Planning a funeral step by step

Posted by Joe Manno | August 11, 2022

Planning a funeral is one of the formalities that can be overwhelming when a loved one has passed. With the added pressure of the funeral being the last opportunity to celebrate your loved one’s life, for most people, it may be the first time they have experienced organising a funeral. It is a highly personal experience that requires a gentle touch. Our experienced and compassionate funeral directors will guide and assist you with planning a funeral step by step.

Funeral hall decorated with flowers, prepared for burial ceremony

What should you do first?

In the majority of situations, a person’s passing is expected. It will take place at their home, a hospital, a nursing home or an aged care facility.

When the passing happens at home, you must call a doctor to verify that the person has passed and to issue a death certificate. A palliative care team can issue a temporary certificate when a doctor is unavailable.

Once this has been completed, we will bring your loved one into our care at Blessed Funerals. When the passing occurs in a hospital, a family member must contact Blessed Funerals.

We will coordinate with the hospital to bring your loved one safely and compassionately to our funeral home.

When your loved one is residing in a nursing home or aged facility, most facilities require the family to nominate the funeral director when the loved one is admitted. The facility staff will contact Blessed Funerals once the family has been notified and the doctor has issued the death certificate. Blessed Funerals will coordinate the retrieval of the person with the facility and take the necessary care to bring the deceased person into our care.

Man in suit comforting a woman crying on a funeral

If the death is unexpected

When a death is unexpected, there will be much confusion and emotional turmoil. An ambulance should be called in the first instance. The police will need to attend to prepare a report for the coroner to establish a cause of death.

Blessed Funerals can register the death with the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages on your behalf.

Blessed Funerals can begin making the necessary funeral arrangements; however, the body cannot be returned until the coroner has completed the investigation and a death certificate has been issued. It is essential to contact us as soon as you are able and allow us to support you through the trauma.

Woman sitting on her office chair talking to a client

Planning the funeral service

Whilst conducting a funeral is not a legal requirement in Australia, most people in our diverse and cosmopolitan society elect to hold some form of memorial or service for their loved one. Everyone is unique and there are no specific rules for how a memorial or service should take place. However, there a number of considerations that Blessed Funerals will assist you with when planning a funeral service.

  • Do you wish your loved one to be buried or cremated?
  • Would you like a viewing of the person before the service, burial or cremation? If so, how would you like the appearance of the person?
  • Do you want a religious or secular service?
  • Do you require embalming?
  • Do you have a venue or location in mind?
  • Do you require a coffin or a casket?
  • We will assist you with invitations, memorial booklets, and other printed materials.
  • We will assist you with flowers, music and additional media, if required.
Red Rose with invitation under it

Once the service has been planned

Once you have planned the service and set a date, the team at Blessed Funerals will handle all the necessary arrangements. This includes booking the venue(s), organising the invitations and printing of memorial books, the flowers and music and all other requirements you need.

Taking this burden off your shoulders is why we are here to help. This enables you time to grieve while taking care of other important things that need attention after a person has passed away.

Wooden casket with flowers on top and surrounded by colourful flowers

Organising a wake

Having a wake is a personal decision and not a formal obligation. In some cultures a wake is not permitted for various reasons. A wake is generally an opportunity for guests to mingle and reflect on the deceased in their own way and share stories. A wake can be an excellent way to celebrate the person’s life with those closest to them.

Normally, a wake will be held at a different venue or location and involves food and drinks in a less formal setting.

Consideration should be made to the age of guests, to ensure that you have adequate seating and other provisions available. Blessed Funerals can assist you in deciding whether to have a wake and, if so, help you decide on a suitable location and time appropriate to the funeral service.

woman with white lily flowers and coffin at funeral in church

Other important funeral administration

It can feel all-consuming; however, there is a list of non-urgent things that will require attention and these can be done before or after the memorial service.

You will need to notify government agencies, banks and financial institutions, insurance providers, medical and health services, home services, utility companies, any sports clubs, charities and any social media and online service providers.

