Final Farewell in a John Deere Casket

Final Farewell in a John Deere Casket

One of our greatest privileges as casket purveyors is that we create meaningful tributes to one’s life and work through custom caskets. We strive to carry out the most creative ideas into a quality casket. We always look forward to any design our customers come up with, no matter how unique! One such customer with a memorable and unique creative vision was Charles Sedlachek.  A small funeral home in Mississippi called us and asked if we could make a John Deere custom casket for a gentleman planning his end-of-life arrangements. He loved John Deere tractors and equipment, and there was no better way to send him out than in this beautiful custom casket.  Charles “Bud” Sedlacheck was a career farmer and a beloved community member….Read More

How to Pre-Purchase Your Casket

How to Pre-Purchase Your Casket

Planning a funeral service is a difficult time for any family. While picking out a casket may seem morbid, it can alleviate a lot of stress from the family member or friend tasked with carrying out your funeral arrangements.  Some of the other benefits of pre-purchasing a casket include the following: It’s not always guaranteed that a written statement of preferences will be followed, and pre-purchasing a casket can help ensure your final wishes are honored.   Where Caskets Can Be Purchased The funeral home or provider used to be the only place to purchase a casket. Today, you have several options for buying a casket. Funeral Home Caskets can be pre-purchased from a funeral home. However, buying a casket from a funeral home does not…Read More

Different Types of Funeral Ceremonies

Different Types of Funeral Ceremonies

Funeral rites vary across regions, cultures, and religious traditions. Choosing the proper funeral arrangements for your loved one can be confusing with all the options available. Nevertheless, a funeral service is an opportunity to honor a person’s life that close friends and family will remember for years.  Let’s look at common types of funeral services to help you make an informed and appropriate choice. Funeral Service A funeral service occurs in a funeral home or church, and the deceased’s body is in a casket. Funerals can be open or closed caskets. Funerals are time-sensitive as the body is usually present.  Funerals consist of several elements, all of which can be selected depending on preference. Features of a funeral service include eulogies, religious readings, prayers, and…Read More

Choose Right Casket Color

How to Choose the Right Casket Color

Caskets have come a long way in the last 100 years, and almost any color imaginable is available. Choosing the right casket is an important decision. Let’s look at some popular color options available for casket colors, but remember that casket customization is endless.

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How To Personalize Casket

How to Personalize Your Casket

Capturing the spirit of a loved one’s life is so important when planning a funeral service, and there are many unique ways to showcase people’s personalities. Some families share stories, display personal items, or have their loved one’s favorite flowers. More than ever, personalized caskets have become a special way to commemorate a life.  Saying your final goodbyes to someone you cared for deeply is difficult. That’s why we are here to help walk you through the process of creating a unique and beautiful personalized casket. So many options are available to make your loved one’s final resting place a joyous tribute to their legacy.  Creating a custom casket will bring the joy of your family member’s life to their funeral or memorial service. As…Read More

Burial vs Cremation Explained

Cremation vs Burial Explained

Choosing between a burial or cremation is a deeply personal choice, often based on culture, religion, and personal preference. Whether you know what kind of disposition is right for your loved one or you are just starting your funeral planning journey, it’s essential to know your options and make a choice that’s right for you.  What are the differences between burial and cremation? The disposition of a body is how the body is taken care of immediately after death. There are a few options. Your loved one may have specified their desires in their final wishes, or you might be in a position where you are making that decision for them.  There are two primary methods of disposition: burial and cremation. Some religious beliefs, such…Read More

Caskets Delivery Funeral Homes

How are Caskets Delivered to Funeral Homes?

Many customers are moving away from purchasing a funeral casket at the funeral home. Online casket retailers provide a more comprehensive range of options at a lower average cost, making online casket purchases more popular than ever.

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has clearly defined rules regarding purchasing caskets and what funeral homes must accept.

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Wood vs Metal Casket Difference

Wood vs. Metal Casket Comparison

When making a personal decision for a family member or friend, the choice should reflect the deceased’s personality, values, and lifestyle. Caskets (or coffins) today can be customized in numerous ways and make an excellent tribute to your loved one’s legacy.

An excellent way to begin this process is by comparing basic material types available for caskets. Don’t know where to start? We’re here to help. 

Let’s look at wood versus metal caskets and reveal their differences, including price, quality, appearance, and environmental concerns.

