My ideal funeral.

[ApolloandDaphne]

Ok, I have Covid and although not likely to die soon I have talked through with my DH my ideal funeral.

The full 23 minute of Echoes by Pink Floyd.
Sling me in the burny pit.
Go out to itchyco park by the Small faces.
Retire to the pub for sausage rolls and gin.

I am honoured. Thank you for coming.

What would be you ideal send off!

Full requiem mass please.

@PrisonerofZeroCovid

Six black plumed horses and the horse drawn hearse. May as well do it in style. I saw Malcolm McLaren's funeral procession- that's what he had. It looked epic. Did kind of make me laugh though- bit "establishment"

I saw one of those passing by recently while sitting outside a pub in Tooting! Looked like something out of Dickens - plumed black horses, undertakers in top hats, the works. There must still be a certain demand for them, or undertakers wouldn’t keep horses and all that paraphernalia, just in case.

Moving on up now - Primal Scream would be playing.
Red nails, lips and shoes!
Humanist thing in the woods.

I want a wicker coffin, cremation and a humanist celebrant. Lots of bright flowers. Ideally I would want my ashes scattered in a particular location that I love, but DH is dead against the idea - he says if I go first, he wants a memorial he can visit.

We're going for direct cremation, going to sort out a pre pay one later in the year as there's some issue with pre paid plans at the moment.
However, if I was having music I wanted New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, due to the line "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today!"
I remember one of the girls saying to a friend that I wanted that and the friend was horrified, even to have discussed it. We're very open about it and as far as I'm concerned, bung me in some jeans, chuck me in a crate, bang the lid down, job done.

I want everyone in black, and sobbing. Slow procession of black cars with key family members walking in procession. A proper eulogy listing all my virtues and achievements, and everyone saying how much they will miss me. Couple of stirring hymns (I'm not big on music). Then a big pissup afterwards.

Direct cremation here so absolutely nothing.

Quite like the idea of direct cremation followed by a church service with the ashes present- a friend had this as he wanted to be cremated but didn't like the idea of anyone watching the coffin trundle along behind the curtain as he found it undignified (!) So that all happened in private then some time later there was a lovely adapted service with hymns, beautiful music etc etc. It worked very well.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER
I saw one of those passing by recently while sitting outside a pub in Tooting! Looked like something out of Dickens - plumed black horses, undertakers in top hats, the works. There must still be a certain demand for them, or undertakers wouldn’t keep horses and all that paraphernalia, just in case.

I'm a funeral arranger and indeed there is still a demand. I have one going out in April. Not as much demand as motor hearses, but we get the occasional request. We don't as a company keep our own horses but there are plenty of others that hire out horses and carriages for weddings and funerals so it isn't an issue.

Make sure I have a requiem Mass please.
How what and when you do it is up to the mourners.
Kids welcome though (if the parents think it is appropriate for their child)
Anyone who has a problem with kids in church needn't bother attending.

Scrape everything that's of use to medical science / other people out of me first, then direct cremation.

I then quite fancy being added to one of those bio-pots that contain a tree sapling and being planted somewhere nice - I'd like to be a rowan tree, I think.

I don't want floral tributes, but if people want to wear yellow flowers in their hair or about their person, that would be nice.

The only stipulation I have for any kind of memorial service is that it is a) non-religious and b) everybody leaves the venue to the strains of 'What a Swell Party This Is' by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

All I know is that I don't want any religious claptrap and I want the theme music from Black Beauty played. It's called Galloping Home.

I want the theme music from Black Beauty played. It's called Galloping Home.

Having read this, I now want it too.

I love the idea of direct cremation. No fuss, no hassle, and my DC can then do with my ashes what they see fit.

We went to a funeral recently though, it was one of DH's lifelong friends and he'd known he was dying for a while. His family gave him such an amazing send off - they used a celebrant, family and friends shared memories, and they used lots of photo montages to his favourite music (including some very questionable photos that had everyone giggling). It ended up being a real celebration of life rather than dirgeful mourning. I did come out saying "I'd like that".... but my extended family are arseholes that I have nothing to do with so there would be no audience to enjoy it

I am having a Full Catholic requiem Mass.
Hymns are
I watch the sunrise
On Eagles Wings
Here I am lord
Walk with me oh my lord
I will then be reunited with my beautiful dd in the cemetery with Grace playing in the background.
Then everyone will go to the pub
First and Second rounds on me
Make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink
I would be happy for it to turn into a party 🥂🥂

@HappyGoDucky

I'm glad you all see the brightside of this! Unfortunately for me my wonderful, poor DM had a torrid year of cancer treatment and a week before her death said she didn't want any sort of funeral. Direct funeral as per her wishe it was but my gosh left us without the goodbyes and then the country lockdowned 2 days after. Horrendous.

I am so so sorry for the loss of your mum.

This bears repeating.

I do voluntary work in funerals and at the beginning of covid, when funerals were outside only, maximum of 6 mourners, a lot of people struggled. They didn't want to choose who not to have attend, so they didn't have anyone.

Now, two years on, and we're seeing more and more memorial services booked in as significant dates come around.

The overwhelming feedback has been how much families struggled to process, grieve and have an "end point" after a death with no funeral. A funeral can often be the deep release of breath, after holding it for so long.

I want a direct cremation, no service at all. My husband wants a burial and full service. If I go first, my ashes will go in with him later. If he goes first, I'm sure there must be a way to add my urn to the plot.

@FourLittleStars I get this.
Both my parents died this year and whilst organising their funerals was hard work I think it was worth it in terms of letting g all kinds of emotions settled. It also gave others the chance to 'air' their memories and thoughts more easily.

WhenDovesFly - my dad was always adamant he wanted his body left to medical science but only because he thought that mum and I would sort it all out after he was dead.

After looking into it in some detail, I told him that he would need to speak to his GP and solicitor to put everything in writing before he was dead and there were a lot of forms to complete. There is also no guarantee that they'll take you if they already have a lot of bodies when you die. They do recommend that you have a back-up for this reason as well.

Once he'd gone through all of the details he changed his mind and just said he wanted a normal cremation. This is what he got in 2020 when the time came

@Hbh17

Direct cremation. No memorial service, no wake, no 'gathering', no ashes scattering. No nothing. I'll be dead & anyone who might be bothered can just remember me in their own head. Just so much easier & simpler for everyone.

Same.

I'm Jewish so I'll just be buried ASAP in a plywood box and shroud, no music involved - perfectly happy with that.

Humanist ceremony for me and my partner chose Into My Arms by Nick Cave. I would have liked an hour of Heilung but was outvoted even though it will be my service.
We attended a funeral recently and when the strains of Stairway to Heaven started you could hear the eye-rolling from the back of the hall.

@ApolloandDaphne

Ok, I have Covid and although not likely to die soon I have talked through with my DH my ideal funeral.

The full 23 minute of Echoes by Pink Floyd.
Sling me in the burny pit.
Go out to itchyco park by the Small faces.
Retire to the pub for sausage rolls and gin.

I am honoured. Thank you for coming.

What would be you ideal send off!

I'm here for Echoes.

But with the Pompei version on a big screen so we can see Gilmours beauty!!!

In to The Sound Of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams
Pachelbel’s Canon
Out to Sound of Silence by Disturbed

[quote ApolloandDaphne]@SilverSplitsTheBlue Is your user name from the Aztec Camera song Somewhere in my heart? I bloody love Aztec Camera. Saw them live in the 80s. That is one of my fave songs ever. [/quote]
It is! Great band!