A Traditional Funeral
What does a traditional funeral include?
Traditional funerals remain a deeply valued and meaningful way to honour a person’s life. At Full Circle Funerals, we support families who wish to arrange a traditional funeral service—whether that includes a church service, burial or cremation, hymns, readings, or any other familiar elements. We guide you through every step with care, clarity and flexibility to ensure the funeral reflects your values and preferences.
Funeral Choices
When planning a traditional funeral service, there are many traditional funeral options to consider. The time and space to choose what feels most fitting will help the service to reflect the personality and wishes of the person who has died. From selecting the perfect traditional coffin to choosing the right flowers, these decisions can affect the overall feel of the traditional funeral service.
If you choose a traditional religious cremation or traditional burial service then some aspects of the funeral may already be determined by specific religious or cultural considerations. However, if you want a traditional and personal service tailored to the person who has died, it will be helpful to know about the many options and choices available to you (with guidance about how these might best work together).
Here, the funeral care professionals at Full Circle Funerals outline some of the many decisions you need to make when planning a traditional funeral and some of the traditional options you can choose from to customise a traditional service to be both traditional and personal. If you need to speak to an experienced funeral director about specific funeral service requests or for support in planning, get in touch with our team today.
Coffins
Coffin choices are an essential aspect of the planning process, and there are many different types of coffin available to suit your needs. Whether you need a coffin for burial or cremation, it’s useful to know that there are a variety of materials, designs, and styles to choose from. Traditionally, wooden coffins were used but increasingly people are opting for alternative, eco-friendly or personalised choices. There is no legal requirement to use a coffin and alternatives such as shrouds are also available.
If you are not certain what type of coffin you would like, we can provide you with information on the different options, including:
Traditional wooden coffins come in a huge variety of different styles, colours and materials and range from very simple laminate options to more ornate solid wood coffins.
Wicker coffins can be made from a variety of different materials, such as bamboo, banana and willow. These can be natural or coloured (such as a white wicker coffin, or a bright rainbow wicker coffin) depending on your preference.
Cardboard coffins can be simple or they can have bespoke designs – for example, a picture coffin can be covered with photographs, skylines, flowers or football club logos. A plain cardboard coffin can be further customised by having children, family and friends decorate it with pictures, messages and photographs.
Wool coffins offer a softer alternative that is biodegradable, making them suitable for any type of burial or cremation.
Shrouds can be plain or decorative, white or coloured. They can be anything from just a white cotton sheet, to beautifully hand-stitched woollen felt supported on a greenwood pole frame.
If you are not sure which option is best, consider what the person who died might have wanted or speak to a funeral director for guidance.
Urns
Selecting an urn is a key consideration for traditional cremation services. There are many types of urns available, including burial urns and keepsake urns, each designed to meet different needs and preferences. You might like to choose a traditional urn that best represents the person who has died, considering factors such as material, size, and style. Whether you are selecting an urn for display, burial, or scattering, the right choice can help you create a lasting tribute.
Choices include:
Traditional wooden urns
Traditional brass and metal urns, whether of a simple design or a more decorative style
Traditional wooden caskets, a traditional box-shaped option that you can often personalise
Scatter tubes are designed to hold cremated remains until you scatter them in a location of your choice. You can choose from a plain, traditional look or a more colourful design
Although less traditional, water-soluble urns can be a good option if you would like to scatter ashes into water. They are available in decorative shapes such as turtles or water-lilies. They are designed to be placed in water and will slowly dissolve, leaving the cremated remains behind
A more modern, yet classically designed, biodegradable urn can be placed or buried in a natural environment and slowly degrade, leaving the cremated remains behind
Keepsake urns are miniature urns that can hold some of the ashes. They are ideal to be used as decorative pieces to help remember the person who has died and can be in almost any shape or form. There are traditional and more modern shapes and styles available.
Religious and non-religious services
Where the service will take place and who will lead the ceremony will depend on the personal, religious and spiritual beliefs of the person whose funeral you are planning. There are many types of religious and non-religious services available, and you can even conduct a funeral service yourself. If you would like to use a professional officiant, you might consider a religious leader, a humanist officiant or a civil celebrant.
At Full Circle Funerals, we work hard to try to introduce you to a celebrant with whom you will be able to establish an easy rapport. Costs differ between celebrants and religious leaders but we will advise you about this when you tell us your preference.
It is important that you make your wishes known. A good religious leader or celebrant will meet with you to understand the individual story of the person who has died. They will discuss a eulogy, poems, readings and prayers to create a fitting tribute. They may have a set way of structuring a service, but if you want something different you will have the opportunity to share your preferences.
Below, we have outlined these options in more detail:
Traditional, religious services
If a tradition and religion are important to the person whose funeral you are planning, they may have left wishes that their local religious officiate conduct their funeral, whether at a place of worship or at another location (such as a natural burial ground or crematorium).
