Planning funerals at funeral homes in Lynden, WA is never easy. You will discover that when you are trying to make so many decisions when you’re grieving can be extremely difficult. However, your funeral director will expertly guide you through every step of the process, so you will not have to plan your loved one’s funeral by yourself.

 

One decision that you will need to make is where you want to hold your loved one’s funeral service. Traditionally, funeral services are held at the funeral home or in a place of worship.

 

However, you can choose to hold the funeral service somewhere that was a special or favorite place of your loved one. When you are deciding where you want to have your loved one’s funeral service, though, you should consider whether it is an appropriate venue for the type of service that you want to have.

 

The next decision that you will need to make is about the funeral service itself. You will need to decide who will officiate the service. While this is often a member of the clergy, it doesn’t have to be. If you want a friend or family member to perform the funeral service, then that is a perfectly acceptable option.

 

If you want to include eulogies in the funeral service for your loved one, you need to decide who you want to do them and confirm that they are willing to do them. Not everyone, even if they were close to your deceased loved one, is comfortable trying to put a eulogy together and/or speaking in front of people.

 

Don’t let it upset you if someone you’d like to give a eulogy doesn’t want to do it. Remember that they cared deeply for your loved one, but they may not be comfortable expressing that in a public way.

 

Another decision that you will need to make about the funeral service is whether you want to have a video tribute to your loved one and music that your loved one liked or would have enjoyed.

 

These are all optional parts of a funeral service. However, it is traditional to include music in a funeral service. You are free to choose any music you want. The funeral director has the resources to make sure the songs you choose are included in the service at the places where you want them played.

 

If your deceased loved one was a military veteran, they are entitled to military honors (they are also entitled to free burial, with a free gravestone or grave marker, in a national cemetery).

 

Military honors are performed by either a local National Guard unit or a local veterans’ organization. They include a United States flag, which is presented to a member of your family, a 21-gun salute, and TAPs (which may be played live or which is recorded). You will need to give your loved one’s military discharge orders (a copy of Form DD-214) to the funeral director, who will then make all the necessary arrangements for military honors to be presented.

 

You will also need to decide whether you want an open or closed casket at the funeral service, as well as deciding who you want to serve as pallbearers.

Finally, you’ll need to decide whether you want a public or private burial, and whether want a graveside service performed at the grave site before your loved one is buried.

 

For additional information about funeral planning at funeral homes serving the area of Lynden, WA, our compassionate and experienced team at Moles Farewell Tributes & Crematory – Greenacres Memorial Park is here to help.