Attended Funeral

If no one else wants to make the funeral arrangements, there is usually no need to consider the information set out below. However, if there is a chance that someone might object to you arranging the funeral, you should consider the following questions to satisfy yourself that you are entitled to do so, before proceeding to make the arrangement. If you are in doubt that you are the right person to make the funeral arrangements  and are unable to reach agreement, you may wish to take independent legal  advice before proceeding.

If the person who has died is an adult (aged 16 or over):

Did the person who has died make an Arrangements on Death Declaration? 

If it can be demonstrated that the person who has died expressed a wish that a particular person should be responsible for arranging their funeral, this person is entitled to make the arrangements. The most common place to find such an expression is as part of the person’s Will. If someone other than you was named by the person who has died, you should only arrange the funeral with this person’s agreement.

The person who has died did not make an Arrangements on Death Declaration

In these circumstances, we can offer the following advice, depending on your relationship to the person who has died:

If you are the husband, wife or civil partner of the person who has died, you are most likely the right person to make the funeral arrangements.

If the person who has died was not married but you lived together in the same way as a married couple when they died, you are most likely the right person to make the funeral arrangements (if you lived together for at least 6 months before the date of death).

If you are the child of the person who has died and the person who has died was married, in a civil partnership or living with a long-term partner when they died, this person is likely to have priority over you. We advise that you check with them before arranging the funeral. If you have any brothers or sisters it is advisable to get agreement from them before making the funeral arrangements. If you can’t agree on the arrangements, you can still arrange the funeral but there is a chance that one of them could ask the court to allow them to make the arrangements instead.

If you are the parent of the person who has died, you should check with any spouse/civil  partner, long term partner and children of the person who has died before making the funeral arrangements. If the other parent of the person who has died is contactable, it is advisable to get agreement from them before making the funeral arrangements. If you can’t agree on the arrangements, you can still arrange the funeral but there is a chance that they could apply to the court to allow them to make the arrangements instead.

If you are the brother or sister of the person who has died, you should check with any spouse/civil partner, long term partner, children and parents of the person who has dies before making the funeral arrangements. If you have any other brothers or sisters it is advisable to get agreement from them before making the funeral arrangements. If you can’t agree on the arrangements, you can still arrange the funeral but there is a chance that one of them could apply to the court to allow them to make the arrangements instead.

The legal hierarchy of who should arrange a funeral is:

1. A person identified in arrangements on death declaration of the person who has died 
2. The husband, wife or civil partner of the person who has died 
3. The long term partner of the person who has died  (they must have been living together for at least 6 months) 
4. The children of the person who has died 
5. The parents of the person who has died 
6. The brothers and sisters of the person who has died (siblings by one parent are treated the same as siblings by both parents) 
7. The grandparents of the person who has died Uncles and aunts of the person who has died 
8. The cousins of the person who has died 
9. The nieces and nephews of the person who has died 
10. A long-standing friend of the person who has died

When a loved one passes away, the last thing you want to worry about is the logistics of their funeral. Many people believe that they have to wait three weeks before the funeral can take place, but this is not necessarily the case.

Before the funeral date can be confirmed, the required paperwork needs to be in place. There is different paperwork depending on whether the service of committal is a burial or cremation. 

Planning the funeral:

Your funeral director will ask you when you’d like the service to take place, it shouldn’t be a case of you being told when it is taking place. 

To book the funeral service, you will need the paperwork as explained above in place and to have considered the below:

• Where you’d like the funeral to take place. There are many options whether to have a service in The Barsby Service Chapel, a Church, the full service at the crematorium, the full service at the graveside, or alternative venue such as at a Racing Circuit for example. The options are endless and your funeral director can guide you through this.
• What kind of service you’d like, is it to be a Celebration of Life or something more traditional? Would you like a minister of faith to take the service or a funeral celebrant?
• Are there any dates to avoid? Are there anniversaries or birthdays coming up that you definitely don’t want the funeral to coincide with?
• What kind of time of day would you like?

This is not an exhaustive list but gives you an idea of considerations and factors that would affect when the funeral can take place.