Have you ever sat and thought about what your own funeral should be like? Maybe a dress you’d like to be buried in, or a theme you’d want your family to follow? I have in my cell phone a list of songs a good friend of mine told me she would like to have played at her funeral, you know, after a few too many drinks at the bar one night. I thought about it afterwards when I was home, and asked my husband what song he thought I’d like to have played. He of course thought I was morbid and had no clue, but it really got me thinking. If the one person I share EVERYTHING with – all my hopes, dreams, goals, plans etc – didn’t know, I doubt ANYONE would. So I made my own list.

In a sense, that’s what preplanning really is. You get to decide what you’d like to have at your funeral, cremation or whatever it is you decide to do. Many times, you can arrange a payment plan, and then it’s not only financially smart at that point, but also responsible. Responsible in the way that you leave behind only memories, and not financial burden and difficult decisions your loved ones would to make while grieving.

Many funeral homes have several options to choose from when you decide to start preplanning. You can pick whether you want cremated, buried, maybe you want cremated and placed in a niche, maybe you want a columbarium. Whatever it may be, YOU get to decide. You have the final say in how you are to be memorialized. Now, this does not mean you shouldn’t discuss this with your loved ones. There might be many things special to them about you, that you might not even realize. When they were little, maybe you had this outfit you always wore, or you always picked the daisies by the mailbox to put on the kitchen table. Those might be stand out memories that they would love to see displayed when your funeral occurs, or the outfit they’d like to see you buried in. By including your loved ones in preplanning, it also ensures that the chance of paying for your funeral doesn’t happen twice. Say you plan your funeral in Bullhead City, Arizona but while visiting family back east, you unfortunately pass away. They might not know about your pre-arrangements in Bullhead City, and just pay to have you buried there. Then, not only did your money go to waste, but your wishes were also not followed exactly as you may have wanted them to be.

When you go in for a preplanning consultation, make sure you are well informed, and ask ALL the questions you are concerned about! Bring a pen and paper and have a list of questions ready to be asked. Start thinking about all options and don’t be afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions, no matter what they are. Questions like: Can my arrangements transfer to another funeral home? What if the price of a funeral has risen since I made my arrangements? Are there any additional fees that would need to be paid by my family when I pass (transport, embalming, staff fees) or am I able to pay for all of that in advance? What does my family need to bring in when I do end up passing? What information should my family members know about me to fill out necessary forms?

Our concierge and Pre-Planning advisors are highly trained and they are there to help you. They have years of combined experience and are there to offer advice, and give you options.

We understand your wants, wishes and needs should be followed to a “T”, and that is exactly what we intend to do!