Arranging a funeral
A funeral is an emotional family event so it’s important to choose an experienced and reliable funeral director, who understands the special needs of your family.
Call us at any hour our caring and professionally trained staff will guide you through the many decisions and choices, to ensure your loved one’s funeral is a fitting reflection of their life.
Funerals during the Coronavirus Pandemic
At Gregson & Weight, we are endeavouring to help families at this difficult time learn more about funerals during the current pandemic here.
When a Death Occurs
At Gregson & Weight, we appreciate that people generally only need to make funeral arrangements two or three times in their lives. That’s why we’ve developed this overview of what to expect when arranging a funeral with us.
Our Role
An important and traditional part of a funeral director’s role is to assist with the practical aspects of a funeral, such as care of your loved one, and coordinating when and where the funeral will be held.
These days, families are increasingly seeking guidance and advice on the celebratory aspects of a funeral, such as the style and content of the service, the choice of music, and other touches that reflect the life of your loved one.
At Gregson & Weight, our experienced funeral directors can help you plan everything, in much the same way that a wedding planner coordinates and oversees all aspects of a wedding.
Our objective is to be your caring and trusted adviser, and to play a central, but unobtrusive role in planning what is often an important family event or celebration.
Immediate Steps
Death can occur in many different circumstances: at home, at work, overseas, unexpectedly, in a hospital or nursing home.
During our initial discussion with you, we will generally make arrangements to:
- Transfer your loved one into our care; and
- Agree on a suitable time/place for us to meet with you, to discuss the funeral arrangements.
Both of these things usually happen within the first 24 hours after a death occurs.
If you require our assistance at this time, please telephone our office on (07) 5491 1559.
We are here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Initial Arrangement Meeting
Our initial face to face meeting with you can take place in any one of our 4 conveniently located branches. If necessary we can also visit you at home to start the process. Remember there is no rush, take your time and gather the support of family and friends before making any decisions.
During this arrangement meeting, one of our caring Funeral Directors will assist you to decide on all of the practical and celebratory aspects of the funeral. A number of legal forms will also need to be completed.
The arrangement meeting will generally take around 1 hour.
Examples of some of the decisions that need to be made include:
- When and where will the funeral be held?
- Will vehicles be required?
- Will there be a viewing?
- Decide who you would like to officiate at the service – Clergy or Celebrant
- Will music or an audio-visual presentation be incorporated into the service?
- Will there be an Order of Service?
- Will the death and funeral be advertised in the newspaper?
- Will there be a gathering afterwards?
- Would you like to use our catered facilities to gather with friends and family after the service?
We record the decision and choices made, prepare the documents and leave you with a detailed estimate of the costs and disbursements associated with the funeral.
Our Funeral Director will also ask you to supply clothing that your loved one will be dressed in. If you are undecided as to which clothing will be used feel free to discuss options with our staff and have someone drop them in at a time that suits.
What You Can Do In Advance?
As there is often some time between the death and the arrangement meeting, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for this meeting, such as:
- Decide whether the funeral will be a burial or cremation
- Decide on and gather together the clothing you may wish for your loved one to wear
- Give some thought to the wording of the personal notices you may wish to place in the newspaper
It is also helpful to gather the personal details that are required to arrange the funeral and legally register the death with the office of Births, Deaths & Marriages. You can use this online form to record this information and it will speed up the process for your meeting.
Once the death is registered, Births, Deaths & Marriages will send you a formal death certificate, which is often needed in relation to any legal and estate issues that may need to be attended to. This can take up to weeks to be sent.
After the Arrangement Meeting
After the initial arrangement meeting, we follow through on the various decisions made.
The many hours of planning and behind the scenes preparation is vital in ensuring that the funeral is carried out in accordance with your wishes. A number of follow up phone calls are usually made during this period, to confirm or clarify any uncertain issues and details.
Occasionally a further face to face meeting is needed.
On the Day of the Funeral
On the day of the funeral, you will meet one of our experienced funeral conductors, who is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the service. This will often be the funeral director who assisted you to make the arrangements.
Our conductor’s primary focus is to ensure the service runs smoothly and that the day is as comfortable for you and your family as possible.
After the Funeral
If you have any concerns at all following the funeral, please feel free to contact your funeral director.
If there has been a cremation, the ashes are ready to collect on the date nominated at the arrangement meeting. If you would like to discuss the options for memorialisation, feel free to talk to any of our staff.
We recognise that losing a loved one can be a life-changing experience, and we invite you to contact us following the funeral, if you feel we can help in any way.
