When families first arrive at funeral homes in New Rochelle, NY to make funeral arrangements for their loved ones, they’re not always sure what they should do first. It can make the funeral planning process so much more stressful than it should be. You and your family should aim to take the right steps to ensure that you get the process off to a strong start. Check out the first steps you should take when working with a funeral home below. 

Figure out if you want to bury or cremate your loved one. 

For years, families didn’t really have to spend too much time thinking about whether they wanted to bury or cremate a loved one through a New Rochelle, NY funeral home. They almost always chose to bury them. But nowadays, this decision is quite as clear-cut since the cremation rate has skyrocketed in recent years. So you and your family will have to start things off by deciding between a burial and a cremation for your loved one. 

Decide which type of funeral you would like to hold for your loved one. 

Once you know whether you would like to bury or cremate a loved one, the next thing you should do is think about which type of funeral you would like to hold for them. Do you want to stage a traditional funeral for them, go with a memorial service instead, or potentially go all out with a Life Celebration®? A Life Celebration® might be the best way for you to pay tribute to the great life that your loved one lived. But regardless of which option you pick, you’ll need to set it in stone as soon as possible. 

Come up with a budget for the entire funeral planning process. 

While planning out a funeral for a loved one, you’re going to need to try to stick to a budget. And it’ll be impossible for you to do that when you don’t have a budget in place. You should make sure that you create a budget and fill your funeral home in what it is. They’ll be able to use this budget to keep you and your family on the right track in a financial sense. 

Get access to the grief counseling services that you might need. 

There are some families who process grief better than others. If your family is really having a hard time with the grief that has come along with losing a loved one, you might want to look into trying to get access to grief counseling services. These services will allow you to process your grief more effectively. They’ll also play a huge part in your ability to heal from the trauma that can accompany losing a loved one. 

Does your family need some help taking each of the steps that we just touched on? If you do, Pelham Funeral Home will welcome you in with open arms when you plan New Rochelle, NY funeral services at our funeral home and make sure you’re taking the right steps at all times. Reach out to us to take advantage of the Life Celebration® services that we can offer to you.