Funerals can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to more than $15,000.
If a loved one passes unexpectedly or did not set aside money, this can leave the family of the deceased struggling to arrange and pay for the funeral.
Being on a budget when planning a funeral can be stressful. You might worry that your funeral service won’t properly honor your loved one.
But with a little creativity, you can easily host a budget-friendly service that is still beautiful and thoughtful. Keep reading to learn 7 elements of meaningful funeral packages that you can still have, even on a budget.
1. Create a Memory Space
A funeral should be all about celebrating and remembering the life of the person who has passed on. One great way to do this that will cost you nothing but your time is to create a memory space in the place where you are holding the funeral service.
You can bring photo albums and pictures in frames, yearbooks, or even a few of the deceased favorite belongings, like figurines, books, or paintings.
Place these items in a corner of the service space. Be sure to include plenty of room for people to sit and look through the books and albums.
This is a great way for friends and family to relive their memories with their loved one. You’ll be using items you already own, making this a simple, yet meaningful addition to a funeral service.
2. Display a Slideshow
While a memory space allows guests at the funeral service to reflect on their memories alone or with a small group, a slideshow can allow the entire service to reminisce together.
Creating a photo slideshow is very simple. All you’ll need is access to a scanner to upload old photos, or digital photos already on a computer or hard drive, and a computer.
Your slideshow doesn’t have to be fancy. Simply choose photos or even video clips that include the deceased doing things he or she loved, marking milestones in his or her life, or enjoying time with family and friends.
Taking time out of the funeral service to view the slideshow all together is a great way to bring everyone together and remind them of the beautiful life that their loved one lived.
3. Meaningful Music
One very simple detail that can have a big impact is choosing meaningful music to play during the funeral service.
While most funerals feature soothing, generic music in the background to calm attendees, you can easily swap this out with music that the deceased loved.
Music can be incredibly powerful. A certain tune can trigger your brain to recall the memories that you associate with that song.
For guests that knew the person well, the songs you choose will help bring to mind memories that they may have forgotten, or comfort them with happy memories of good times with their loved one.
4. Hold a Service in Your Own Chapel
If you can’t afford to hold the funeral in a funeral home, you can still host a special, loving service in your own chapel.
Where you choose to go to remember your loved one isn’t nearly as the words you say or the people that you share them with. Hosting the service in your own chapel will allow you to save money that you can then use to make other parts of the funeral more special.
Unfortunately, this option can still be expensive if you want to hold a traditional funeral with the casket present. If this is the case, you can choose a funeral service provider who has a chapel on site. This will help cut costs while still allowing you to hold a memorial service with a casket viewing.
5. Ask Friends and Family to Share Memories
Another simple, meaningful detail that won’t cost you anything is to invite friends and family to step forward and share memories they have of the deceased.
The memories don’t have to be lengthy or complex. Sometimes it’s the simplest ones, like a joke that the person told or somewhere that they loved to go, that can have the most impact on the others who knew him or her.
It’s a good idea to let friends and family know that you’d like them to share memories ahead of time. Grief can be very distracting, and those who are grieving will appreciate having some time to gather their thoughts and choose the memory or memories that they wish to share.
6. Opt for a Simple Scrapbook Over an Expensive Guestbook
Having a guestbook at the funeral or visitation can be a great comfort to a grieving family.
While you may be too caught up in the moment during the actual funeral to really connect with the other attendees or even take note of everyone who attends, your guestbook will keep a record for you.
After the funeral is over, or even years later when you’re looking for a bit of comfort, simply flipping through the pages and remembering just how many people loved your departed family member is a wonderful feeling.
But guestbooks are yet another added cost that can push your total upwards. Fancy, large, ornate guestbooks may be pretty, but they are far from necessary. A simple notebook or scrapbook makes an inexpensive alternative.
No one will notice what type of book it is anyway, and you’ll still be able to collect those special memories.
7. Ask for Donations in Lieu of Flowers
While this may not save you money directly, it is a great way to make a funeral service even more meaningful, and possibly save your guests some money if they choose.
Instead of flowers, ask for donations to a charity that was meaningful to the deceased.
While funeral flowers can be very expensive, your attendees may choose to instead make a small donation to the charity. That way, they can still feel as though they are honoring the deceased, but without breaking the bank.
This is a great way to honor the deceased by giving them one last chance to make a difference in someone else’s life.H
Beautiful, Budget-Friendly Funeral Packages
Funerals are expensive. But hosting a beautiful, meaningful memorial service for your loved one on a budget is possible.
These free or inexpensive additions to funeral packages help you to connect with the deceased other friends and loved ones as you share special memories and honor the life of your loved one who has passed.
If you need to arrange a funeral for a loved one who has passed on, we can help. Enquire today to learn more about our budget-friendly funeral packages.
