How to Plan a Funeral: What to Expect at the Arrangement Meeting
For most families, planning a funeral starts with an arrangement meeting at the funeral home, often within a day or two of a death. Knowing what it usually covers can make it feel less unfamiliar. Every funeral home runs it a little differently.
A funeral director walks through your family’s wishes, the arrangement, the paperwork and the price. Bring what information you have, and ask to review everything in writing before you agree. You don’t need every answer when you walk in.
How to plan a funeral, step by step
- Your wishes
- Burial, cremation and services
- Transportation and care
- Merchandise
- Cemetery or crematory
- Paperwork
- Price review
- Next steps
The order varies. Some funeral homes start with paperwork, others with the service.
Before you go
Bring or know what you can. Not every item is needed at the first meeting, and the funeral home can tell you what can wait.
- Information for the death certificate
- Full name, date and place of birth, Social Security number, parents’ names, and similar details. Ask the funeral home which items it needs.
- Wishes
- Anything the person wrote down or told the family, and what the family wants.
- Cemetery information
- A deed or location if a plot was already bought.
- Prepaid plans and insurance
- Any prepaid funeral contract or life insurance policy details.
- Military service
- Discharge papers (DD-214) if the person was a veteran. See veterans benefits.
- Faith and cultural needs
- Timing, preparation or service traditions. See faith and cultural considerations.
- Your questions
- See questions to ask a funeral home.
What may be discussed
- Burial, cremation or another option, and whether there will be a viewing or service
- Where and when a service might happen
- Preparation, including whether embalming is wanted or needed
- Casket, container or urn
- Coordination with a cemetery or crematory
- Obituary, death certificates and permits
- Payment timing
Not every family decides all of these at the first meeting.
You don’t have to know everything
Funeral directors expect questions. You can ask what a term means, what an item is for, or whether something can wait. You can also ask for time to talk it over, or to take the price list home.
Review the price
The funeral home must give you a General Price List to keep, and, at the end of the discussion, an itemized statement of what you chose and the total. Read the statement before you sign or pay. See your right to an itemized price list and how to read a General Price List.
If several family members are involved
Utah law sets an order for who has the right to make decisions about disposition. It starts with someone your loved one named in writing, then the surviving spouse, then others in a set order. When several relatives share that right, such as adult children, the law generally lets a majority decide. If there’s any question about who decides, raise it early. The funeral home may ask who has that right before it proceeds.
“Can we review everything we are choosing, the complete price, and what happens next before we agree?”
Funeral arrangements checklist: before the meeting
- Gather the person’s basic information for the death certificate.
- Find any written wishes, prepaid contract, or cemetery deed.
- Find discharge papers if the person served.
- Talk with family about who will make decisions.
- Write down your questions.
- Plan to ask for the GPL and a written total.
Ready to see how these choices apply to your situation?
Your Wayfinder Plan can help organize the options you’re considering and give you a clearer picture of what to ask and compare.
Build My Wayfinder Plan- GPL and itemized statement: FTC, Complying with the Funeral Rule.
- Who has the right to decide: Utah Code 58-9-602.
What a meeting covers varies by funeral home. This page is general information, not legal advice. For questions about who has the right to decide, talk with the funeral home or an attorney.