Personalising your plan:
the Select Reserve Option
It's easy to personalise your plan through
the Select Reserve option
The Select Reserve option enables you to plan and specify every individual feature of the funeral to your complete satisfaction. Whatever your wishes, we will make sure they are fulfilled.
First, read the description of each Golden Charter plan - the Standard Way, the Classic Arrangement, the Charter Selection and the Golden Approach. Consider the features and price of each plan, and choose the one that you feel is most appropriate.
You may wish to include additional arrangements, such as extra limousines or floral arrangements or something more elaborate or unusual. There is a vast range of options you may wish to consider. If the cost of burial or cremation in your area exceeds the allowance in the price of your chosen plan, this can also be accommodated.
Prices can vary considerably from area to area. If you wish, you can download an application form, fill in the additional details in the Select Reserve section, and show it to your selected funeral director, who will establish the costs for you. Alternatively, you may wish to talk to one of Golden Charter's friendly advisers.
Some of the options you can discuss with your selected funeral director
The following options are not suggestions or recommendations, as how you wish to arrange the funeral is a personal matter. We have listed them purely for informational purposes.
A religious or non-religious service
In addition to a range of services available for people of different faiths, there are ceremonies available for those of no religion but who still want a spiritual service. These are known as civil funerals and are conducted by officiants who are experienced in understanding a family's wishes and conducting such occasions with sensitivity.
The coffin
A wide choice of coffins is available, including traditional, eco-friendly (made from sustainable sources) and of personalised design, to reflect your lifestyle or interests.
Marking your memory
Your selected funeral director will show you a choice of fine traditional caskets and urns. Contemporary memorials include: ceramic portrait cameos to be added to the headstone; mourning jewellery, including a certified diamond created from the carbon of the deceased; life books, which are a treasured chronicle of one's life and times; the planting of trees; memorial furniture, such as a bench in one of your favourite spots; website memorials; environmental memorial sites; and a memorial tablet which contains the DNA of the deceased.
Specialist Vehicles
Today there are more specialist funeral vehicles available than at any time in the past. They include: horse-drawn carriages with matching Fresian black horses; vintage vehicles of the early and mid-20th century; motorcycle hearses; and trucks.
The Grand Farewell
There is a growing trend for funerals to be marked by a special memorial event, such as having one's ashes scattered in a fireworks display or even sent into space. Those who prefer to dispense with the pyrotechnics may opt for the releasing of white doves.
Woodland Burial
Many people like the thought of being buried in natural woodland. There are more than 300 sites across the UK, and the number is growing rapidly.
Bereavement Care
The loss of a loved one is one of life's great challenges. Professional support and counselling from the Centre for the Grief Journey can help the bereaved come to terms with their loss. Executive Director Dr. Bill Webster offers a programme with many levels of support. Dr. Webster has an exclusive arrangement with Golden Charter. You can find out more at www.griefjourney.co.uk
Another organisation that exists to promote the wellbeing of bereaved people is CRUSE bereavement care.