Whether you’re wondering how much a funeral costs, what a funeral director does or want to know more about funeral etiquette, our funeral guidance and advice section can help. Explore the below guides for funeral support.
Grief is a difficult process and often you may feel alone and isolated due to your experience. Often, we can find some sort of comfort in the words of others – especially when they have experienced the same thing as us.
As we write this on the 4th April 2022 we can confirm that our application process for authorisation by the FCA continues and we're working through the stages with our case officer. It must be said that it's a full belt and braces approach from the FCA and given the recent events with the demise of Safe Hands that has to be a good thing.
When a loved one loses someone close, our natural instinct is to help. But sometimes, especially if we haven’t experienced bereavement first hand, it can be hard to know exactly what to say and do. Often the support from friends and family can facilitate the healing process of grief and make an isolating time seem considerably less lonely.
Yes, you'll be pleased to hear that we are not increasing our funeral plan administration fee from 1st April 2022. For the foreseeable future, and for as long as we can reasonably do so prior to our expected FCA authorisation, we will maintain our administration fee at £195.00 per plan.
Looking to have a pre-paid funeral plan set in place to help alleviate emotional and financial stress from your loved ones when you pass? You're not alone - many people choose this route as it has numerous benefits not just for you to ensure your wishes are respected, but for your loved ones, too.
While religious funerals can be seen as the more traditional type of service, non-religious funeral services are becoming increasingly popular - and it's all dependent on the beliefs of the person who has passed away.
An unattended funeral, also known as a direct cremation, is conducted without a traditional funeral service – there is no ceremony or mourners in attendance. In the case of cremation, the ashes are simply collected from the crematorium. Some families may find an unattended funeral impersonal, and it may leave them feeling as though they haven’t properly grieved. Find out everything you need to know about unattended funeral services in our helpful guide today.
Funerals are intended to celebrate and honour the life of a loved one, and to provide an opportunity for family and friends to say their final goodbyes. However, there is no one way of conducting a funeral – a person may wish for a non-conventional funeral, while some may want their attendees to wear bright colours instead of black.
Many families wish to host a personal and intimate service to celebrate the end of their loved one's life, and one way to do this is to hire a funeral celebrant. A funeral celebrant is also referred to as a funeral officiant, which is a qualified person who helps officiate funeral services, support the bereaved family, as well as organise and conduct the funeral. The celebrant will usually be independent, and will be engaged by the funeral director on behalf of the family. They will be able to offer a non-religious funeral, as well as a funeral with prayers and spiritual themes.
When a loved one has passed away, it's natural for their nearest and dearest to attend their funeral to celebrate their life, and pay their respects. But what if some of their nearest and dearest are children?
Expressing your condolences is an important part of supporting a family who has recently lost someone. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly what to say. What you write in a funeral card mainly depends on who the departed person was - for some, a religious message is appropriate, whilst for others, a more personal message is desired. However, writing a heartfelt message can never go a miss. Here are a few guidelines to consider if you are struggling for things to say:
Grieving is an individual experience, and there is no set way in which a person grieves. How you react to loss can be dependent on many factors such as life experience, how close the loss was to you, personality, faith, coping style and more attributes. As you likely know from past experience, grief often takes a toll on your physical health as well as your mental health, which is why it's important to use healthy outlets to cope with your loss. That's why we've put together this guide helping you cope with grief and loss, highlighting the signs of grief to look out for, and ways to alleviate grief in the future.
Often, people wonder what the difference is between a memorial service and a funeral. The key difference is that:
Being asked to be a pallbearer at a funeral can be a very daunting experience, as it is hard to imagine carrying the casket of your loved one. However, being a pallbearer is considered a great honour, as asking someone to be a pallbearer usually means an awful lot to the deceased’s family. So, what exactly is a pallbearer, and what does it involve?
In light of recent COVID restrictions, the number of people who could attend funerals was vastly limited. Funeral services became much more private affairs, reserved only for close family and friends. In current times, limitations on the amount of people who can attend has been lifted – and numbers are now mainly affected by the capacity of the chosen venue, rather than government guidelines.
There is no legal requirement to have a funeral when one passes away, however, there is a requirement in the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 that states that you must 'dispose of the body of the person who has died by burial, cremation or any other means'. This does not mean that you are required to have a traditional funeral - so, what are your options if you, or a loved one, choose not to have a funeral?
The average cost of a traditional funeral has increased in recent years. The price of a burial now averages at £4,321 while the cost of a cremation is around £3,266. These prices can sometimes be overwhelming in times of mourning, especially if the deceased has not arranged a prepaid funeral plan. However, there are a number of options for those who cannot afford to pay for a loved one's funeral.
When it comes to saying goodbye to your loved one, writing a eulogy is one of the most common parts of a funeral service. It's not a mandatory element of the service, but especially in the UK, eulogies are often used to commemorate the life of a loved one.
When a loved one passes away, it's common for funeral flowers to be used for the service - whether it's a funeral at a cemetery, or a crematorium. However, as funerals hopefully don't play a part of our lives too frequently, it can be difficult to understand the various different funeral flowers and their meanings.
