When the decisions come all at once, a simple list helps. Here is what to do and what to prepare, in order — a calm checklist you can follow, with a funeral director beside you for every step.
The essential funeral checklist, in order:
Our first-steps guide walks through this in more detail.
Each tradition has its own rhythm. A Buddhist wake centres on monks and chanting; a Taoist wake follows dialect customs with priests and paper offerings; Christian and Catholic wakes centre on prayers and a church service; a free-thinker farewell is simple and personal. Your funeral director arranges the details of whichever path is yours.
The essentials, in order: have the death certified, call a funeral director, decide the type of service and faith, choose the wake venue and length, gather documents and photos and inform family, then hold the funeral and arrange the ashes.
Prepare a recent photo of your loved one for the altar, the clothes they will be dressed in, the certificate of cause of death, a list of family and friends to inform, and any religious items or wishes the family wants observed.
You will decide the type of service, the faith and its rites, the wake venue, the wake length, and whether there will be a burial or cremation and where the ashes will rest. A funeral director helps you weigh each one.
Have the death certified by a doctor, or call the police on 995 if it was sudden or unnatural, then call a funeral director to collect your loved one. You do not need any decisions ready when you call.
The core steps are the same, but the rites differ. Buddhist wakes centre on monks and chanting, Taoist wakes follow dialect customs with priests and offerings, Christian and Catholic wakes centre on prayers, and a free-thinker farewell is simple and personal.
Speak to a funeral director now. No pressure, no obligation — just clear answers and immediate help with the arrangements.
