It was reported in the UK parliament in 2016 that the average time required to organise a funeral after the death of a family member, partner or friend was around fifteen days. It’s a similar story today with one to two weeks wait being commonplace.
Time to plan
Sometimes there can be delays to funeral arrangements, caused by administrative bottlenecks, that can be distressing for families, especially for faith communities who believe that the funeral should be held as soon as possible after a death. However, there are no regulations on how long after a death the funeral should be held.
The period between bereavement and funeral gives family and friends of the deceased time to organise the service and ensure the required registrations have been completed.
A funeral can’t take place without the necessary documentation, but a funeral director can be found and contacted before the official paperwork is completed. Where the deceased has a funeral plan in place, this will only require a phone call to activate the plan and have their funeral carried out according to their wishes.
If there is no funeral plan in place, finding a funeral director on localfuneral.co.uk is a simple three-step process:
• Enter your town or postcode • View information on the funeral directors local to you, including prices • Choose the most suitable and give them a call or send them an email
Your funeral director can then help make sure the relevant paperwork is in place and find a suitable burial or cremation slot. If you don't have a celebrant in mind, they can also help you find someone suitable.
Family and friends
More and more, people need time to travel to a funeral and one of the most important things in determining the timing of a funeral is the availability of the family and friends of the deceased. You may not be able to give loved ones an exact date immediately, but it can be helpful to let people know a rough date as soon as possible to let them book time off work and make travel arrangements. Your funeral director should be able to help you with this.
One of the best ways to save time when organising a funeral is to plan ahead. With a pre-paid funeral plan, you put a funeral director in place and give your family a clear understanding of your final wishes to simplify and speed up the arrangements.
