How Much Does a Funeral Cost? Here, Let Me Tell You…
The cost of a funeral is fast becoming a more important factor to bereaved families as prices continue to rise at an exasperating rate.
The actual cost aside, the way in which the cost is calculated is not as simple as advertising funeral directors would have you believe.
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PLEASE BE AWARE THAT EVEN WITHIN ONE TOWN, THE DIFFERENCE IN COST FROM ONE FUNERAL DIRECTOR TO THE NEXT WILL FLUCTUATE MASSIVELY
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NIGEL GROVES FUNERAL DIRECTOR CHARGES
Our Professional Service -£900.00
Our staff, premises, facilities, service and expertise will be available to you whenever you require, 24 hours a day. We will make all of the necessary arrangements on your behalf and to your specification. We will prepare, collect and distribute all the documentation and pay on your behalf all external payments necessary to allow the funeral to legally proceed at your chosen setting. We will remain available for any aftercare, advice, guidance or additional services as required.
Care of The Person Who Has Died - £150.00
We will bring the person who has died into our care at the soonest available instance. The person who has died will be treated with the utmost care, respect and dignity throughout and will rest within a specific area set aside within our funeral home to ensure and appropriate environment at all times.
We will wash, prepare and dress the person who has died in accordance with your wishes. We will dress them in their own clothes if provided or you may choose for us to provide something suitable. We will follow any instructions given regarding presentation including your wishes on hairstyles or makeup where appropriate. We will also take great care of any personal effects. You are very welcome at the funeral home to visit the person who has died. We ask that you make an appointment for a day or time to suit you.
Our Hearse - £200.00
We will provide our own traditional chauffeur driven hearse to convey the person who has died in accordance with your wishes. We will discuss with you any specific requirements regarding the procession route for the cortege. Alternative styles of hearse are available on request. Please ask for details.
Our Limousine - (each)£140.00
We can provide our own chauffeur driven limousines to convey the family and main mourners with dignity and safety. We will discuss with you any specific requirements regarding the cortege or the route and you may choose to follow the hearse in procession if you wish. During the funeral the limousine will wait for you and return you to a local destination of your choice.
The Coffin of Your Choice - From £400.00
The Cremated Remains Casket or Container of Your Choice - From £30.00
We have a range of traditional coffins and caskets for you to choose from. We will explain the options available to you and guide you through our range as well as a variety of alternative coffin types including picture coffins, willow and bamboo woven coffins and other materials.
Embalming - £120.00
We will ensure every available care is taken to delay the natural processes that occur after death. You will be advised on this and your consent is required.
Reception into Home or Church Prior to the day of the Funeral - £100.00
We will bring the coffin into your home or church to rest prior to the funeral in order that you may pay your respects and spend time with the person who has died in a way of your choosing.
Saturday/Sunday/Bank Holiday Funeral Surcharge -£170.00
Unfortunately, our local crematoria and cemetery do not accommodate a funeral service at the weekend. However, should you wish to have a funeral service in a church or private chapel at the weekend with a separate committal service during the week, this can be arranged for you.
Additional Mileage - POA
Home Visit to Make Funeral Arrangements - No Additional Charge
24 Hour Visitation to Our Chapel of Rest - No Additional Charge
Collection of The Cremated Remains - No Additional Charge
Delivery of Cremated Remains to Your Home - No Additional Charge
(Excluding Courier Service)
Short Term Care of Cremated Remains - No Additional Charge
(Maximum of Six Months)
Long Term Care of Cremated Remains - No Additional Charge
Horse Drawn/Motorcycle & Alternative Hearses - From £700.00
Administration of Charitable Donations - No Additional Charge
The Simple Funeral Option - £999.00Plus External Cost
Our Simple Funeral provides a dignified yet limited service. It does not give our client access to our full range of services however it still offers the same high standard of care and respect to the person who has died as well as their family.
This Simple Funeral Includes:
- Bringing the person who has died into our care.
- Care of the deceased person.
- Making all the necessary funeral arrangements and administering all documentation.
- Providing a traditional hearse and the necessary staff to convey the person who has died directly from our chapel of rest to the crematorium or cemetery.
- Provision of a basic coffin. (No option to choose from our full range)
- There will be a limited choice regarding the date and time of the funeral service.
- 24 hour visitation to our chapel of rest (By appointment)
The Simple Funeral Does Not Include:
- Limousines are not available and mourners will need to make their own way to the crematorium or cemetery.
- There is no choice of coffin, only the Simple Coffin provided for the Simple Funeral.
- There is a limited choice in date and time of the funeral. Typically, this means that a service at the cemetery or crematorium will take place before 10.30am and after 3.00pm Tuesday to Thursday.
