Planning a funeral is not a responsibility we face every day. While shopping for caskets, headstones, burial plots, and other provisions may be a simple task for some, others might not have a clue where to start. With almost a century of experience in the industry, Legacy Headstones is an excellent resource for funeral planning. In this article, we take a closer look at working with a funeral home, as well as the services and expenses you can expect while planning your loved one’s memorial service or your own. Keep reading to learn more.
What services does the funeral home provide?
Circumstances and requests vary from one family to the next, but most funeral homes are on-call to serve families in the event of a death. From the first point of contact, the funeral home will remove and transfer the deceased from the place of death, regardless of whether it’s your home, the nursing home, or the hospital. They will professionally clean and take care of the body, as requested by the family, providing services that include washing, embalming, dressing, hairdressing, cosmetology, and casketing. The funeral home will offer assistance to the family by contacting florists, musicians, officiants, and any special persons or groups that will participate in the funeral ceremony. If requested, the funeral home might also compose obituaries, provide guidance regarding insurance claims and pensions, as well as arrange viewing or visitation. Working with a funeral home can be simpler. There may be an option for direct burial or cremation without any services at all.
What services does the crematorium provide?
Cremation recently surpassed burial as the most requested end-of-life service, and crematoriums are expanding their service offerings to include many of the same amenities that funeral homes provide. Most crematoriums will store the body, assist with choosing a container, immolation, and any final arrangements. Unlike funeral homes, crematoriums provide other services at additional costs: completing and filing of death certificates, obtaining permits to transport the deceased, removal of pacemakers or prosthetics, or planning memorial service arrangements. Cremation is the least expensive option compared to traditional funerary services.
What are the average costs of planning a funeral?
Funeral homes often provide “full-menu” service packages that include the burial, cremation, or a memorial. Average costs for funeral services can be found below.
- Embalming: $500
- Casket: $1,500 – $5,000
- Cemetery Plot: $1,000
- Transport: $700 – $1,000
- Headstone: $1,500 – $2,000
- Funeral Flowers: $250 – $500
- Funeral Service: $500
- Opening and Closing of Casket: $300 – $1,000
- Clergy, Organists, or Soloists: $250 – $750
- Obituary Announcement: $200 – $500
The average cost of direct cremation through a funeral home is $1,600 – $3,000, and the average cost of a direct cremation through a crematorium is $1,000 – $2,200. The Federal Trade Commission created a set of guidelines, known as the Funeral Rule, to protect consumers who may be overly vulnerable during times of grief. The Funeral Rule requires funeral providers to give consumers accurate, itemized price information and other disclosures about funeral goods or services. Working with a funeral home will make the process of sending your loved one off a much easier and less stressful time for all involved. If you have any questions about this article or would like to learn more about the headstones and memorial keepsakes available at Legacy Headstones, please contact us today.