"According to the FTC, funerals rank among the most expensive purchases many consumers will ever make. A traditional funeral, including a casket and vault, costs about $6,000, although "extras" like flowers, obituary notices, acknowledgment cards, or limousines can add thousands of dollars to the bottom line. Many funerals run well over $10,000."

"Step1- Meet with the other principal mourners to discuss their wishes and preferences. Find out if the deceased left any instructions regarding the funeral. Discuss religious preferences and how much money the family is willing to spend.
Step2 - Consult with a religious leader or a funeral home if you would like help with any of the details, including location of a burial site or disposition of ashes, casket or cremation container selection, transportation, legal issues, flowers and music.
Step3 - Choose the site where the funeral will take place. This is most often a church or temple, but it could also be a funeral home or at the graveside. (You may also decide on a more informal memorial service.)
Step4 - Select someone to conduct the service. This could be a religious leader, funeral home personnel or a friend of the family.
Step5 - Appoint pallbearers if you are having a formal funeral. Pallbearers can include special friends or business associates of the deceased, though the funeral home can usually provide them if there are no preferences.
Step6 - Assign someone to give the eulogy. Typically, the family will choose a family member, religious leader or close friend. Contact the person who will give the eulogy as soon as possible to give him or her time to talk with the family and organize notes for the service.
Step7 - Consider including music in the service. Choose a piece with special meaning for the family, perhaps having a family friend be a vocalist or instrumentalist.
Step8 - Choose flowers for the service. What is appropriate depends on the family's wishes and the amount of money it wishes to spend.
Step9 - Place an obituary in the local newspaper announcing the date, time and place of the funeral.
Step10 - Consult the funeral home about having printed programs for the funeral service. Get input from the family regarding their design.
Step11 - Buy a guest book for guests to sign as they arrive, if one is not provided.
Step12 - Coordinate all of the above with the funeral home, which will arrange to transport the coffin to the funeral, remove the coffin to the burial site, or take care of other details as requested.
Source(s):
http://www.extension.org/faq/4813, http://www.ehow.com/how_3455_funeral.html


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