3. Prepare your send off
Decisions associated with planning your funeral or other death rites are best made without the pain of grief immediately after a death. You might want to think about how to honour your cultural heritage, your family traditions, what you want as a event (or not) and how your family will want to remember the ceremony.
As with any milestone event, there are overwhelming choices to be made and costs to be considered, so we’d encourage you to inform yourself about the many options, and record your decisions so that your rite of passage, whatever it is, will be a truly memorable one, without being overshadowed by the logistics of arranging the occasion at short notice.
Some of the choices you might want to consider:
Cremation or burial or something else
Your environmental footprint in death
A funeral home package or something more individualised
An event at home, in a park or outdoors setting (with permission) or in a place of worship
A party afterwards or no fuss.
Resources to support your decisions
We recommend three Australian books that can support your knowledge and decisions.
The Bottom Drawer Book - The After Death Action Plan - The Bottom Drawer Book is your modern after death action plan, helping you prepare for the inevitable with quirky but practical tips.
Where there’s a Will there’s a Wake - Whether you are preparing for the death of someone close to you or creating your own funeral and wake plan, take the pressure and stress away from your family and friends, and create funerals and wakes that truly reflect the life you are celebrating.
Your Goodbye booklet - on the ‘about page’ scroll down and you can download the book for free.
Victorian Cremations - Request a copy of My Life Book
Ultimate Guide to Funerals e-books from Celebrants Training College
Tender Funerals - At Tender Funerals we believe funerals and funeral care should be meaningful, authentic and affordable
Tender Funerals is a not-for-profit funeral service that ensures that those experiencing financial hardship or distress are able to access personalised, meaningful and affordable funerals.
NDAN - Natural Death Advocacy Network - NDAN is an acronym for Natural Death Advocacy Network. We are a growing Australian network and advocacy partnership of community facilitators, professionals, activists and educators working to enrich the experience of dying and death
The Celebrants Network - Promoting civil ceremonies and celebrations for everyone. The Celebrants Network Inc members are marriage celebrants; memorial and funeral celebrants; family and naming celebrants, celebrants for all occasions.