How Best Prepare for a Loved One’s Death

AdminMarch 27, 2023

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy. Even if you are aware that it will be happening due to illness or aging, it can still leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. While it’s never easy, if you prepare ahead of time as much as you can, it will help ensure everything is handled correctly when the time comes. As providers of cremation services in Lakewood, CO., we have these ways you can help you and your family prepare.

Call a Family Meeting

Call on your family members and get together for a family meeting. This could be just your immediate family, or if you wish, you can have your extended family involved as well. The choice is yours on who you would like to have been involved with.

During this meeting, you will need to discuss key issues such as:

Who will be responsible for making the funeral arrangements?
Who will be the main caregiver?
Who will help to handle their affairs and make sure they are all in order?
How will their memory be honored?
Are there any special final wishes the loved one has and who will ensure those happen?

Make sure to note everything that is said and assigned so there are no questions or confusion once the time comes.

Gather All Important Documents

Making sure you have all the documents you need to complete and organized can go a long way in helping everything run smoothly later. Some of the documents you should have are:

A Power of Attorney (POA) – This document allows you the right and legal authority to make decisions on behalf of your loved one. These decisions can be financial and/or medical should they become incapable of doing do.
A Will – This document is important as it outlines any final wishes your loved one has as well as how they want their estate to be handled and divided.
An Advance-Directive – This document will outline any wishes your loved one has when it comes to their end-of-life care. This also includes things like DNR (Do Not Resuscitate).
List of Passwords – Having a list of your loved one’s passwords will help immensely when trying to handle their accounts
Any paperwork from cemeteries or funeral homes – If your loved one preplanned any arrangements, make sure to have any and all paperwork and contracts

Spend Time With Them

Making sure you have all of the important documents and tasks delegated is great, but make sure you spend as much time as you can with your loved ones before they are gone. You can use this time to talk to them about their life. Ask them questions like what was their proudest moment, or what are they most happy about. Learn about their childhood by asking about their school and friends. Learn all you can about who they were and what their life was truly like.

By taking the time now to plan for what comes later, after their cremation services in Lakewood, CO. you and your family will be able to focus on honoring your loved one rather than having the stress and anxiety of trying to organize everything then.

3 Popular Funeral Reception Serving Styles

AdminMarch 20, 2023

If you are hosting a funeral reception, there will be many things to consider. Some of these are the location of the event, how many guests will be attending, and making sure there are enough items for everyone such as chairs. Another big decision is choosing what type of food to serve and the style it will be served in. Directors of funeral homes in Lakewood, CO. look at some of the most popular styles to help you better decide.

1. Plated/Table Style

This serving style is definitely the most formal of the three and is when guests will be seated at a table at a certain time for their meal. It is a more formal, “high-class” feel as guests remain seated as the food is brought to them. This style can either have just one course or many that include things like soup, salad, or dessert. Many times guests will choose their entrée and RSVP so that they don’t actually “order” at the time of the reception. The food is catered in or made at the location and is nice and hot as it arrives at the table. This serving style can be more costly because you will need servers to transport the food, refill drinks, and attend to the additional needs of the guests as they eat.

2. Buffet Style

If you would like something that can still look elegant but be a bit more casual than a table style, consider having a buffet. These are very popular for a number of reasons. One is that it can offer a wider variety of foods. With a plated table dinner, the choices of entrees may be limited to one or two, but with a buffet, you may be able to provide many more. Another benefit to buffets is that you don’t have the extra cost of servers. Of course, if you wish, you can always have servers behind the buffet table to plate the food for the guests.

3. Food Trucks

The most casual and easy option that is growing in popularity is having food trucks at the location. This can be a great choice if the event is outside at a park or other outdoor location. With almost every city having several food trucks to choose from, you can offer your guests a wide variety of foods.

Food trucks also offer a very casual, almost more “party celebration” mood than a sit-down dinner or buffet. This can be a perfect choice for those who wish to have a more light-hearted and happy rather atmosphere rather than serious and solemn.

In Conclusion

Food is a large part of most funeral receptions. This is because we often associate food with love and comfort. Also, we want to show the guests who come appreciation by providing them with a meal. With so many options of serving styles, it doesn’t matter if the reception is held at a church, outside park, or funeral home in Lakewood, CO. as there is a style for every reception.

Guide to Sending Funeral Flowers

AdminMarch 6, 2023

When you hear about a friend’s passing, you may want to send funeral flowers to the funeral home in Denver, CO. as a token of your love and condolences. However, there are some things you should know about sending funeral flowers as they are different than sympathy flowers that are sent to someone’s home. Keep reading as we explain more about funeral arrangements and what you need to know about sending them.

What Are Funeral Flowers

As mentioned, funeral flowers are different than sympathy flowers. When we talk about funeral flowers, we are referring to arrangements sent to the funeral home or church that will be used in the funeral as well as any other services. These are typically larger arrangements sent by family or very close family friends.

On the other hand, sympathy flowers are those arrangements that are sent to the family’s home by friends, coworkers, etc. These arrangements are smaller in scale and are meant to offer support and condolences.

Funeral Flower Arrangements

When sending funeral flowers, you will have many options for the types of flowers as well as the types of arrangements. Some of the most popular arrangement types are:

Sprays – These arrangements are made from long-stemmed plants and flowers and are typically seen covering the lid of the casket. They may also be seen being displayed on a flower stand
Crosses, Hearts, Other Shapes – These shaped arrangements are normally placed near the casket during the service.
Wreaths – A wreath arrangement is often displayed near the casket on an easel or other stand. These arrangements may also be taken to the burial site after the funeral service.

What Type of Flowers are Appropriate for Funeral Flowers

Different flowers carry different meanings. This is true when it comes to the type of lower as well as the color. Since flowers hold various meanings, you want to make sure your funeral flower arrangement only contains those flowers that are most appropriate. Some of the most commonly used flowers used in funeral arrangements are:

Lavender – Signifies grace and purity
Daises – Represent peace and hope
Yellow lilies – Express thankfulness
Irises – Represent faith, courage, wisdom, and admiration
Orchids – Signify hope, love, and courage
Gladiolus – Represent strength and integrity
Tulips – Express love, peace, and hope
Snapdragons – Show grace and strength
Calla Lilies – Express rebirth

Sending the Funeral Flowers

While sympathy flowers are for the family and sent to their home, funeral flowers are used in the services and therefore need to be sent to the funeral home or other location where the services will be taking place.

When you send your arrangement to the location, always be sure to include the family’s name or the name of the deceased so that the location will know what service they should go to.

Final Thoughts

If you wish to send funeral flowers, there are many online as well as local florists that can help you create a beautiful arrangement. If you would like to send one that is already premade, you can often find those online and locally as well.

To learn more about funeral flowers or services provided by funeral homes in Denver, CO., feel free to reach out to us anytime as we are happy to answer any questions you may have.

-

Month: March 2023