Funeral Consultant at Memoria Funerals
Funeral Operations Manager at Memoria Funerals
If you have started thinking about your own funeral, don’t worry, you’re not being morbid. It’s a practical consideration that can make things easier for both you and your family. Most people who look into this are doing it for one simple reason. They do not want to leave the people they love guessing, stressed, or out of pocket.
The hard part is knowing where to begin. There is no obvious first step, and it’s not always clear what needs to be decided now and what can wait. This guide breaks the process into five simple steps. You don’t need to complete all of them today. Even a partial plan is far more useful to your family than no plan at all.
Planning your own funeral in advance means deciding the type of funeral you want, recording your wishes, choosing how to pay for it, and making sure your family knows the plan exists and where to find it.
When someone dies without leaving any funeral wishes, their loved ones have to make dozens of decisions within a few days. Burial or cremation. A service or no service. Which crematorium, what music, who should speak. All of it lands at the point when they are least able to think clearly.
A survey of 10,500 UK adults by the end of life charity Marie Curie found only 14% had talked to anyone about their wishes for care at the end of life. Even among people who considered themselves to be in the last years of life, only 20% had made financial arrangements for their funeral.
Steve Wallis, Chief Executive of The Memoria Group, has worked in the funeral sector since 1996. Even with that experience, arranging his own father’s funeral was not straightforward.
“I had to arrange my dad’s funeral after working in funerals for about 13 years, so you might think I knew what I was doing. But it was the first funeral I had personally arranged, and I found myself second-guessing everything.”
Planning ahead means:
The funeral itself is the part that matters, and it will help to shape every other decision. There are three main types of cremation funeral:
A direct cremation is a simple, dignified cremation with no funeral service beforehand. Your family can hold their own gathering, memorial or ashes scattering whenever and wherever they choose. It is the most affordable option and suits people who do not want any fuss, or who would rather their family spent the money on being together than on a ceremony.
Direct cremation is now the most popular choice among people who would consider buying a funeral plan, picked by 25% of people, ahead of a small, intimate cremation service (17%)*.
If you would like family and close friends to gather and say goodbye, but you would prefer something short and informal, a smaller attended service may feel right. This might include a cremation with a short service at an off-peak time (usually before 10am) for a smaller group of guests. Choosing an off-peak slot helps keep the price down.
For some people, a funeral should be a proper send-off: a service at a time that suits everyone, no limit on who can attend, your choice of music, readings and tributes, and the option of a hearse, limousine or officiant.
Not sure which is right for you? You can call 0800 007 3620 for a no-pressure chat with our friendly team.
Once you know the type of funeral you would like, you can then think about the details. Here are some things worth thinking about:
If you are unsure on any of these, leave them out or let your family know you are happy for them to decide. A written plan with some gaps still takes most of the weight off your family.
This is the part that worries people most. There are three common ways to cover the cost of a funeral in advance:
A prepaid funeral plan lets you choose and pay for your funeral now, at today’s prices. Once it is fully paid, the services included in your plan are guaranteed. Your family will not be asked to pay extra for those elements in future, no matter how much funeral costs rise.
When you buy your plan from Memoria Funeral Plans Limited you have the added reassurance that we are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and all plans are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
You can pay in full or spread the cost over monthly instalments. Paying in full is the cheapest option overall. Spreading payments over a longer period makes each payment smaller, but the total you pay is higher.
When Funeral Solution Expert asked people who would consider a plan what mattered most, 58% said a fully guaranteed plan with no hidden costs and nothing more for their family to pay*.
Some people prefer to put money aside in a separate account. This is flexible, but it carries two risks. Funeral costs tend to rise faster than savings grow, and the money is not ring-fenced (meaning the money isn’t kept separate and protected specifically to pay for your funeral). Savings can also be frozen after a death, tied up in the estate, or counted towards means-tested benefits.
These policies pay out a fixed sum which can be put towards a funeral. The payout is not linked to actual funeral costs, so there may be a shortfall that your family would need to cover. If you live a long life, you can end up paying more in premiums than the policy pays out, and if you cancel you typically get nothing back. They also do not record your wishes or make any of the arrangements.
The most common problem is families not knowing a plan exists. A plan nobody can find doesn’t help anyone.
A few practical suggestions:
“We need to be brave and supportive enough to have these conversations so that people’s wishes, and the different perspectives within a family, are understood. When someone dies without that conversation having happened, families may not know what they wanted or what is the right thing to do.”
Steve Wallis, CEO, The Memoria Group
Over time your wishes may change, you might change your mind about the music, or decide you would like a service after all. Revisit your wishes every few years, or after any major life change, and update them.
Our team talks to people about their funeral plans every single day. Some have a clear idea of what they want. Many have nothing more than a feeling that they should probably sort something out. Both are fine places to start.
Memoria Funerals is part of the Memoria Group, one of only a handful of UK providers that owns and operates its own crematoria. When you choose one of our crematoria, everything from the first phone call to the service itself is handled by one team. Our Direct Cremation plan is 5-star rated by Fairer Finance, and we are rated 4.9 Excellent on Trustpilot by over 4,000 families.
Jamie Saunders, who manages our Waveney crematorium, sees the difference a plan makes on the day itself.
‘Those with a plan in place often have the reassurance of knowing many key decisions have already been considered. It can remove some of the pressure from families at what is already a very emotional time.’
Jamie Saunders, Manager, Waveney Memorial Park and Crematorium
If someone close to you has died and there is no plan in place, we can help with that too. Visit our Arrange a Funeral page or call us at any time.
Want to talk it through? Call Memoria Funerals free on 0800 007 3620. Our experienced team can discuss what is right for you, with no pressure to buy. You can also view all of our pre-paid funeral plans and prices or get a free quote.
There is no right age. Many people start in their 50s or 60s. Sometimes it comes to the forefront of people’s mind after a bereavement or when sorting out a will. A funeral plan taken out earlier simply locks in today’s prices for longer.
Memoria Funerals plans start at £1,595 for the Direct Cremation Plan. The Personal Plan is £2,495 and the Celebration of Life Plan is £3,095. Monthly instalment options are available. You can see exactly what each plan includes on our funeral plans page.
No, the finer details can be recorded or changed over time. A plan with a few gaps is still far easier for your family than no plan at all.
It can feel that way at first. Most people who go through the process say it is a relief, in the same way that making a will is.
Both are valid. A plan fixes the price at today’s rates and removes the decision-making from your family. Savings are more flexible but can be eroded by inflation and may be frozen after a death. For a fuller look at this question, see our article on what Martin Lewis says about funeral plans.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
*Data sourced from the Funeral Solution Expert UK Funeral Plan Market Report 2026 (published May 2026).
Memoria Funerals is a trading name of Memoria Funeral Plans Limited and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. View details on the Financial Services Register with firm reference (FRN) 965287.
