How To Plan A Funeral: A Complete Guide

Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Funeral

Whether you’re planning ahead for yourself or making arrangements for someone you love, this guide walks you through every major decision — from choosing burial or cremation to arranging the service, managing costs, and making sure your wishes are clearly documented.

Planning a funeral is one of the most caring things you can do for the people who matter most to you. It spares them the difficult decisions of grief and time pressure, and ensures that your final celebration reflects who you truly are.

Need to make arrangements right now? This guide is designed for advanced planning. If someone has recently passed or death is imminent, visit our Funeral Arrangements page for immediate, step-by-step guidance on what to do next.

At a Glance: 8 Steps to Planning Your Funeral

Why Plan Your Funeral In Advance?

Most people put off funeral planning because it’s uncomfortable to think about. That’s understandable. But consider what happens when there’s no plan in place: your family faces one of the hardest experiences of their lives while simultaneously navigating complex logistics, financial decisions, and conflicting opinions — often within days of a loss.

Planning ahead changes that. It gives your family clarity, reduces conflict, and lets them focus on grieving and celebrating your life rather than scrambling to figure out what you would have wanted.

A few more reasons to plan now:

• It’s a gift to your loved ones. Removing the guesswork is one of the most loving things you can do.
• You stay in control. You decide the service, the tone, the music, and the details — not your family, under pressure.
• You can lock in today’s prices. Funeral costs rise over time. Prepaying or preplanning can protect you from future inflation.
• Your plan can change. Nothing is set in stone. You can update your plan as your preferences evolve.

Video: See the Quick Way to Start Your Funeral Planning

Step-by-Step: How to Plan Your Funeral

Step 1: Commit to Planning Ahead

The single best thing you can do is start. Your plan doesn’t need to be comprehensive right away — even a one-page summary of your core wishes is infinitely more helpful than nothing. You can build and refine it over time.

Use Funeralwise’s After Me Planner to create, store, and share your plan digitally. Or, if you prefer pen and paper, download our free Funeral Planning Form to get started.

Step 2: Choose Your Disposition

Disposition refers to what happens to your body after death. This is typically the first and most consequential decision in funeral planning. Your main options are:

• Burial: The body is interred in a cemetery, mausoleum, or family plot. Traditional burial involves embalming, a casket, and a burial plot.
• Cremation: The body is reduced to ashes, which can be kept, scattered, or buried. Cremation is now chosen by roughly half of Americans and is generally less expensive than burial.
• Green (Natural) Burial: The body is buried without embalming chemicals or a traditional casket, allowing for natural decomposition. This option is growing in popularity among those with environmental values.
• Donation to Medical Science: The body is donated to a medical school or research institution. Costs are typically minimal, though the family may not receive remains for some time.
• Burial at Sea: Available in some coastal areas and subject to specific regulations. Remains (or cremated ashes) are committed to the ocean.

There is no right or wrong answer here — the best choice is the one that aligns with your values, your faith or cultural background, and your family’s needs.

Step 3: Select a Service Type

The type of service you choose shapes how family and friends gather to honor you. Common options include:

• Traditional Funeral Service: Held with the body present, usually at a funeral home or place of worship, followed by burial. Includes a viewing or visitation period.
• Memorial Service: Held after the body has been cared for; the deceased is not present. Offers more flexibility in timing and location.
• Graveside Service: A shorter, intimate gathering held at the cemetery at the time of burial.
• Celebration of Life: A personalized, often joyful gathering that focuses on honoring the life lived rather than mourning the loss. Can be held anywhere, anytime.
• No Service: Some people prefer no formal gathering. If this is your choice, be sure to communicate it clearly so your family understands your wishes.

Step 4: Design Your Ceremony

Once you’ve chosen a service type, you can specify as little or as much detail as you like. Some people want to leave the details to their family. Others have very specific wishes — a particular song, a meaningful reading, a favorite flower. Either approach is valid.

Things to consider:

• Music: What songs or pieces do you want played or sung?
• Readings: Are there poems, scripture passages, or other texts that are meaningful to you?
• Speakers: Who would you like to deliver a eulogy or share memories?
• Rituals: Are there religious, cultural, or personal rituals you want included?
• Location: Where do you want the service to be held?
• Tone: Do you want something solemn and traditional, or a joyful celebration?
• Personal touches: Photos, videos, a memory table, a favorite item displayed, and a reception afterward.

Visit our Funeral Ceremonies guide for detailed advice on planning a meaningful service.

Step 5: Estimate Your Costs

Understanding funeral costs helps you make realistic choices and avoid leaving your family with an unexpected financial burden. Costs vary widely depending on the services you choose, your location, and the funeral home you work with.

Here’s a general cost comparison to help you calibrate:

Notes:

Data is based on Funeralwise user data, its bi-annual cost survey, and NFDA benchmarks. Actual costs vary significantly by region and provider. Use our After Me Planner for a more personalized estimate based on your specific selections.

A meaningful funeral doesn’t have to be expensive. Many families find that a simple, personal service is just as powerful — often more so — than an elaborate one.

Step 6: Share Your Plan

A plan only helps if people know about it. Once you have a basic plan in place, share it with:

• A trusted family member or close friend who will be primarily responsible for carrying out your wishes.
• Your executor or estate attorney, so it’s part of your overall end-of-life documentation.
• Anyone else who might be involved in planning or financing the funeral.

