Funeral costs

[Dapplesun]

Could people please tell me the approx total cost for funeral they’ve paid in SE england? Including everything like flowers, cars, plots…etc…Ive never done this before and it’s all quite a lot. Trying to work out if it’s really just more realistic to do a ‘direct cremation’ due to time and costs as working full time and trying to make all arrangements is probably going to be incredibly difficult. Google is giving approx figures but I don’t quite trust it…Thankyou

It cost about £5.5k for a funeral service at a crematorium with the funeral directors fees inc collecting the body from the hospital. Also included the vicars fee. That was May this year for my DH. It hadn't gone up very much from 2020 and 2021 when I had lost my parents. I basically followed the same format with the same funeral director. Everything else like flowers and the costs of the sake afterwards is where there's flexibility in costs. If you go on a funeral directors website they should give you a price guide as to their costs. SW Hampshire

We paid £3350 for a family members funeral in northern England. That was with an independent funeral director and was for collection/care of the body, coffin, viewing, cremation, celebrant, spray of flowers for the coffin top, pallbearers, hearse plus two mourning cars, and collection/return of the ashes.

One thing I found was that prices varied wildly and chains are much more expensive. Local Co-op wanted over £1000 for far less items/services than the independent offered. It's definitely worth shopping around and all providers should have their prices published for you to view.

Another thing I found is that a lot of people will tell you what you "should" or "must" do and not a single one of those people will be contributing financially (doesn't stop them contributing many unwanted opinions though). Put someone you trust in charge of dealing with those people, ideally someone who will tell them that they're quite welcome to hold their own funeral and do it their way but that you're in charge of this particular one so they can either like it or lump it.

Lastly, I know you've said it's a complicated situation but that doesn't negate whatever feelings you're having, do take time for yourself in amongst all of this and don't underestimate the impact it can have on you.