How to Come to Terms with Funeral Services

The natural avoidance and evasion of funeral planning can unfortunately have an unwelcome side effect – families being hit by unexpected expenses and planning burdens after a loved one passes on. For local residents, Henderson, NV funeral services can be planned in advance to avoid all of that. It may not be easy for you to address your own mortality, but there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your family, right? Many people see planning their final services in advance as a final farewell gift to their family. Their family members can spend time with one another while they grieve instead of planning services they didn’t expect to pop up. There are many things you will want to consider during the planning process. 

The cost of the funeral service itself is the most obvious expense, but there’s more involved than simply using the funeral home or chapel for the ceremony. Amenities for guests, such as food, will need to be provided. To make the funeral ceremony work, the body will need to be embalmed to prevent odor and decomposition. This service comes with its own expenses. 

If families wish for a full service, traditional funeral, a casket will also need to be purchased to contain the body and bury it after the ceremony. For a burial, families will need to purchase a plot at a cemetery and a gravestone, which can cost thousands of dollars as well. 

In contrast to the expenses of traditional services, cremation allows families more flexibility to pick and choose which costs they wish to incur. For example, since the body won’t be buried, families can choose to rent a casket from the funeral home for the service, which can save thousands of dollars. The costs of a burial plot and gravestone would also obviously be saved. If families choose, it’s possible to simply cremate the body after death and do what they wish with their loved one’s remains. This is known as a direct cremation. 

For these reasons, and many others, cremation is becoming more popular in Nevada and across the country. When considering the myriad expenses of a funeral, many families prefer to agree to a contract with a funeral home before a death occurs. Planning services in advance gives your family just what they need when you pass on—a plan already in place as to how you want them to honor you. You can even pay for those services in advance, if you wish, so they have even less to worry about. 

To clarify the different kinds of funerary expenses and the potential agreement of a service, it’s always best to consult with an experienced funeral director. Henderson, NV funeral services are well laid out at Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services. Give us call at (702) 485-6500 and we’ll go over the options with you by phone or set up a time for you to come in and speak with our funeral director. We’re located at 3975 S. Durango Drive, Suite 104 Las Vegas, NV 89147.