How To Choose a Funeral Director

While using a funeral director is not legally required in Australia, enlisting their help can make it much easier to navigate laws and procedures when someone passes away.  

So, if you have the task of planning a fitting tribute for a loved one, we’ve compiled our top tips for how to choose a funeral director (and what traits to look for). 

To kick off this article, we’ve also included a brief explanation of the role of a funeral director.  

Role Of Funeral Director: 

A funeral director can really ease the burden of organising a funeral in times of grief.  

Typically, they can help with the following: 

Helping you to make decisions about the funeral or farewell, such as: 

• Deciding between burial vs cremation, 
• Location of service, and  
• Who would be the best person to lead the service. 
• Pre-planning funerals to ensure important decisions or personal wishes aren’t overlooked when someone dies.  
• Selecting a coffin which is suitable for your taste and budget. 
• Personalising a funeral by arranging music, flowers and catering.  
• Submitting legal documentation and paperwork. 
• Preparing the remains of the deceased.  
• Offering advice to the family and friends of the deceased.  

How To Choose a Funeral Director 

At Anton Brown Funerals we want to ensure that your family doesn’t need to worry about anything on the day of the funeral, or in the lead up to the service.  

When it comes to choosing a funeral director, there are a number of traits to look for:  

1. Honesty and transparency 

When you lose a loved one you feel very vulnerable and sad, which is why the team at Anton Brown Funerals strives to be honest and transparent about our processes and our costs.  

We believe it’s so important that families are not taken advantage of and they definitely don’t need unwanted extras offered to them or forced upon them.  

2. Great listener and communicator  

Funeral directors should be able to listen to your concerns and take them on board. This allows you to grieve without the added worry of organising a funeral and your loved one’s wishes. 

It’s also important that they can show their empathy and communicate in a way that makes you feel comfortable enough to discuss funeral plans and leave them to organise the little details and add personal touches to the service.  

3. Caring And Compassionate  

A funeral is often considered the last goodbye, and we understand it can be hard to entrust a stranger with the task.  

Being caring and compassionate are important hallmarks of a good funeral director, because it will help put your mind at ease knowing the celebration of your loved one’s life is in capable and compassionate hands. 

4. Up-to date with technology 

Technology can make a funeral service more memorable, for example by giving you the option to include videos and photo slideshows.  

But perhaps more importantly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also reassuring to find a funeral home that utilises latest technology and livestreaming events for those who cannot attend in person due to travel restrictions.  

5. Accommodates wishes, personal touches and religion  

Each person is unique and each service should be a true reflection of that. We always strive to accommodate a deceased person’s wishes, traditions and religion where appropriate.  

Click here to read about 6 ways to personalise a funeral.  

6. Creativity  

Being creative can really help to add that personal touch to a farewell and celebration of someone’s life.  

7. Good location, services and facilities 

A convenient location, access to a wide range of services and facilities you feel comfortable are also important considerations.  

At Anton Brown Funerals, we have locations at Aspley and Woolloongabba and can help to organise burials and cremations across south-east Queensland.  

Would you like to find out more or discuss funeral pre-planning with our team? 

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Brisbane funeral director today. Enquire online here.