the directors. Look at their chapels and meeting rooms. Do they have what you might want for a gathering of friends and family?
Depending on how deep you want to dive into this, you can always go visit some restaurants or bars and community halls and see where you might like to have a Celebration of Life. If you are decided on this, make note in your will of how much money you wish to be spent on this, and note in your Memorandum where you want it to take place. Set aside some money to pay for your funeral expenses in a designated account. Let your executor know where this money is, how much it is, and how it is to be spent.
The most important message in today’s article, is let your loved ones and executor know what you want. Clearly. Write it down in a Memorandum of Wishes attached to your will. If you don’t have a will, then get one written as soon as possible. Simple wills are not difficult to write, or expensive, but they require the help of an estate lawyer or a notary in British Columbia.
A legal will with a Memorandum attached is your best chance to have your funeral plans unfold as you want them to. Because no matter what kind of preplanning you do, you will need a trustworthy executor who you respect and who respects you, to carry out your wishes, someone who fully understands what your wishes are.
If you have questions about funeral services in British Columbia, please feel free to call us at (604) 463-8121 in Vancouver.
Maple Ridge Funeral Chapel and Crematorium, based in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, provides has been providing compassionate funeral services on the Lower Mainland for over 60 years. We have deep roots in the community and take great pride in caring ethics and exemplary service. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about funeral services, please call us at (604) 463-8121.