Funeral Directors don’t know best, families do.

A good Funeral Director will support a family to have the funeral that’s right for them.

There is no legal obligation to use a Funeral Director
You can take charge of some, or all, of the funeral arrangements yourself

The vast majority of people do not want to do everything themselves - and a funeral director is perfectly placed to help. But by knowing you have the right to do it all yourself, you know you should have high expectations of the person you are paying to do it on your behalf.

You are perfectly within your rights to collect the person who has died from the hospital yourself, wrapped in a sheet, in the back of your estate car. You can take the person home and care for them yourself. You can complete the relevant cremation or burial paperwork yourself. You can order the coffin online, or make it yourself.

On the day of the funeral, you can transport the person who has died in an estate car to the crematorium, cemetery or wherever the funeral is taking place. You can carry them in, and lead the ceremony yourself.

The body can stay at home

If this feels right for you, this is absolutely possible.

The most important thing to remember after death, is there is absolutely no rush. Some families choose to keep the person who has died at home for a few hours, a few days, or longer than a few days. We have worked with families who have been told by medical professionals that they must have the body collected. This is not true. Whatever you decide the timeframe to be, there can be great value in saying goodbye in your own time. A good funeral director would support you in making this happen.

You don’t have to have a traditional wooden coffin
The options are endless: willow, bamboo, cardboard, a shroud or you can even make or decorate the coffin yourself!

Some people want an elaborate coffin with a quilted lining. Other people see the coffin as a simple container for the body. We have worked with families who have made and decorated the coffin themselves, or decorated a cardboard coffin during the ceremony as a way for people to participate. Or the body could simply be wrapped in a sheet for burial.

You don’t have to use a traditional, black hearse

It could be any vehicle, even a family estate car.

The black hearse is an impressive, formal way to transport the coffin on the day of the funeral, and for many people it is absolutely what they'd want. There are others who find it old-fashioned or scary. Some people simply don't feel the mode of transport is an important aspect of the funeral and they'd rather use something simpler to save money. When you remember it is simply a mode of transport you realise almost anything is possible. There are motorbike hearses, VW camper van hearses. Or the traditional hearse comes in pink, the Union Jack, or even leopard print.

The facts around the cost of funerals

Shop around or ask a friend to do this on your behalf. Make sure you’re not sold products or services you don’t want or need. Please read further down the page for advice on benefits and entitlements. 

Funerals can be incredibly expensive. But they don’t have to be. The family can carry the coffin rather than employing official bearers. Crematoria regularly offer earlier morning cremation slots that can be half the price of the rest of the day. At our local crematorium the daytime booking is £615 but an 8.45am booking is £299.

You don’t have to organise flowers through a funeral director. Some of the most beautiful funerals we’ve been involved with have seen everyone in the congregation bringing a single stem which is placed on the coffin during the ceremony. You can pay for hugely expensive, quilted American caskets but you can also have a simple wooden veneer coffin, or simple cardboard coffin. There are many ways to avoid a huge funeral bill.

Down to Earth is a national charity offering free confidential support if are worried about paying for a funeral - visit their site for more information and a helpline 

Many independent-looking Funeral Directors are not independent

This is important work. Make sure you know who you are employing.

When a company buys out another company, it is common practice to keep the original funeral director's name. Nothing wrong with this as long as the family knows who they are employing.

Most people use a funeral director, although you can arrange a funeral yourself. To do this you will need to contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council.  

We suggest looking for a funeral director who is a member of the Good Funeral Guide - please look on their website for more information

You are of course, free to choose a funeral director which isn’t a member, but these organisations have strict codes of practice

Click here for the Government's advice on what to do when someone dies.

Planning a funeral can be one of the most difficult things you ever have to do.  

Funeral Map UK is a unique concept, bringing together independent advice on the things you need to know in order to arrange a funeral service, along with easy-to-find contact details for the various organisations and services you will need to call upon at this time.

Compare funeral directors

The aftermath of a death is always a difficult time, but more so if you’re charged with arranging a funeral. You may be like the majority who don’t know what to do first once someone has died.

Planning a funeral can seem overwhelming, so it’s essential to take your time and decide what’s important to you before instructing a funeral director.

This site offers a funeral director comparison service About the Funeral

The Natural Death Centre 

The world of natural burial is very varied, and largely unregulated, but those sites that belong to the Association of Natural Burial Grounds are all bound by our Code of Conduct, aimed at ensuring the highest professional and environmental standards.

In acknowledgement of this, the Natural Death Centre runs The People's Awards for the best Natural Burial Ground in the UK, celebrating the personal attention to detail and support given by the staff at natural burial grounds, which makes such a difference to bereaved families.

Non-religious funerals

Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. Alternatively, the following offer non-religious burials

The British Humanist Association 

https://humanism.org.uk/ceremonies/non-religious-funerals/

Institute of Civil Funerals  

http://www.iocf.org.uk/

The funeral director will give you a written estimate of the funeral costs. This will be made up of the funeral director's own costs and the disbursements, which are payments they make to third parties on your behalf. If you are not offered a written estimate please feel free to ask for it. 

If you are asked to sign the estimate please read it carefully as this document may form the contract between you and the funeral director where you have agreed to be responsible for paying the bill.

Call Down to Earth if you are worried about paying for a funeral anywhere in the UK - 0208 983 5055

Visit this site for more information on the cost of funerals. 

https://bereavementadvice.org/topics/the-funeral/typical-funeral-fees-and-charges

Bereavement payments- please visit this site for comprehensive information on your entitlements

You could get Funeral Payment if you’re on a low income and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging.

How much you get depends on your circumstances and if you are eligible

Repayments

You must pay back the Funeral Payment if you receive money from the deceased’s estate.

The estate includes any money or property they had but not a house or personal things left to a widow, widower or surviving civil partner.

https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments