The Funeral

The funeral director’s most important role is to make all the relevant arrangements prior to conducting the funeral on the day. The funeral director works with the minister or celebrant to ensure that any of the family’s special requests (e.g. regarding music, flowers, photos, candles) have been met by the time of the funeral service.

The funeral director will discuss with family members about whether they would like an audiovisual presentation. The funeral director will also arrange for the collection of photos and the music to be used.

The minister or celebrant is ultimately responsible for what happens in the funeral ceremony itself.

This usually involves working with family members to:

• plan the format of the funeral service;
• decide who will deliver the eulogy – family member(s) or a close personal friend
• select music, reading or poetry during the service
• decide on the use of other symbols such as candles, flowers and photos as required
• discuss whether printed service sheets are required
• schedule the audio-visual presentation (if any) in the service.