Articles Of Interest

March 26, 2020

Preplanning Your Funeral While You’re Young

Preplanning your funeral isn’t something you have to wait to do when you’re older. Meet thirty-three year old Susie Bearne of Margate, England who decided to make planning her funeral a priority.

 

Susie is healthy and quite optimistic about living a long life. But over the years, thoughts about her own funeral constantly popped up in her mind. Who would turn up? What music would be played? Since she wouldn’t be there to orchestrate the day, she often wondered how her funeral would play out. How would her family know who to invite? Would her life be represented the way she wanted to?

 

She saw her funeral as a major life event that needed to be planned for. Just as others plan their weddings, she wanted to plan her funeral. She didn’t want her final soiree to be her own worst party.

 

That’s when she knew it was time to meet with a funeral planner. After considering different options, she was able to make decisions about everything that she wanted for her service. She decided on a candle-lit service in a historical house in London. Friends and family will be welcomed with glasses of champagne to drink during the service and all will be encouraged to stand up and share anecdotes. Susie’s other requirements included: no embalming, a bamboo coffin, and a woodland burial near her parents’ home, complete with a tree planted nearby.

 

Susie isn’t the only one who is preplanning her funeral while she is young and healthy. As society changes, more people are becoming comfortable with talking about death. Many people are adding preplanning their funeral to their to-do list, allowing them to personalize what they would like for their service. Taking the time to preplan, at any age, relieves your family from having to make decisions during a difficult time and allows them to focus on navigating the grieving process.

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