This guide will give you some ideas for holding a funeral for someone who’s decided to donate their body to science. It covers how you might hold an end-of-life event without your loved one’s body present.
This guide will give some practical guidance on how you could cater for different types of end-of-life events, including how to decide who is in charge and what to do if you’re on a smaller budget.
The main difference is that churchyards are attached to Christian churches. Cemeteries and graveyards might not be attached to a church.
A lot of people choose to put something special in their loved one’s coffin, but not everything’s allowed. So what can you include and what should you leave out?
Generally, funerals are public events and there isn’t a way to legally ban someone. But as the organiser, you do have the right to ask a difficult relative not to come.
A funeral in the UK can cost up to £10,000 depending on the type of service you want. At an average of £5,000, a traditional burial is the most expensive option, while a direct cremation is the cheapest.
When you’re organising a funeral for someone close to you, it can feel like there’s a lot to do at an emotional time. Breaking it down into smaller tasks may help you keep track of where you are with your planning.
A memorial can be something to look at or hold, a special place you visit, a one-off event, or something you do regularly (a ritual).
A tree pod burial means burying a body in a capsule in the earth and planting a tree above it. The idea is still in development and not available in the UK yet.
Your loved one’s circle of friends and the size of the funeral you’re holding will influence how you notify people. It’s likely to be a mix of phone calls, emails and social media.
Typically it takes one to two weeks to arrange a funeral. Getting the paperwork sorted, gathering family together in one place and making choices about the service are some of the things that affect the time it takes.
There’s a growing number of professional funeral photographers, and it’s perfectly fine to hire one if it feels right for you and your family.
