How long after death is a funeral in the UK?

When a loved one passes away, it is understandable that you will have many questions, especially if you are responsible for arranging the funeral.

Many people ask how long after the death will the funeral be held. This can depend on a number of factors including availability of the funeral director and crematoria, your religious beliefs and family circumstances.

 

How long after death does a funeral typically take place?

In the UK, a funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, although the actual time may depend on many factors including personal preference, religion and the Funeral Director or crematoria’s availability. For example, a strict time frame for when the funeral must take place is a factor of a number of religious funerals.

If a post-mortem or inquest has been requested by the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland), arranging the funeral may be delayed.

Most traditional funerals take place during the week. Funeral Directors and crematoria often charge extra to hold a funeral at a weekend, and may only take weekend bookings by request.

 

How is a Simplicity Cremation different?

At Simplicity, we offer affordable funerals for those looking for an altogether simpler affair. We let you choose how, where and when you say goodbye to your loved one without being constrained to the traditions of a normal funeral. For some people, this means not holding a funeral service at the crematorium at all.

As all of our funerals are arranged over the telephone, the timescales involved with a Simplicity Cremation can differ slightly in comparison to a traditional funeral. It will be a minimum of 14 days after payment before the cremation takes place, to allow us to cover the cooling off period in the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

Aside from this, the date a Simplicity Cremation takes place is dependent on the availability at the crematoria where the cremation will take place, as with a traditional funeral.

Due to the direct nature of our services, a Simplicity Cremation cannot be held on the weekend or on bank holidays.

 

Key differences between our funeral options

We provide you will all of the practical and essential elements of a cremation, without the obligation to pay for traditional ceremonial elements you might not want. All of our funerals include cremation fees, doctor’s fees, transportation of the deceased in a specialised funeral vehicle and care at one of our mortuaries.

There are however a few key differences between our funerals, including the days of which they can take place.

 

Unattended Funeral

A direct cremation takes place without a service and without any mourners present. For this reason, our Unattended Funeral takes place on a time and date of our choosing.

Choosing a date for the funeral that suits everyone can be difficult, and with more families and friends living further apart than ever before, it can be difficult for mourners to make arrangements to travel to the place where the funeral is taking place, especially at short notice. A direct cremation, allows you to hold the funeral without a service, so you can hold a celebration of life or memorial at any time, giving more time for family and friends to make arrangements to attend. Some people choose to hold a memorial with their loved one’s ashes present. 

Traditional funerals on a weekend are typically more expensive, and something not all crematoria or burial grounds will accommodate. Holding a memorial service instead of a funeral service on a weekend or on an evening will allow you to avoid such extra expense.

Direct cremation is also a good option if you plan on burying the ashes of your loved one or interring them into a columbarium.

 

Intimate Funeral

An Intimate Funeral allows a small group of family and friends to spend a short time in the crematorium chapel, to say goodbye and reflect as they wish. The attendees will be welcomed into the chapel by a chapel attendant. You will also be able to play a piece of music of your choice.

This type of funeral is ideal for those with a small family, or whose wider network of family and friends would be unable to attend a funeral with only a couple of weeks’ notice.

An Intimate Funeral can take place at 9am, Tuesday to Friday. Our telephone-based funeral arrangers will help you to organise the date of the funeral at a CMG crematorium local to the place of rest.

 

Family Led Funeral

A Family Led Funeral closely resembles what people may expect from a traditional funeral, but without many of the ceremonial elements and need for a traditional Funeral Director. You will have the opportunity to arrange a funeral service in the chapel, as you would with a traditional funeral. There is also no limit on the number of attendees that can attend.

A Family Led Funeral can take place at any available time on a Monday to Friday, at a CMG crematorium local to the place of rest. Our team of funeral arrangers will be able to assist with booking the time and date of your loved one’s cremation.

We know organising a funeral is something most people will be unfamiliar with, so all it takes is one phone call to start the process. A dedicated Simplicity Account Manager will be on hand throughout the entire arrangement process.

 

How long after death will my loved one be taken into care?

If your loved one is resting at a hospital or coroners, we’ll typically bring them into care a few days prior to the cremation and prepare them in our quality mortuary facilities.

If they are resting at home, in a care home or in a hospice setting, we can take them directly to our mortuaries where we will care for them until the day of the cremation. In these instances, there is an additional charge of £250 to cover the extended period of time they will be in our care.

 

Arranging a funeral with Simplicity is an easy, straightforward process. To arrange a funeral for a loved one, contact us today. Our team are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.