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Monthly Archives: June 2022

Tips for Staying on a Budget

Is it possible to make your lost loved one’s memorial one to remember if you’re working with a smaller budget? Tons of families have to have a memorial or another kind of service after a service at a cemetery in Huntersville, NC without spending lots of money by doing things like these tips:

Send Electronic Invites – Depending on how many guests you have; postage can get expensive. Instead of spending money on paper, envelopes, ink, and postage, a smart money-saving memorial idea is to utilize e-invites.
Find the Right Venue – If you’re throwing a memorial service and you want to host the event outside of your home, you’ll want to find the right event venue. A great budget-friendly memorial service idea is to go with an all-inclusive event venue to help save money. Finding a space with in-house catering, tables, chairs, décor, linens, and a good sound system for music is the smartest since you won’t have to pay for outside catering or rent furniture. Also, bonus: someone else will have to do the cleanup. Ideally, you’ll want a location with a friendly staff that can comfortably accommodate the number of guests you have.
Be Your Own DJ – You don’t need to hire a professional if you have a music-streaming account such as Spotify or Pandora and you can make a playlist yourself for free. Just make sure to add enough music—about 100 songs should do it.
Let People Help – Much too often, our guests ask, “What can I bring?” and we say, “Oh, nothing! I have it under control.” As a host, this is very easy to do—but this time, instead of saying “nothing”, take your guests up on their offers. This is especially helpful as you are going through a loss and could use the extra assistance.
DIY Decorations – Instead of buying elaborate decorations, a great budget-friendly memorial service idea is to consider taking the time to make them yourself. This is where planning ahead will come in handy. You’d be surprised what you can do with a quick trip to your local crafts store or flea market.
Keep the Guest List Small – This might be difficult to do, depending on how you want to organize your memorial but keeping your guests at a minimum is a budget-friendly memorial service idea that can go a long way.
Make it a Potluck – One of the simplest budget-friendly memorial ideas is to consider having a potluck. Ask your guests to bring a dish to share with everyone. This way, everyone pitches into the cost of the food, and you can allocate some of your budgets to other areas of the part.

You can definitely still make your lost loved one’s memorial, funeral, or other kinds of service the best it can be even if you don’t have a lot of money.

As a cemetery in Huntersville, NC, we are here to help if you want more tips on how you can make your lost loved one’s memorial remembered without breaking the bank. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today.

Why Should You Preplan a Cemetery Service?

Losing a loved one is hard enough without having to plan, execute and pay for any kind of service, from funerals and memorials to cemetery services. While it’s never easy to think about your eventual passing, preplanning your service at a cemetery in Charlotte, NC is one of the best things you can do for your family, and for yourself. Preplanning for your funeral can help both you and your loved ones in many different ways. The benefits of preplanning a funeral include:

Easing Your Family’s Burden: Let your family know exactly what you want for your funeral so they don’t have to guess what to do after you’re gone, or spend time making painful decisions when they should be grieving with loved ones.
Make Sure Your Wishes Are Met: Make sure you get the exact funeral or memorial service you want by taking care of the details and clearly laying them out for your friends and family. This way they won’t be able to argue or disagree.
Creating a Meaningful Service: Memorial and funeral services are an important part of the grieving process, but your loved ones might miss out on the important benefits if they are too busy planning the event. Preplan so they don’t have to.
Maintaining Self-Reliance: Taking charge of your memorial and funeral services allows you to maintain control and independence when you might otherwise lose them. This is good for your mental health at the end of your life and gives you more self-reliance.
Financial Responsibility: You can plan how to cover the funeral costs in advance to make it easier for your family’s bank accounts and stress levels. Look into funeral insurance or funeral trusts to help ensure financial ease for your cremation and service.

These are just a few of the ways preplanning your funeral can help both you and your family. But how do you go about preplanning a funeral? Preplanning your funeral isn’t as hard or overwhelming as you would think once you get started, and it can only help you and your loved ones after your death. The first step is to simply start making some choices. Think about what you want for your funeral, and be prepared to make choices such as:

Detail memorial or funeral specifications like preferred music, desired readings, special decorations, and video displays.
Choose your final resting place. There are a ton of options, but the main ones include a family plot or mausoleum, columbarium, or cremation urn.
Choose what to do with your remains, from burial and scattering to more non-traditional methods of body disposal like a biodegradable urn or water internment.
Pick out your service theme, like military, religious, or non-traditional.
Choose the funeral home.