Government agencies

  • The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
  • Services Australia (formerly Centrelink)
  • Medicare
  • RMS or Service NSW to cancel any drivers licence, and transfer registration of any vehicles

Banks and financial institutions

  • Notify the accountant
  • Inform the person’s banking institute
  • Inform the person’s superannuation provider
  • Inform PayPal and other financial institutes, if required

Insurance

  • Car and house insurance
  • Health and life insurance
  • Checking if the person’s superannuation has any insurances attached

Medical and health services

  • The person’s GP (may already be aware)
  • Dentist
  • Any allied health service providers, such as a social worker

Sports clubs and charities

  • RSL Club
  • Social or service clubs
  • AFL, NRL or other sports clubs or sporting teams that the person was a member of
  • Any charity that took donations

Social media and online accounts

  • Facebook, Instagram etc
  • Email accounts
  • eBay and subscriptions such as Netflix, Stan, Foxtel, Amazon etc

Utility companies

  • Power, gas and water utilities
  • Phone and internet providers
  • Any home maintenance providers e.g. gardener
  • Local council
  • Any home service providers
  • Newspaper or magazine subscriptions

Engage a funeral director who is experienced and compassionate

Whether the passing of a person is expected on unexpected, it is a time of high emotion and great sadness. There are several excellent support services available and our team can help direct you to the most suitable for your circumstances, if required.

When it comes to planning a funeral having an experienced, professional and compassionate funeral director is one thing that can alleviate much of the burden.

We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you have lost a loved one, contact our team, and we will be with you from start to finish.

Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss your needs.

Meet Our Team

Blessed Funerals is an Australian family owned and operated funeral service that is wholly independent. Our team members are committed funeral directors with decades of experience servicing the people of Baulkham Hills, Brookvale, Five Dock, Sydney, Wollongong and Central Coast.

Joe Manno

Joe is a highly experienced funeral director whose personalised approach and deep commitment to providing compassionate and trusted care set the standards for the Blessed Funerals team.

Tony Sprem

As a seasoned Funeral Director, Tony reliably provides outstanding care and meticulous organisation of beautifully orchestrated and compassionately delivered funeral services. 

Carmel Pisto

Carmel provides a delicate touch to the arrangement of your loved one’s funeral services. She has a thorough understanding of cultural customs delivers only the best for her clients.

David Ashton

David is a veteran of conducting beautiful, memorable and compassionate funeral services. For 50 years he has been the funeral conductor of choice for so many families in the Sydney area.

Peter Fasitsas

Peter is a gentleman of the utmost integrity. His personalised approach, combined with his family-oriented values, puts your family at ease, knowing you are in the best hands.

Our Funeral Services

Blessed Funerals offers religious, non-religious and culturally sensitive funeral services at each of our four locations. Our services are personalised to reflect the individual’s life with a focus on attention to detail, dignity and compassion.

Cremation Services

Blessed Funerals cremation specialists host cremation services at your request, performed with utmost compassion and professionalism.

Burial Services

Our conduct burial services at your chosen venue or at the burial plot, for a large gathering or just close loved ones. We tailor our burial services to suit your needs.

Cultural Funerals

We are experienced in delivering varying cultural funeral customs. Our team has the expertise to host a cultural funeral that reflects your loved one’s heritage.

Repatriation Services

If your deceased loved one needs to be repatriated interstate, overseas, or from overseas back to Australia, Blessed Funerals can handle every aspect.

Testimonials

Tony and the team at Blessed Funerals were professional, friendly and knowledgeable in what was needed to make this very sad occasion stress free. Nothing was too hard and their one-stop service provision of flowers, memorial cards, coffin, cemetery and church requirements meant we could organise every aspect from the comfort of our home. We would highly recommend Tony, Joe and their wonderful support team.

Milka Bogovic

Professional and easy to work with. They also conducted my nona’s funeral service, which was conducted beautifully.

John Dorian

Tony answered our call came to my parents’ house as promised. He sat down with my family and had a checklist of what needed to be done and he guided my family through this difficult time. Tony was available within seconds and never left our sides until the end of the service. My family and I cannot thank Tony and his team enough for the way in which he and his staff handled a very tragic and difficult time for us.

Nick Puljic

Contact us

Call us anytime of night or day, or book a consultation – we’re here to hold your hand.

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