Planning a funeral ahead of time

Thinking about planning a funeral for ourselves or someone we love can be hard. In 2022, just 0.3% of people knew all of their loved one’s funeral wishes.⁺ But knowing what the people you care about want to happen at their funeral is the only way to fully honour their wishes.

As well as talking with those close to you about your wishes and theirs, you can also look into how funeral plans can secure your future arrangements.

Don’t worry if you do find you’re in the dark about what your loved one wanted. There are simple and affordable funeral options available, like cremation only funerals, that allow you more time to plan a personal memorial.

⁺ 0.3% of people knew all their loved one’s funeral wishes in 2022 (Sunlife Cost of Dying Report 2023, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-plans)

How to pre-plan a funeral

Planning for a funeral in the future is easier when you have clarity about what will happen. Funeral plans let you get organised and arrange a funeral in advance. You can decide exactly what type of funeral you want and pay for it ahead of time too.

Find out more about funeral plans below to see if taking out a plan is the right choice for you.

Why plan a funeral in advance?

Though it might seem daunting, taking the steps to plan a funeral in advance has several advantages.

Older Lady Filling Out Funeral Plan Form

Planning for yourself

If you choose to plan a funeral for yourself, it takes the stress away from your family as they know ahead of time exactly what you want to happen. Paying in advance takes away any financial burden too.

View our funeral plans

Older Couple Viewing Funeral Plans On Laptop

Planning for someone else

Making plans for a loved one’s funeral in advance also brings peace of mind as you can be reassured they will be cared for in the way you would want them to be when the time comes.

Setting up a plan for a loved one

Questions to consider when planning for a funeral

There are a few choices to be made to make sure that the funeral you’re planning reflects your preferences in the best possible way, but not all of them have to be made in advance. The more traditional aspects of a funeral can be done away with completely in favour of a simple funeral.

Type of funeral - Would you prefer a burial, cremation or direct cremation?
Funeral provider - Do the providers you're looking at specialise in your preferred funeral and offer the support you'd like?
Clothes - Do you want to be wearing anything specific? What would you like your family to wear?
Music - Are there any particular songs, hymns or special pieces of music you'd like played?
Readings - Would you like any specific readings, poems or prayers? Or any photos or letters to be placed in your coffin?
Personal touches - Who would you like to write your eulogy or obituary? Are any charity donations to be made in your name?
Burial - Where would you like to be buried? Who would you like to carry your coffin?
Ashes - If you've chosen a cremation, where would you like your ashes scattered or who would you want to keep them?
Memorial service - Would you like a sombre, serious and traditional affair or something more personal and modern?
Location - Where would you like the funeral itself and the memorial service/wake afterwards to take place?

Some people plan a funeral down to the smallest details. Others have a broader plan. How detailed you would like your funeral planning to get is entirely up to you.

Our funeral plans

We have two simple and low cost funeral plans for you to choose from.

Our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan gives your family the flexibility to pay their respects in their own way. Alternatively, our Private Cremation Plan includes a small service with mourners present.

View our services or alternatively you can view our price list or our CMA standardised price list.

Unattended Direct Cremation Plan

From £1,595 or £18.15* per month

Our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan is a great choice for those looking for a simple farewell which takes place with no service or mourners at our high-quality crematoria where compassionate care is guaranteed throughout.

View our Unattended Direct Cremation Plan * Price advertised is for a 50 year old paying over a 10 year period. Total cost is £2,273 and includes administration fees.

Private Cremation Plan

From £2,145 or £25.87** per month

With our Private Cremation Plan, you can have up to 20 people attending a 20 minute funeral service, making this a perfect, dignified way to say goodbye together with your nearest and dearest.

View our Private Cremation Plan ** Price advertised is for a 50 year old paying over a 10 year period. Total cost is £3,199.40 and includes administration fees.

Other helpful resources about funeral planning

Continue your funeral planning with our resources below.

Funeral alternatives

Know you don’t want to go down the traditional route, but not sure what you do want? Get to know the other options out there for your funeral arrangements.

Funeral alternatives

Cremation or burial?

Cremation and burial funerals have similar core elements. Finding out about the two options in more detail can help you decide which one is right for you.

Cremation or burial

Arrange a funeral

If you are planning a funeral for someone who is receiving end-of-life care, waiting and arranging the funeral when needed may be the better option.

Arrange a funeral

We offer the highest level of support, but don't take our word for it

Below are a selection of reviews from those who have arranged a funeral or purchased a funeral plan through Distinct Cremations.

"I can't recommend Distinct Cremations enough. I felt like my hand was held throughout the entire process. A wonderful team. Look no further than Distinct Cremations, first class! Credit to Grace J and colleagues. Thank you."

Anton, 5 Nov 2023

"When you receive news of a loved family member in time of need or passing, the worries of many things arise. Consider contacting Distinct Cremations. My personal experience has been positive, in that their professional support had helped to provide a dignified service & cremation for the family to attend. They explained clearly what was available & when it would be able at the time of contact & positive communication throughout. They were recommended I've chosen to say thank you."

Anon, 3 Nov 2023

"Great service and easy to fill in forms. Everything you need to take care of my unattended funeral leaving the family to celebrate my life with everything taken care of by Distinct Cremations."

George, 2 Nov 2023

"The help and support I received was phenomenal. In both cases, my friends were fetched from where they were and it was all sorted by Distinct Cremations personnel themselves. I can only say that I have just paid for my own cremation too and feel very relieved that it would make things so much easier for my children that live all over the world. I can really recommend making a timely decision about what happens after you die. This will bring immense peace of mind to yourself and your loved ones that stay behind."

Elizabeth, 31 Oct 2023

"This was our first experience of using a direct cremation service and we weren't sure what to expect. We were guided through the process by our own personal assistant who explained our options. Once we had made a decision on the type of service we wanted she advised us what we needed to do at every step of the way. She kept in regular contact to make sure we were happy and to answer any questions we had. The end-to-end service was very efficient and clearly explained by sensitive staff who were always available to answer any questions. We would highly recommend Distinct Cremations."

Jane, 27 Oct 2023

“We were very impressed with the service provided by Distinct Cremations from start to finish. All the people who dealt with Dad's cremation were kind and compassionate, particularly Alice who took our initial call, and Stephen who handled things from then on. They kept us informed about developments every step of the way and made us feel welcome to ask if ever we had any queries. The whole process was carried out in a professional yet sympathetic way. Would definitely recommend these people if you are considering a direct cremation for your loved one.”

Anthony, 17 Oct 2023

“Exceptional service, everything was taken care of by kind and considerate staff making a very difficult time easier to bear by removing the stress of organising and planning a funeral. We can now plan how to celebrate my father's life together as a family and at a time of our choosing. Everything was taken care of with the staff involved keeping me informed at every stage, they made me feel that Dad was being cared for.”

Lesley, 16 Oct 2023

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