- We will not be able to collect or store the cremated remains for you.
- We are not able to arrange the placing of newspaper notices for you.
- Our range of additional services including floral tributes, service stationary and catering are not available.
We cannot pay on your behalf the ‘External Payments’. The funeral account is due at the point of
arrangement. The funeral will not be booked with the crematorium or cemetery until we are in
receipt of the ‘External Payments’ with the remainder of the account due no later than 48 hours
prior to the day of the funeral.
COFFIN RANGE
The Dudley/The Whitby - £400.00
An Oak/Elm foil veneered coffin with flat lid and Hereford brass effect handles. The interior is lined and trimmed in a white taffeta frill and pillow.
The York/The Durham - £595.00
A real Oak/Sapele veneered coffin with a flat lid and Kingston brass effect handles. The interior is lined and trimmed with a white taffeta frill and pillow.
The Oxford/The Berkeley - £850.00
A solid Oak/Mahogany (stained) coffin, suitable for burial, with a raised lid and Hereford brass handles. The interior is lined and trimmed with a white satin frill and pillow.
The Simple Willow - £795.00
A simple woven willow coffin with rope handles and a wooden name plate. The interior is lined and trimmed in natural cotton.
The Somerset Willow - £950.00
Made local by Somerset Willow, this is a handmade and superior quality Willow Coffin which offers a choice of coloured bands and handles. It comes with an engraved wooden nameplate. The interior is lined and trimmed in natural cotton.
We can supply an extensive range of coffins, so please ask. Price’s on application.
Third Party Costs
Weston Crematorium Fee – 9am appointment - £540.00
Weston Crematorium Standard Fee - £872.00
Sedgemoor Crematorium (Bridgwater) – 9am & 9.30am appointment - £535.00
Sedgemoor Crematorium Standard Fee - £675.00
Ebdon Road Cemetery (Weston Crematorium)
Grave Purchase from - £921.00
Interment fee for Burial from - £829.00
Church of England Ministers Fee (Plus Mileage) - £178.00
Church of England Church Fees (Approx. as differs)
- To attend Cemetery/Crematorium Immediately after Church Service - £ 25.00
- Verger - £ 30.00
- Organist - £ 50.00
- Heating (October – April) - £ 30.00
- Celebrant/Officiant (Usually follow C of E Fees as Guidance) - £175.00
- Doctors fee for Cremation Certificate - 2 @ £82.00 - £164.00
Floral Tribute – Eg – 3” Coffin Spray – from - £ 70.00
Newspaper Notice – Eg – Weston Mercury – from - £ 40.00
Telegraph – from - £250.00
Order of Service – Eg – Best quality – 30 Copies – from - £ 50.00
External/Third Party Payments
These are the payments that we make on your behalf to external suppliers such as, the crematorium, cemetery, ministers and florist. We may ask that these charges are paid prior to the funeral taking place.
Payment Policy
We will accept payment for the funeral in full or in part at any time during the arrangement period prior to the funeral taking place, or if you choose to wait, you will receive an invoice within 7 days of the funeral, which is then due for settlement. Any part payments made in advance will be shown on this final invoice. We accept payments by cash, cheque or credit/debit cards.
Funeral Costs Explained
A funeral cost/invoice is built upon two fundamental elements.
1. The Funeral Directors Cost.
This is the cost that the funeral director has chosen to charge for the services provided to you. This is where the profit is made.
This section should include some of the following –
- Professional Fees
Making the arrangements/putting arrangements into place. Preparation and distribution of the documentation required. Liaising with third party service providers and forwarding payment for these services.
- Care of The Person Who Has Died
- Provision of The Hearse and any Limousines required.
- The Coffin of Choice
- The Cremated Remains Casket of Choice
These are the main services that fall under this section. A funeral director may make additional charges for other things such as –
- Additional Mileage
- Home visit to make arrangement’s
- Chapel of Rest Visits
- Collection and Holding of Cremated Remains
- Administration of Charitable Donations
- Further delivery of floral tributes after the funeral Eg – Placed on a grave, taken to the hospice, delivered to a family member who could not attend.
- Attendance of the funeral director for interment of cremated remains
This is the cost for the third party services. The costs that you are charged by the funeral director should be the cost that the funeral director has been charged by the service provider. A funeral director will often ask for these costs to be paid upfront (before the funeral). This is owing to the fact that they often need to be paid to the third parties prior to the funeral but mainly because to the funeral director these are ‘out of pocket expenses’.
The funeral director has no control over these costs although he should be offering guidance on which services are necessary and how best to manage the cost.
