Here are five of the main considerations you should make.
1. Think about the cost.
Funerals can be an unexpected expense for the family. Embalming can be expensive. Since embalming is not required by law (except in very unusual and exceptional cases) it is a personal choice. Ask your funeral director about this. They should be able to give you a clear cost and to help your budget the whole funeral carefully.
2. Do you want to see the body before the funeral?
If there is not going to be a busy period with an open casket, embalming may not be essential. Facial characteristics will not be so sunken as with a person who is not embalmed, but they may also change slightly from life. It may be more important to think about the clothes in the casket or putting glasses on the body. This can be more surprising to mourners than the natural features of death.
3. Is an open casket what you want at the funeral?
Different cultures, different families and different people have separate ideas about open caskets at funerals. If this is something you want, embalming may be a good idea as the body can be better preserved for longer. Consider how long the casket is likely to be open before the funeral and ask your funeral director for advice. If a number of people are going to view the open casket, embalming is probably a good idea.
4. Think whether you are actually worried about the process.
If you are worried or troubled about the actual process of embalming, then the short-term benefits might not outweigh your concerns. If this is something that bothers you, either simply allow the funeral directors discretion to do as they think fit (with a fixed price) or avoid it altogether. There are many pressures on you at this time, and you should not allow extra cares to burden you.
5. Think about environmental issues.
If you have environmental concerns you should ask your funeral director about the chemicals as they go back into the earth if someone is buried. They will be able to give you clear advice. They may have other recommendations about “green funerals”.
Remember above all that embalming is a personal choice.
Dr Emilie Warren has wide experience of helping people cope with grief and bereavement as well as understanding their own fears around death and dying. She is an accomplished writer on the subject, hosting her own website, www.dealingwithdeath.com. For more articles about funeral embalming please visit www.dealingwithdeath.com/funeral-embalming/