In the UK, after someone has died, the funeral will typically take place between 1 - 3 weeks afterwards. However, the duration of time between the death and the funeral will often depend on many factors, including:
Unsure on what the correct funeral etiquette is? You've come to the right place. We've put together a handy guide on funeral etiquette for immediate family and friends who are either attending the funeral or planning it. Through this guide, you'll learn key tips on where to sit, what to wear, what to take to a funeral and more.
In the UK, the average cost of a burial is £4,321*, whereas the average cost of a cremation is around £3,266*. However, how much a funeral will cost largely depends on not only if you choose a burial or cremation, but elements such as your location, the venue you choose for the wake, if you choose to use a funeral director and more. That’s why we’ve put together this guide which advises you on the average cost of a funeral, and what you need to consider when planning a funeral.
Living through a global pandemic is a testing experience on its own. However, having to the contend with the loss of a loved one during a time of such uncertainty is likely to cause emotional strain on families. That's why, here at Open Prepaid Funeral, we want to alleviate the emotional stress having a funeral in a pandemic can cause on families and loved ones as much as possible.
A humanist funeral service is a non-religious ceremony which celebrates the life of someone who has passed away. Often, this type of funeral is led by a humanist celebrant, or alternatively, you could also arrange your own non-religious memorial.
When people are selecting a prepaid funeral plan, they want to ensure their wishes are taken care of; they are guaranteed of a smooth, seamless funeral process; and, ultimately, they have confidence in a plan which will take the added pressure off their loved ones when their time comes. That is where having a good funeral director on hand is integral. So, how should clients know what qualities to look for in a good funeral director?
In life, it's an inevitable fact that we will require a funeral one day. We don't always know when this time will be - and that's the trouble when it comes to planning. However, that's where Open Prepaid Funerals can help. By taking control over your funeral, you can protect loved ones from emotional and financial stress when the time comes. A prepaid funeral plan manages the logistics of the funeral, including the preparation of the funeral itself, as well as arrangements before and after the service. Learn more about how funeral plans work from our detailed guide.
Over the last few months, the world has been exposed to a very difficult period - economically, emotionally and physically. As COVID-19 continues to impact our day to day lives in every corner of the globe, funeral planning has become a much more prevalent topic than ever before.
A funeral director, previously known as a mortician or undertaker, manages a funeral home and arranges the details of funerals. The role of the funeral director is not only to provide compassionate support to the grieving families alongside advice on the organisation of the funeral, but also work behind the scenes to ensure everything is managed on their behalf.
You wouldn't take legal advice from your local grocer, would you?
Keeping things as simple and clean as possible for 16 years is proving to be the right thing to do. In fact, it looks like the first 16 years have just been the foundation to the next 16 and way beyond.
We are pleased to announce that we have successfully become registered with the FPA (Funeral Planning Authority). We’ve shown that we meet the necessary criteria and have demonstrated compliance with their Rules and Code of Practice. The company is now officially an FPA registered provider of funeral plans.
OK, let's get something straight right from the very start.
This is worth being aware of...
Here at Open Prepaid Funerals, we understand that planning a funeral can be a stressful time and unexpected costs can soon mount up. There are hundreds of sites and articles that try to dispel the myths associated to funeral planning, but with the national average of a funeral service standing at approximately £4,000, we want to show you exactly what types, services and products are typically associated to a funeral, and the financial impact of this.
Families are being hit by a cruel stealth tax that is forcing cremation and burial fees up to crippling levels, according to new research from Funeralbooker, the independent and impartial funeral comparison service.
The following article is Republished from the Good Funeral Guide website
In the March issue of respected funeral industry trade publication FSJ we notice an article today that highlights some of the unseen costs of funeral plans.
We have some important news to share with you that could make an immediate difference to your decision about taking out an Open Prepaid Funerals Plan.
Good Funeral Guide teams with Open Prepaid Funerals to launch first ever 100% consumer-focussed prepaid funeral plan
Do you already have a funeral plan? Although the growth in funeral plans taken out, specifically by the over 50s is growing rapidly only 12% of people over 50 years of age currently have a prepaid funeral plan.
If you've been considering a prepaid funeral plan then you could be forgiven for wondering which way to turn. After all, while the principle is a simple one there is a reasonable choice available.
Open Prepaid Funerals Limited provide one of the leading funeral plans in terms of financial performance for funeral directors and that means a lot to us.
Funeral Planning is growing rapidly. The number of people in the UK taking out a funeral plan continues to increase each year with over 135,000 plans taken out in 2013 alone. Since our launch in 2003 we have also seen constant year on year growth.
The cost of a funeral may not be something that you have given much thought to. However with the average cost of a funeral rising year on year, this subject is something you should consider sooner rather than later.
In 2003, Open started its business selling funeral plans within a market that was both young and disrupted.
Still have some funeral related queries that haven’t been answered? Get in touch with a member of our caring team for funeral support and advice. Alternatively, browse our full range of prepaid funeral plans online now.