The external cost can consist of the following –
- The Crematorium Fee
- Burial Fees
- Drs Fee for Cremation
The doctors’ fees for cremation is for a different certificate. To allow for the cremation the doctor who issues the death certificate must complete a cremation certificate. It is here that the doctor will document the circumstances surrounding the death and record a cause of death. The doctor will also carry out an external examination of the deceased person. Then, a second doctor from a different practice and who has never treated the deceased person while alive, will confirm the first doctors cause of death, speak to family/care providers and carry out an external examination. Each of these doctors will make a charge for this certificate.
I know that this is a lot of information for this one title, but it is important information. I’ve faced many instances where a funeral director has not explained the certification to a client. This has often left the client concerned as to why they appear to be paying for two death certificates.
Minister/Vicar/Celebrant/Officiant Fee
The cost to have someone lead and deliver the funeral service.
- Church Fees
- Floral Tributes
- Service Stationary/Orders of Service
- Newspaper Notices
- Reception/Wake
Funeral Cost Advertising
We advertise that we provide a simple, yet dignified funeral without detriment to the standard of service and care at the cost of £999.00. This cost, the cost that the funeral director advertises is the cost only for the funeral director’s services and does not include the third party cost.
The reason for advertising in this way is that no matter which funeral director you use. the external cost will still be the same. The funeral director has no control over these cost. The client on the other hand does.
If we were to advertise our funeral cost to include the external cost, we’d be making some assumptions over a client’s choice of burial or cremation, as to which cemetery or crematorium they’d like to use, as well as the time of the service.
Eg – To take the 9am appointment at Weston Crematorium it will cost £332 less than any other time. You don’t have to use Weston Crematorium. There are three crematoria in Bristol, one just this side of Bridgwater and one in Taunton – All within reasonable traveling distance.
Church of England fee for a vicar is £178. A Humanist can cost as much as £250, where as a Methodist or Baptist vicar might charge only £100. The family may opt to deliver the service themselves which wouldn’t cost anything.
If the coroner is involved in ascertaining the cause of death, there are no doctors to pay.
There are too many differing factors as well as client choice to be able to advertise full cost in one small advert.
Some funeral directors can be misleading when they advertise that their costs start from £****
We advertise that our funeral service start from £999. To date, 45% of our clients have chosen the Simple Funeral Option and have paid £999 for our services. This proves that we’ve no hidden costs and that the Simple Funeral Option provides a dignified funeral with a high standard of care and service. Some funeral directors will advertise a cost, but that cost will not cover all that is required to carry out the funeral.
Some things that may not be included –
- Staffing. Namely bearers to carry the coffin
- Chapel Visits
- Home visits
- 24-hour care of the deceased – Bringing the deceased into the care of the funeral director out of hours
- Administration of Charitable Donations
- Additional mileage
- Disposal of Clinical Waste
- Additional cost of an outsized coffin (Although in some instances this cost is reasonable)
- Coffin furniture (Handles, Nameplate, interior lining and shroud.)
- Listing of mourners or floral tributes
- Further Delivery of Floral Tributes
- To collect and hold the cremated remains
Few funeral directors will put their price lists out in the public domain. This is again, because there are likely to be hidden costs, because they are charging extortionate amounts for their service or because they don’t want their competitors knowing what their charges are. Keeping the cost secret does not stop competitors undercutting, it just makes things even harder for bereaved people who are trying to gather information.
The business of funeral service provision is very cloudy. There needs to be more transparency in this caring industry. While I understand that some people don’t want to know and like it that way, it is the responsibility of many funeral directors that the service has remained so obscure. There are many who would prefer their practices are kept hidden, some who are worried that people will realise that they don’t need to hire the services of a funeral director, there are some who assume that their clients don’t need to know/don’t want to know and then there are some who don’t actually know themselves – don’t have the expertise or experience.
We are passionate about our role in the community, the people we take care of and the standard at which we do this. I am proud of the industry within which I work and I’m proud of the knowledge and experience that I have and I don’t want to hide it away. Our knowledge, advice and expertise is something that EVERYONE should hear. On average, each of us will be responsible for arranging two funerals in our lifetime. It’s inevitable, and with funeral directors keeping their knowledge hidden well beneath their top hats, it is vital that our message is spread and that people know that we’re the funeral directors that will tell!
If you have any question or concerns regarding funeral cost, please do not hesitate to phone us on our 24-hour telephone number–01934 525042, alternatively, you email us at Directors@NigelGrovesFunerals.com or you are very welcome to pop into the office for a cup of tea and a chat.
Blessings +
Claire
