Every person has the right to hold a burial or a cremation ceremony or service at a cemetery or crematorium.

•  You can inspect the crematorium and/or burial ground during working hours by appointment with the staff.
•  It’s legal for you to organise and carry out a funeral without a Funeral Director.
• You can define the type of ceremony yourself, provided it falls within the constraints of time and decency.
• The body can be given to you direct from the mortuary or hospital if you are not employing  a Funeral Director.
• You are entitled to be made aware of all known environmental issues relating to funerals (usually via the crematorium).
• You choose the music you want, and the type of coffin, provided it complies with safety regulations and safe materials.
• A funeral director will provide Pallbearers but family or friends often will replace them and do this themselves.
• Drawing of curtains (or not) is a very personal choice. I can explain options to help you make a decision.
• Cremations usually take place immediately and no later than 72 hours after the service of committal.
• Each cremation is carried out separately and and all the remains are removed from the cremator before the next cremation. An identity card is used throughout the whole process until the final disposal, thereby ensuring correct identification.
• Relatives can witness the committal of the coffin to the cremator – some crematoria have a viewing area where you can witness this taking place, others may allow a supervised group to witness more closely.
• There are protocols about scattering cremated remains, how, when and where….

But, all in all, there are very few rules, if any and you have the opportunity to create a very special ceremony – please do contact me if you have questions on any other aspects.   

Just one more thing …. A ‘Private Funeral’ is one that is closed to the public.  Generally only have those you have invited attend, but it has been known that public appear so, if you don’t want this to happen, just ask the crematorium or burial ground to state in any display that the funeral is ‘Private’

Trebarwith Strand early one Saturday morning in October – Mum loved it there (see My Mother’s Funeral tab)