At funeral homes in Bellingham, WA, you can personalize your funeral by preplanning it with your family and the funeral home before you die. Two of the great benefits of preplanning funerals are that you get to ensure that your wishes for personalization are carried out and you prevent the extra stress of having to figure out what kind of funeral you would have wanted from being added to your family when you die.

The first thing you’ll need to do to personalize your funeral is to decide whether you want to be cremated or buried.

If you choose cremation, then several questions need to be answered. Do you want to be cremated with no funeral or memorial service at all? Do you want to be cremated with a memorial service held after you are cremated? Do you want a funeral service before you are cremated? If you want a funeral service before you are cremated, do you also want a viewing or visitation held before the funeral service?

The next things you’ll need to decide to personalize cremation as your funeral choice are, if you choose to have a service, detailing what you want included in the service and what you want done with your cremation remains.

If you choose to have a memorial service after you are cremated, then you’ll need to decide the format of the service. Many memorial services include readings, photo videos (accompanied by favorite music), and an interactive format in which family members and mourners can share stories and memories about you. Memorial services may also have a spiritual component, but they do not have to. Memorial services tend to be more casual in structure than funeral services.

If you choose to have a funeral service before you are cremated, then you’ll need to specify what you want included in the funeral service. The format of funeral services is a bit more formal than that of memorial services, in that it’s not interactive with the mourners and it tends to follow a specific format.

However, you are not strictly bound to a single way of having a funeral service. The elements of funeral services include readings (poetry, prose, or quotes), eulogies (optional), a short spiritual message (to comfort mourners), and music (to taste). You can include some or all of these in any order you prefer in your funeral service.

If you choose to have a viewing (your body is present) or a visitation (your body is not present) before the funeral, then you need to specify which one you want.

Finally, you’ll need to spell out what you would like for your family to do with your cremated remains.

If you decide to be buried after you die, then you will need to specify whether you want a service or not. If you decide to have a funeral service, then you will need to give the details of what you would like included, just as you would if you have a funeral service before cremation. You will also need to decide whether you want a gravesite service or not.

You will also need to decide where you want to be buried. If you’re a military veteran, you are entitled to a free burial in a national cemetery, and to a funeral with military honors. If you belong to a church that has a cemetery, you may be entitled to a free plot there if they have space. Otherwise, you’ll need to decide on a cemetery to be buried in.

For additional information about funerals at funeral homes, our compassionate and experienced team at Moles Farewell Tributes & Crematory – Bayview Chapel is here to help. We also serve the areas of Bellingham, Ferndale and Mount Vernon, WA. You can visit our funeral home at 2465 Lakeway Dr., Bellingham, WA 98229 or you can call us today at (360) 733-0510.