If you live in Greater London or one of the home counties and need to plan a funeral in your area, then you may already know where to turn. The problem that many people encounter when organising a funeral in the Southeast region occurs when they don’t live locally. This tends to happen when someone in the family has died in the outskirts of the capital but the person tasked with organising the funeral arrangement lives in another part of the country or is currently working abroad. Primarily, this is because you won’t be able to choose which firm of funeral directors in the home counties by making an in-person visit.
To overcome this issue, it is often best to turn to a professional in funeral arrangements. Many people do so these days even if they live locally, according to Newrest Funerals, a firm that helps to organise funerals throughout the Greater London area. The big advantage is that such firms already know suitable funeral directors in Essex, Middlesex and so on. Of course, if you are seeking reputable funeral directors in Sussex or Surrey, then you can always check out online reviews, too.
However, even the best funeral directors in Hertfordshire or Kent won’t necessarily offer you everything you want. For example, one Berkshire-based funeral directors firm might be well-versed in Catholic funeral arrangements but not be up-to-speed with Hindu funeral rites. There again, a firm of funeral directors in Kent might only serve certain parts of the county and not others. By using a professional planning service, it makes it much easier to make the right decision. Doing so will help everything else run smoothly.
After you have chosen appropriate funeral directors on the outskirts of London, it will be necessary to choose the sort of service you want. Unless you would like a very quick direct funeral, you’ll need to choose a venue, too. Note that many council-run crematoriums will serve the needs of people wanting both cremations and burials. It is usual to choose a venue close to where the deceased lived but this is not necessarily always the best way to proceed. If you want an eco-funeral anywhere in the Southeast of England outside of London, then you will be able to book a suitable location but it will often involve travelling a little further afield as such sites are few and far between.
With the funeral directors, venue and type of funeral service planned, you will also need to book someone to oversee the service itself. Sometimes, it is possible to do this yourself but it will depend on the rules of the venue concerned. Usually, someone from the local religious community will officiate at a funeral service but there are secular alternatives you can opt for if the deceased didn’t hold strong religious convictions in life. Under such circumstances, it is usual to plan a service without any hymns or readings from scripture.
Finally, book a venue for the wake. It isn’t always necessary to hold one, though – this is something that comes down to personal preferences. Often, a function room in a clubhouse, a pub or a bar is a good place. Such venues are to be found all over the home counties and in outer London in locations musik4d. Alternatively, there is nothing wrong with holding a wake in the former home of the deceased and to keep the costs down by providing some simple catering yourself.