As a Charlotte, NC cemetery, we are here to help if you do need more assistance with preplanning. We have years of experience with preplanning and would be happy to help you however we can. Please stop by and visit us today.

The Steps for Arranging a Cemetery Service

Death is and always will be hard, but the difficulty is often compounded by the difficulties that come with arranging a service at a cemetery in Matthews, NC. Learn more about this process of arranging a funeral so you can be better prepared when faced with the loss of a loved one.

There are eight main steps that everyone must follow after death to arrange a service:

Choose the Service – There are several service options you need to be prepared to choose from such as funerals, in which the service is held before the body is cremated or buried and the body is present, or memorials, in which the service is help after the body is buried or cremated and therefore not present.
Report the Death – If the death is at a hospital, nursing home, or hospice, the officials there will know what to do and will make the report for you. If you are at home or have no other options, call 911.
Prepare to Work with a Funeral Director – You will need the assistance of a funeral director to complete the death certificate, and transport and store the body. Take note if the deceased made pre-arrangements for his or her funeral or cremation and be prepared to relay these wishes to the director.
Make Cemetery Arrangements – If you choose to inter the remains after the funeral or cremation, you will need to make cemetery arrangements. Decide where the burial will take place, and if necessary, purchase a plot. If you’re unsure where to start, your funeral director or cremation assistant will most likely be affiliated with a cemetery and can help you find a plot. You could also check with your church, synagogue, or another place of worship for further guidance.
Plan the Service – Feel free to get creative when making memorial or funeral service arrangements to make the service personal and meaningful. Flowers, music, pre or post-service events, and other special touches help make the service person for you and the deceased.
Make the Death Announcement – Personally inform all close family, friends, and loved ones of the death, ideally over the phone or in person. If you’re nervous, take the time to write a script to help you make key points. Don’t forget to write and release a death notice to notify the rest of the friends, coworkers, associates, etc.
Stay Organized – You should make a list of what you need to accomplish before the service to help you stay organized and not forget anything important. This list could include your attire, personal items, or collecting photos.
Make Body Transportation Arrangements – You will need to plan for the body to be transported from the place of death to the funeral home, and also to the cemetery if you choose burial, as well as inform the family and write a death notice.

Looking for more guidance on arranging funerals? As a Matthews, NC cemetery, we are here to help. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today to learn more.

Unexpected Loss

How can you get through a sudden, unexpected pain and loss? Losing a loved one and planning service at a cemetery in Huntersville, NC is always hard, but it’s especially challenging when that loss is sudden and unexpected. While everyone’s grief journey is different in both presentation and length and no one can truly understand someone else’s pain, there are certain things you can do to make a sudden bereavement easier. Here are some helpful tips for dealing with the sudden death of a loved one.

To begin, spend time with others. It can be so easy to withdraw from friends, coworkers, and family after going through a loss. However, talking and spending time with other people can be a big help. Not only is being around other people comforting, but it can help make your grief more manageable. It does this by allowing you to share your feelings which in turn can help you come to terms with your loss. It also accomplishes this by giving you space to reminisce and receive emotional support.

Also, everyone who experiences a sudden loss will most likely also experience a whirlwind of emotions from anger and shock to disbelief, guilt, and sadness. These tough emotions won’t follow a certain timeline as everyone grieves at their own pace. Therefore, it’s important to be prepared to endure difficult feelings for an undetermined amount of time. Being aware of that fact will make dealing with the situation simpler, if not easier. Next, try and get back into your regular routine. It might seem impossible, but life will go on after you lose a loved one. As tough as it might be, getting back to your everyday routines can help relieve your grief. Go back to work if you feel ready. If not, try and continue your normal morning and evening routines. Hold family dinners, take the kids to school, and don’t be afraid to acknowledge how these routines have changed because of the loss.

Seeking professional help for dealing with the psychological and physical symptoms of grief is not only often incredibly beneficial but it’s also often necessary. When a loved one dies suddenly, it can be a traumatic experience like getting in a severe car accident or spending time in a war zone. There isn’t shame in a veteran or car accident survivor getting help, so why would there be in someone going through a loss getting help? It’s natural for people to want to help when someone they know is going through a loss. While you might not feel up to interacting with others, it’s probably true that you will need that help. From meals and assistance with household chores to help planning services, help is necessary when you’re going through a loss. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to accept it. Also, don’t be embarrassed to seek out help when you need it.

We are here to help if you want more information on grief or on Huntersville, NC cemeteries or dealing with loss. Call or visit us today to learn more.