Family led and DIY funerals

Arranging and conducting a funeral without employing a funeral director is something that only a very small minority of families undertake, but the families that have done this are always surprised how easy and straight forward it was with a bit of advice. There is no law that says you have to use a funeral director but some situations can be pretty tough, for example collecting the deceased from a mortuary where they may have had a post mortem might be hard if the family members are not familiar with such things.

The funeral directors are the professionals, they are there to help you, and offer great peace of mind and invaluable support at a difficult time.

Straightforward elements

Having said that there are many elements of a funeral that are relatively straight forward, for example transporting the coffin and doing the pall bearing. So some families, who have enough willing volunteers employ the services of a funeral director to help with the more challenging tasks only.

Please click here to read Angus Townley's blog who has recorded his experience of planning and carrying out an independent cremation without the help of a funeral director

Please keep in mind that there are many more coffin suppliers who are willing to sell directly to the public than are listed in this blog. To see our list click here

Helpful, flexible funeral directors

There are flexible and helpful funeral directors out there, please see our funeral director directory page to find one near you

Further help

We can also help with tips like placing a hard smooth surface in the back of your estate car to aid getting the coffin in and out. So please contact us for help with these things and also details and how to order a coffin and find a celebrant.

We can also advise you on the pros and cons of home burial.