This checklist can help you organize a meaningful and well-structured funeral service that honors your loved one's memory during this challenging time.

1. Schedule Funeral Date and Time:
   • Consider religious customs, funeral home availability, and the convenience of family and friends when choosing the date and time.
2. Write Invitations:
   • Include all essential ceremony details, such as dress code.
   • Consider adding your loved one's photo and a brief statement about their life to personalize the invitations.
3. Select an Officiant:
   • Choose a trusted officiant responsible for organizing and structuring the service.
   • The officiant may deliver the eulogy and lead any religious elements, so it's essential to feel comfortable sharing your family's stories with them.
4. Invite Speakers:
   • Reach out to close friends and family members who can eloquently memorialize your loved one with words.
   • Consider asking the person who wrote your loved one's obituary to speak.
   • Note that some religious traditions may not include eulogies, or they may only allow one.
5. Prepare Personal Elements:
   • Gather music, scriptures, poems, photographs, and videos to personalize the service.
   • Enlist the help of others close to your loved one for preparation, recitation, or display.
6. Arrange for Flowers:
   • Use flowers to further personalize the service for your mother, friends, and family.
   • Think about meaningful flowers and where to place them.
7. Assign Pallbearers:
   • Designate six to eight pallbearers to assist in carrying the casket to its final resting place.
   • If there is no casket, assign pallbearers for other important responsibilities.
   • Pallbearers can be men or women, friends or family, and this role is considered an honor.

There is a consumer advocacy “Bill of Rights” to guide your rights as a consumer in this process.

A more in depth blog on this topic can be found here - Step-By-Step Guide to Planning a Funeral from Beginning to End

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