If you’ve made the decision to prepay your own funeral, you now have the time and space to consider and plan the service the way you want. Pre-planning provides you with the opportunity to fully personalise your funeral service and gives you the time to consider all options carefully. 

While planning, it helps to break down all the aspects of the service and the choices you wish to make with a simple funeral pre-planning checklist. You will be able to explore and keep track of all the many options for each aspect and ensure your choices are clearly communicated. 

There are many things to consider, and the process can actually be a rewarding time to reflect on your life and ensure family members – particularly the younger ones – have an opportunity to learn more of your story. 

The team at Salvos Funerals has devised a simple checklist below to help you identify all necessary elements of pre-planning a funeral and guide you through your decisions. 

Funeral service checklist 

• Coffin/casket choice 
• Funeral or ‘No service, no attendance ‘ cremation 
• Cremation or burial 
• Location of service (cemetery chapel or church) 

• Clergy/Salvos officer or civil celebrant (to conduct the service) 
• Floral tribute 
• Booklets (orders of service) 
• Function space (refreshments) 
• Livestreaming 

• Photo tribute 
• Funeral notice 

Some other things to consider while pre-planning is to identify personal touches at the funeral service. These are the unique elements that tell your story, such as: 

• Music that is the soundtrack to your life 
• Special passages or poems that have special meaning or significance 

• Mementos from your life that invoke fond memories of an adventure or achievement 
• Instructions to funeral goers to give you a special send-off (i.e. a swim at your favourite beach) 

Other considerations 

While pre-planning your funeral arrangements, it is also worth considering dividing your payment costs between a prepaid funeral contract and a prepaid funeral bond. 

Fixed costs such as the professional service fee, coffin, and transfer into our care can be covered in the prepaid funeral contract.  

The special touches that personalise the service, such as flowers, booklets, catering, funeral notices, etc. can by paid into a prepaid funeral bond which you can add to over time. This bond accumulates interest and any money not used for the funeral service is returned to your estate for the benefit of your family.  

To learn more and to start pre-planning a funeral service that is uniquely you, reach out to our friendly Salvos Funerals team today to discuss.