to think the length of time UK friends have to wait for funeral is cruel

urmastrong I m in the same situation I want a totally simple inexpensive funeral my eldest my executor understands and will see it carried out, I m sure my youngest will go along with whatever, but my son thinks it’s disrespectful to not have the best
Anyway I ve written it all down and I ve paid for my plot next to Mum and Dad I m very very tempted to buy a cheap wicker or cardboard coffin but although I could keep in a spare room what if I don’t go for a while and have to go in a care home I can’t imagine taking my coffin with me ???

Could you keep it under the bed bluebelle?

I thought of that Pamela what if they don’t have under the bed space in the care home maybe on top of the wardrobe ?
??? or make use of it sleep in it hahaha wear it it so yo speak

Witzend

Used to be 3/4 days. Think demand and no further facilities being provided may have contributed. I like the American style of deceased being dealt with whichever way chosen, no ceremony, then a celebration of life being held about two weeks later. Any formality can be addressed at the celebration. Much lower costs as no need for church /crematorium hire or cars etc. That's what I will have.

Must buy my willow coffin next time we drive back, and put it on the roof rack - plenty of space in the barn for the 'wait' lol.

jura!! and

I can just imagine you being stopped by the police;
"Madam, could you tell me exactly what you have on your roof rack?"

A large basket for flowers on my balcony, of course

My mother in law died in the Spring - due to a post mortem being required (despite the fact that she died in a nursing home) we had to wait a VERY long time - about six weeks.

When my father died, at home, about 14 years ago on the Sunday, we had the crem funeral on the following Friday as we had my niece's wedding the next week, and didnt want a funeral and a wedding on the same week if possible.

Grieving goes on forever for those you love - you just learn to live with it, and it gets easier with time.

Bluebelle wicker coffins are not cheap. I arranged for my uncle to be buried in one. It was expensive, more costly than wood.

You can get cardboard coffins now.
If you're any good at origami you could fold it down and then make it up when the time is right.

Yes, wicker and willow aren't cheap.

Now if reasonably-priced evening classes still existed, it might be possible to find one that would enable you to make your own wicker coffin.
I can just imagine most of the class making a modest wicker basket, while someone is making a coffin instead!

We have had two close family deaths take place first one was 12 days after and second one several years later was 28 days after death, both cremations

4allweknow, that's exactly what I've arranged - in advance. Far less stress for my relatives - especially as my eldest lives on the other side of the world in NZ!

btw, some coffins are unsuitable for cremations but OK for burials (and, possibly, vice versa). Those wishing to economise can have four handles, instead of six!

I'm not having a coffin at all. They're not necessary for direct cremations

Nor me.
I've always been frugal, so I don't expect being dead will change me.

If I could afford/source a water cremation I would have that, but I dont want to cost my family money after my death (unless we're all rich by then)

Must make enquiries- not sure this is possible where I live. Thanks.

There are direct disposal companies all over England. Not all are equal like any business so shop around.
Dont know about rest of UK or abroad as have only looked into it here.

Your family can have time with the bodies at the hospital's chapels of rest if you dont die at home. Funeral homes/funeral directors are unecessary.

From the mortuary you can go in your body bag for direct cremation. Skipping the funeral home all together.

Then your family can be there (or not) at the time you are being cremated but there's no service or curtain bit so no need for a coffin.

Then if they want to, in their own time and to their own budget, they can have a memorial celebration.

Beware, high street funeral homes can mislead people into thinking this option doesnt exist so that they can sell their "basic" coffin packages.

We did dads on the fourth day. It was then or wait two weeks and Mum didnt want to wait (this was a few years ago, two weeks is average now in our area).
From the practical point of view it was way too soon to try tonget people notified and everything done.

Water cremations are eco friendly, they use chemicals to disolve the body then nutralise the solition so that is can safely be drained away.

Not popular or widespread or cheap yet!

At least with a non eco friendly cremation, it'll just be me'n'my bag! Not a coffin burning as well. So I like to think that that's a little better for the environment.

Green forest burrials in my region are crazy expensive

In Portugal the funeral is usually the next day or within 48 hours. A few weeks ago my Portuguese friend's niece died in Luxembourg from cancer and her funeral was here 4 days later. Cremation is fairly new here and when we first moved here there were only 3 crematoria for the whole country. When my Mum died 5 years ago I knew none of the family would fly over for a funeral so she was cremated 2 days later. It was delayed by a day because the doctor writing the death certificate wrote my fathers name George the PT way (Jorge) which made it invalid. I had written all their names out in full for her too. What l did was arrange a service of rememberance for her in England 4 months later. I expect my husband will just arrange a cremation for me with just him and my son and daughter in law who live here. Whether the other AC will do anything about my passing I don't know.

There is a very good and obvious reason why funerals in countries rather warmer than the UK, have traditionally been carried out very quickly.

On a black comedy note, shortly after they bought their house in France, my brother and SiL were invited for drinks to a neighbour's house in their hamlet.

At least, they thought it was for drinks! Once inside they were confronted by an open coffin on the dining table, with the woman's newly deceased husband lying peacefully inside.

Brother and Sil spoke pretty good French, so how the misunderstanding happened we will never know. The neighbour was a funny old thing who used to drive one of those funny little 'cars' you didn't then need a licence for.

I'm afraid to say that after that, my brother (who would invariably have been kind and charming to her in person) referred to her as The Widow Twanky.

In Northern Ireland funerals take place within 2 or 3 days of death.