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Funeral Planning Checklist

Funeral Planning Checklist for Families

The death of a loved one is always difficult, compounded by the desire to plan a funeral that represents our love for the individual and adequately celebrates their life. From choosing affordable burial caskets to designing the service, there are many things about funeral planning that we may not be aware of and many practical decisions that are required.  However, even though the occasion may be sad, you are still a consumer, and wise planning can ensure that the funeral is a fitting celebration of your loved one’s life. To ease what feels like an impossible feat, we’ve broken down this funeral planning checklist into three main components: Actions to take immediately after death, primary arrangement decisions, secondary arrangement decisions, and tasks to delegate.  You…Read More

Average Cost of Funeral

How Much Does the Average Funeral Cost?

There are several aspects to consider when you need to estimate, “How much does the average funeral cost?” You may hear numbers within the 6-7 thousand dollar range from the National Funeral Directors Association. Still, that number typically only includes fees directly paid to the funeral director, who has the capacity to perform a wide range of tasks.

Funeral director fees can range from $1,500 for basic services up to $6,500, the latter being the number you most often hear quoted. However, that figure doesn’t account for the bulk of cemetery and burial expenses. 

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9 Tips for Planning a Funeral

Planning a loved one’s funeral can be emotional, overwhelming, and exhausting. However, it’s important to honor the life and legacy of those closest to us, and the best way to do that is to understand what goes into the funeral planning process.

We’ve compiled a list of nine helpful funeral planning tips for making final arrangements for your loved one.

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What are the Best Flowers for Headstones?

Placing flowers at the graveside is one of the most common ways to honor a lost loved one. Flowers have spoken our love for centuries, and they remain a timeless sign of devotion. It is no wonder then why so many people want to take extra care in choosing the right flowers for headstones to place in remembrance. What Type of Flowers are Most Appropriate to Place at Headstones? The choice of headstone flowers used to adorn a grave is a completely personal choice. Many people choose flowers for the message they convey. Some choose headstone flowers for the way they reflect the loved one’s personality. There’s no “wrong” answer about the graveside flower choice you make. Every type of flower, or color of the…Read More

Picking Casket Sprays and Funeral Flowers

Flowers have long held a place in our hearts. Often used as symbols of love and affection, flowers as a part of an arrangement have come to mean anything and everything from congratulations to condolences. Making the choices you want for sprays and arrangements for your funeral, or as a choice for someone cared for and appreciated isn’t always an easy thing to do. But understanding some of the basics can help make those choices easier. We all know the symbolism behind a red rose. Love, especially for a spouse or mate is the purpose behind them. Whether it be the single red rose as an eternal token of our affection or a massive bouquet to exhort the volume and depth of feelings, the red…Read More

How to Write a Eulogy Speech

Delivering an eulogy is one of the highest opportunities we can be given to honor the life of a loved one. However, once given the opportunity, you need to know how to write an eulogy speech that honors the deceased, acknowledges family, friends and coworkers and is careful of social and cultural etiquette. What is a Eulogy? An Eulogy is a speech delivered in honor of the deceased, usually by someone very cherished by the family. The purpose of the speech is to honor the loved one’s life and accomplishments. How to write an eulogy speech greatly depends on how many people will also be sharing eulogies. If your eulogy is first, the main or only eulogy that will be given, here are some of…Read More

Everything You Need to Know About Planning a Funeral

When a loved one dies, one of the first question asked by family and friends is most likely, “When is the funeral?”   This may be the last question you want to answer, as you are grieving from the loss, but it is one that must be addressed fairly quickly.  While every family and every situation is different, there are a few basics to planning a funeral.  By taking the time to cover as many details as possible, the stress of the situation can become much less of a burden. Respecting Wishes In cases of illness or advanced age, have a frank discussion with your loved one regarding their end of life wishes.   When the time comes, you will feel comforted knowing you are doing exactly…Read More

How To Have An Affordable Funeral

A simple funeral can be a very sweet funeral. Simple doesn’t have to mean stark, and it can certainly still provide the funeral your loved one deserves. When devising a strategy on how to plan an affordable funeral, you can start with the basic goods and services you need and add extras as your budget and desires allow. Your Protection Before you begin any planning, it’s important to know your rights as a consumer. Under the federal law known as the Funeral Rule, funeral directors must provide, upon request, itemized prices of the goods and services included in the funeral.  This helps you select services and goods that you desire, eliminate those you don’t want or need, and pay only for the services or items…Read More