If a loved one has passed away unexpectedly, there may be some questions left about what needs to be done next. If they didn't have a pre-arranged funeral plan, it may be your responsibility to coordinate the next steps for your loved one. Before hastily heading over to the local cemetery, read these five things you should do when making funeral arrangements.

1. Contact Your Loved One's Legal Representative

When a loved one passes, it is very important to meet with their legal team to determine if they had any pre-arranged funeral plans. If they have made some arrangements in advance, this information will be useful as you move forward with the rest of the planning. It will allow you to determine whether your loved one had any last wishes for their service.

2. Choose a Funeral Home

You will have to contact a funeral home representative. Meeting with the funeral home will be useful in guiding you through the next steps of the process. Funerals can be tough to plan, but the funeral director is there to help you plan your services to honor your loved one. It may be wise to create a budget for yourself to help give you an idea of the total expenses.

3. Decide on a Service Type

There are many different kinds of funerals. You will need to determine the most appropriate type of service for your loved one. Religious services are almost always held in places of worship. They will typically follow traditions from the person's religious background. If the person who passed away was in the military, you can opt for a military funeral. These funerals often have other military persons, such as an honor guard, participating during the service. There are also fraternal funerals, which incorporate pieces of the person's fraternity.

4. Determine the Disposition

Choosing how your loved one's remains will be handled, also known as disposition, is another crucial step in planning a funeral. If you choose a burial service, this can be done at a local cemetery. The local cemetery may be a good choice if you have any inkling that the person wanted a gravestone and a burial plot. Cremation is another extremely popular option. According to CNN, statistics from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) show that over half of all Americans who die this year will be cremated. The NFDA predicts that in the next 20 years, almost 80% of Americans will choose cremation. If you choose cremation, you will have to consider the form of cremation you want, as well as the vessel the remains will be placed in. 

5. Inform Family and Friends

As the person in charge of all funeral planning, it's also your duty to inform those in the person's life that they have passed. In our modern age, this can be done en masse by posting funeral details on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Alternatively, you could contact folks individually and inform them in advance.

Planning a funeral or burial service can be a daunting, emotional, time-consuming, and costly task. Preplanning a funeral can help eliminate extra stress when it comes time to make the preparations. Contact us at Anderson Memorial Park Cemetery for amazing preplanning funeral services. Let us help you help your loved ones after you've passed.