Preplanning Checklist

Helpful Preplanning Information

Dealing with the loss of a loved one can be overwhelming to your surviving family and friends, but pre-planning your funeral service can help them better deal with the stress of losing someone.

A man and a woman are sitting on a couch looking at a laptop computer.

General

  • Gather personal information for your obituary.
  • Choose a charity to direct donations to, if desired.
  • Choose a funeral home.
  • Make note of any instructions for your services and final disposition.

The Funeral Service

  • Choose burial or cremation.
  • Select a casket or cremation container.
  • Choose locations and types of services.
  • Choose floral arrangements.
  • Select which photographs and memorabilia you’d like to display.
  • Consider any customs, traditions, or religious rites that are important to you and your family.
  • Choose the clothing you’d like to be dressed in.
  • Select music and hymns, if desired.
  • Choose a theme for decorations and stationery at your services.
  • Arrange transportation for your physical remains and your family.

Participants

  • Choose a clergy member or officiator to preside over the service.
  • Select any musicians whose talents you’d like to employ.
  • Select pallbearers.
  • Choose friends or family members to perform the eulogy, read scripture, or prepare a speech.

Final Disposition

  • Choose a cemetery.
  • Select a burial plot or mausoleum.
  • Select a memorial or grave marker and inscription.
  • Decide who will keep your urn.
  • Decide who will scatter your ashes and where.