Whether you’re wondering how much a funeral costs, what a funeral director does or want to know more about funeral etiquette, our funeral guidance and advice section can help. Explore the below guides for funeral support.
While religious funerals can be seen as the more traditional type of service, non-religious funeral services are becoming increasingly popular - and it's all dependent on the beliefs of the person who has passed away.
Many families wish to host a personal and intimate service to celebrate the end of their loved one's life, and one way to do this is to hire a funeral celebrant. A funeral celebrant is also referred to as a funeral officiant, which is a qualified person who helps officiate funeral services, support the bereaved family, as well as organise and conduct the funeral. The celebrant will usually be independent, and will be engaged by the funeral director on behalf of the family. They will be able to offer a non-religious funeral, as well as a funeral with prayers and spiritual themes.
Looking to have a pre-paid funeral plan set in place to help alleviate emotional and financial stress from your loved ones when you pass? You're not alone - many people choose this route as it has numerous benefits not just for you to ensure your wishes are respected, but for your loved ones, too.
Yes, you'll be pleased to hear that we are not increasing our funeral plan administration fee from 1st April 2022. For the foreseeable future, and for as long as we can reasonably do so prior to our expected FCA authorisation, we will maintain our administration fee at £195.00 per plan.
As we write this on the 4th April 2022 we can confirm that our application process for authorisation by the FCA continues and we're working through the stages with our case officer. It must be said that it's a full belt and braces approach from the FCA and given the recent events with the demise of Safe Hands that has to be a good thing.
Funerals are intended to celebrate and honour the life of a loved one, and to provide an opportunity for family and friends to say their final goodbyes. However, there is no one way of conducting a funeral – a person may wish for a non-conventional funeral, while some may want their attendees to wear bright colours instead of black.
An unattended funeral, also known as a direct or unattended cremation, is conducted without a traditional funeral service – there is no ceremony or mourners in attendance. In the case of cremation, the ashes are simply collected from the crematorium. Some families may find an unattended funeral impersonal, and it may leave them feeling as though they haven’t properly grieved. Find out everything you need to know about unattended funeral services in our helpful guide today.
When a loved one loses someone close, our natural instinct is to help. But sometimes, especially if we haven’t experienced bereavement first hand, it can be hard to know exactly what to say and do. Often the support from friends and family can facilitate the healing process of grief and make an isolating time seem considerably less lonely.
We are of course delighted to announce, that along with a relatively small number of other providers we became formally regulated by the FCA on 29th July 2022.
Grief is a difficult process and often you may feel alone and isolated due to your experience. Often, we can find some sort of comfort in the words of others – especially when they have experienced the same thing as us.
Whether you're an independent funeral director who's already an IAR of Open Prepaid Funerals, or one that's thinking of joining our growing network, or whether you're a member of the public thinking of taking out a prepaid funeral plan then this short video should help you.
The following short video explains what happens at an Open Funeral Plans adviser appointment.
Still have some funeral related queries that haven’t been answered? Get in touch with a member of our caring team for funeral support and advice. Alternatively, browse our full range of prepaid funeral plans online now.
