Meeting the Funeral Director
Before you meet with the funeral director, we recommend meeting as a family to decide who will be the main decision maker and contact, to ensure there is no confusion.
Allow 1-2 hours for the first meeting, to get the funeral arrangements started. Not all decisions need to be made in this meeting, though there are some details that need to be agreed.
- The day, time and place for the service. This helps family and friends to be able to plan their time if they need to travel or take time off work.
- What type of service you would prefer? Eg. Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Catholic or with a celebrant.
- What you would like for the service itself - who will lead the service, and options like music, flowers, newspaper/internet notices, catering, webcasting, videos and anything else you would like to do to personalise the funeral.
- Will this be a cremation or burial?
- Do you have a cemetery or memorial garden plot already? Please bring the Burial Rights Certificate. It is very important that we have the grave number for a burial. Following a cremation, you can make an appointment for an internment.
- All documentation requiring completion, including the death registration. You can complete the death registration form before you meet the funeral director, and they can help you with it.
- The costs and payment options will be explained by your funeral director and you will be provided with a fully itemised estimate of the fees.
Your funeral director liaises with all service suppliers for you – you do not need to make contact yourself. This includes contacting the crematorium or cemetery and booking their facilities. We will provide you with a copy of the funeral arrangements so you both know what was agreed.
Further decisions you will need to make:
Dressing clothes and coffin items
For burial:
As well as supplying clothes to dress your loved one, you may like to supply a small number of items to be placed into the coffin or casket, such as one set of summer clothes, one set of winter clothes, reading glasses and items your loved one liked. Please label your bags for ‘Dressing Clothes’ and ‘Coffined Items’.
For cremation:
It is recommended that you dress your loved one like he/she is going to a party with underwear and shoes and socks/panty hose. In Australia, we cremate a person with the coffin/casket, so if you place many items in the coffin/casket, it might not all fit in the ash container. Your funeral director can advise you.
Photo
Please select the best photo of your loved one - how you would like your relatives and friends to remember them. The usual size of photo is A4 size, framed with a stand. This photo will be set on a table or stand in the chapel during the service. After the service, this photo will be given back to the family to keep. It is better to choose a frame you like. If there is a slide presentation, please prepare a still shot of the photo as the first slide so that this photo can be projected on the screen in the chapel.
Floral tributes
Our Floral Designer will design the floral tributes with seasonal flowers based on the colour scheme that your loved one liked, such as pink, white and purple.
Below is our recommendation for the type of floral tributes.
| Basic funeral etiquette: | Casket Spray (to be set on top of the coffin/casket) | |
| Surviving Spouse: | Heart | |
| Immediate children: | Open Spray, one for each family (premium size) | |
| Relatives: | Open Spray (standard size) | |
| Friends: | Wreath | |
| Religious Altar (if applicable): | A pair of table arrangements |
For your convenience, we have designed the Floral Order Form. Please print and complete it and give it to the Funeral Director. You can either use English or Chinese characters. Please write clearly on the form. Our Floral Designer will prepare tribute cards and email to you for proof-reading before she prints them out.