Store a copy somewhere accessible — not locked in a safe-deposit box that no one can open immediately after your death. The After Me Planner allows you to share your plan digitally with the people you choose.

Step 7: Arrange Financing

Once you know roughly what you want and what it will cost, decide how it will be paid for. Options include:

• Funeral or burial insurance: A policy that pays out specifically to cover funeral costs. Premiums are typically affordable, and coverage can be purchased at any age.
• Prepaid funeral contract (pre-need): An arrangement made directly with a funeral home that locks in prices and services. Read the fine print carefully — some contracts are irrevocable or transferable only under certain conditions.
• Funeral trust: Funds set aside in a dedicated trust for funeral expenses.
• Personal savings or life insurance: Many families use existing savings or life insurance proceeds to cover funeral costs.

Whichever option you choose, make sure the funds are accessible when needed — and that your family knows where to find them.

Step 8: Document Your Personal Information

Beyond the funeral itself, your loved ones will need key personal details to write your obituary, plan your eulogy, and manage your estate. Think of this as a final gift of organization.

Information to document includes:

• Full legal name, date, and place of birth
• Parents’ names, siblings, and other family details for genealogical purposes
• Military service record (if applicable)
• Educational background and career highlights
• Memberships, community involvement, and accomplishments
• A list of people to notify upon your death
• Location of important documents: will, insurance policies, financial accounts

The After Me Planner includes a dedicated section for all of this information, making it easy to compile and share.

How Long Does It Take to Plan a Funeral?

The time required depends heavily on the type of service and the number of decisions that need to be coordinated. Here’s a general guide:

Factors that can extend the timeline include travel arrangements for out-of-town family members, availability of the funeral home or chosen venue, religious or cultural requirements, and the complexity of coordinating multiple service elements.

Planning ahead almost always shortens the timeline and simplifies the process for everyone involved.

Funeral Planning Tips and Advice

On Timing

The best time to plan is not at the time of need — it’s now. Planning under grief and time pressure leads to rushed decisions and higher costs. Give yourself the gift of time.

On Green Burial

If environmental impact matters to you, natural or green burial is worth exploring. It forgoes embalming, metal caskets, and concrete vaults in favor of simple, biodegradable materials. Many dedicated green burial grounds now exist across the country.

On Pre-Paying

Prepaying locks in today’s prices and relieves your family of financial decision-making. But it’s not right for everyone. Read all contract terms carefully, including what happens if the funeral home closes or you move to a different area.

On Grieving

Your funeral is not just about you — it’s also for the people who love you. Research consistently shows that meaningful funeral rituals support the grieving process. A thoughtful service gives your family a structured time and place to mourn, remember, and begin to heal.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Plan a Funeral

What Type of Funerals Do People Choose?

Funeral preferences in the United States have shifted meaningfully over the past decade. Based on data from Funeralwise users:

• Traditional burial was the dominant choice through 2015, accounting for the majority of plans.
• By 2024, cremation and burial were chosen at nearly equal rates. This reflects a national trend toward cremation.
• Donations to medical science have held steady at 5–10% of plans over the past decade.
• Celebrations of Life and personalized memorial services continue to grow in popularity.

Whatever you choose, what matters most is that the decision reflects your values and provides comfort to those you leave behind.

Users’ disposition choices in the After Me Planner largely align with national trends.

• Traditional burials are still a popular choice, but the use of cremation is on the rise.
• In 2015, more than half of planners selected burial. By 2024, planners were almost evenly split between cremation and burial.
• The preference for donating to science has remained steady over the past decade, fluctuating between 5% and 10%.

For more information on funeral trends, visit our Funerals By the Numbers Page.

Don’t Leave Your Loved Ones Unprepared

It’s not easy to think about the end of life. Nobody wants to plan a funeral. But let’s face it, we all have to do it at some point. The important thing is that you take the opportunity to make your own choices and design the send-off you want.

Planning is a caring thing to do for your family. You are giving them the peace of mind that comes from knowing they can celebrate your life and honor your wishes.

Ready to Start Your Plan?

Even a few minutes of planning today can make an enormous difference for your family later. Use our After Me Planner to create a free digital plan, estimate your costs, and share your wishes with the people who need to know. Be sure to save your plan. When you save, you’ll automatically be upgraded to After Me Essentials.

Start My Quick Plan

Prefer to work on paper? For those who prefer to put their funeral plans on paper, our Funeral Planning Form is the perfect place to start. This handy funeral-planning checklist will help you compile all the information you need in one convenient place.

Take Your Planning Up a Notch

Our After Me Planner and Organizer is a complete DIY method for preplanning your funeral and organizing all the vital information your family will need at the end of your life. The planner includes simple online tools to keep you organized and guide you through the process. The complete system consists of a case and accessories to store your essential documentation. When you use the After Me Planner and Organizer, you’re in control. You’ll be able to easily create, manage, store, and share your plans and key documents.

Related Pages on Funeralwise

• Funeral Checklists, Forms, and Guides
• How to Make Funeral Arrangements (urgent situations)
• Funeral Cost: How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
• Funeral Insurance and Burial Insurance Guide
• How to Write a Eulogy
• How to Write an Obituary
• Celebration of Life: Planning Guide
• Cremation: Everything You Need to Know

Contributors:

 Rick Paskin, Managing Director and former funeral home and cemetery executive.

Molly Gorny, Director of Digital Marketing and author of 100+ funeral industry articles and blog posts.

Last Reviewed and Updated by Molly Gorny: 05/21/2026