Although it is perfectly legal to organise a funeral without a Funeral Director, you may wish to consider how you can benefit from their knowledge and experience before you take on the task. Yes, of course, some people may quiver about the costs involved, however, take a moment to weigh up the service they are providing compared to what you will have to do by yourself.

Unless you have planned a service before for a loved one, most people don’t realise how much support the Funeral Director provides; before, during and after the service. From the early arrangement stages, running the service, and then afterwards providing guidance and support.

The Communicator
Funeral Directors are great communicators, they know how to listen and what questions to ask to gain a clear understanding of how your loved one would have liked their funeral.

The Facilitator
Sometimes there are family disputes on what each other thinks is best for the bereaved. This is when the Funeral Director helps to facilitate any disagreements to ensure the best outcome.

The Anthropologist
Funeral requirements can depend on cultural, religious and traditional beliefs. Funeral Directors are well skilled in knowing the required rituals to suit each person.

The Event Planner
If nothing else impresses you with the funeral director’s skill, then perhaps think about how quickly they can organise an event.  Funeral Directors have exceptional talent to organise a large event in a small time frame. Within a week they have:

• Found a venue
• Organised a Celebrant/Minister
• Sorted the catering
• Helped with the audio-visual presentations and music
• Design and print the Service programmes
• Sent out the invites aka published the death notice in the paper
• Themed the venue with flowers and/or other requests

Best of all, you just need to turn up on the day and don’t need to worry about tidying up afterwards.

The Chauffeur
You are more than legally entitled to transport your loved one yourself, however, do you have a vehicle and equipment suitable. Hearses are fitted out to aid loading stretchers or caskets and have medically certified products if required. As your loved one’s personal chauffeur the Funeral Director will;

• Collect your loved one from where they passed away
• Transport to the funeral home to prepare for the funeral
• Bring them home for viewing
• Take them for one last drive to somewhere special (if requested)
• Escort them to the funeral venue
• Lastly, their final journey to be buried or cremated.

The Stylist
Your loved one may not look their best when they pass. The funeral director will prepare them for viewing.

• Bathe them
• Apply speciality make-up
• Style their hair
• Dress them

The Administrator
There is a lot of paperwork to do when someone passes away with strict time restrictions imposed. A funeral director knows what forms to complete, how to get the information required and when the forms need to be submitted and to whom.

• Registration of death
• Death certificate
• Burial and Cremation require different paperwork
• Government grants
• Death notices in newspapers

The Therapist

Whether the death of a loved one is expected or not, you can never be truly prepared for the grief that will come. Funeral directors provide you with continued support and can direct you to organisations that can help with your loss. Many funeral homes also host community events during special occasions, like Christmas, as a continued support for the bereaved.

The Coordinator
So now you are thinking WOW, the Funeral Director is AMAZING and you would be right, but what hasn’t been acknowledged is the MARVELLOUS team they have working alongside them to help make everything happen seamlessly.

• Funeral Director’s assistant
• Prep team
• Embalmer & Mortuary team
• Admin personnel
• Graphic Designer
• Bereavement/Grief Counsellor
• Crematorium Operator
• Family – that’s you. That’s right they are allocating you tasks too as you are the one that knew your loved one best.

Finally, a Funeral Director and their team are always there, ready to help… 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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