You may have preferred prayers, readings or hymns. If not, the officiate will provide guidance when you meet. You can usually liaise with the officiate personally, or have your funeral director do so for you – at Full Circle Funerals, we’re happy to do this on your behalf.
Civil celebrants
Civil services tend to sit between a religious service and a humanist ceremony and are fundamentally flexible in their approach and can support you to create a traditional funeral service. Most civil celebrants will capture the personality and experiences of the individual and include some traditional religious content if required.
Music, hymns, prayers or readings can be incorporated and family and friends are welcome to participate in the ceremony. For many, the most important part of the ceremony is the tribute to the person who has died and this may include recounting life experiences, memories and personal anecdotes.
Humanist services
Humanist ceremonies offer a personal way to say goodbye and to remember the person who has died without any religious content. They celebrate the individual and the connections they have made by focusing on the life they lived. The individual does not need to have been a practising humanist in life to have a humanist funeral.
There are some humanist officiants who will allow a prayer or religious reading to be spoken in the ceremony; however, the majority will require someone else to read. Non-religious poems, readings and music are welcomed in the ceremony and family and friends are offered the option to speak.
Family and friend-led
You do not have to have a minister or celebrant lead the service. You can oversee the ceremony yourself, or have family members or friends do so. This creates a very personal service, but should be carefully considered. In our experience this role is generally chosen by people who have extensive experience in public speaking or teaching (although that is certainly not a rule).
Flowers
Choosing flowers for a funeral plays a significant role in setting the tone for the service. Understanding how to arrange funeral flowers and knowing how much funeral flowers cost can help you create a beautiful and meaningful display to honour the person who has died. It also ensures that you get value for money by only spending money on things that matter to you.
Floral tributes range from the traditional to the completely unique and you can adhere to traditional shapes and styles, or be as creative as you wish. You can start by considering whether the person who has died had a favourite flower or colour and whether there is a shape (such as a wreath or heart) that is most fitting. You can also use your own home-grown flowers or plants within the service. You may choose to sow seeds at a burial site or give packets of seeds to friends and families to scatter in memory of the person who has died (as a funeral “favour”).
Options for floral arrangements include:
Traditional wreaths are most typically associated with funerals and you can choose a traditional look, or make something more unique with a personal touch of colour, logo or name.
Funeral crosses have a strong connection with funerals and are traditionally sent by family or close friends. They are available in a range of colours and styles from most flower outlets.
A posy tribute is circular so that the flowers can be viewed easily from all angles. It can be made to modern or traditional styles, and you can choose the most appropriate colour for flowers and ribbons.
A tied sheaf looks very similar to a normal flower bouquet but is made to suit a funeral. The bouquet is tied rather than being wrapped in plastic to give a less traditional yet stylish and modern feel. You can choose which flowers and colours you want in the sheaf.
A coffin spray tends to be placed on top of the coffin, either in the hearse or once at the ceremony location. These can be made to different sizes and colours of and type of flower can be chosen.
Single flowers can easily be woven through the sides of wicker, willow and bamboo coffins. These could be flowers picked from your own garden or provided by a florist, and you may wish to be involved in weaving the flowers into the coffin on the day of the funeral.
Another traditional funeral choice is for letter tributes to accompany the coffin in the hearse and bear the name of the person who has died, a nickname, or their relationship (for example, ‘MUM’). You can select colours for the lettering and ribbons, or other personalisation.
Special tributes are usually images made from flowers of items (such as teddy bears, football shirts or hobby equipment) associated with the person who has died.
Stationery
Funeral stationery is a simple but effective way of personalising a funeral and provides an opportunity to create a unique memorial for everyone to take away with them.
Beautifully designed Orders of Service, Attendance Cards, Memorial Cards and Bookmarks with photographs, readings and personal family messages are becoming more popular. Of course, these are optional, but we are happy to talk about different options and designs that expand on your ideas.
Transport
In a traditional funeral service, a black hearse and accompanying limousines are often felt to be the most suitable. There are a wide range of options beyond the traditional funeral cortege and the choice of vehicle could be very meaningful to you.
Families often inquire about how many traditional funeral cars they can have, as they want friends and family to travel together. If you’re wondering how many seats are in a specific funeral car or how many people funeral cars can hold then we can discuss the different options with you. It’s helpful to know that the average cost of funeral cars varies and one factor is the number of vehicles needed.
You may also wish to consider alternative travel arrangements that are more eco-friendly. At Full Circle Funerals, we offer both a traditional black hearse and limousine, and our Full Circle Eco-Hearse, a 100% electric car that offers an environmentally friendly choice.
If the person who died had hobbies and interests that could be reflected in your choice of car, offers a different direction to consider. A vintage hearse for a classic car enthusiast, a motorcycle hearse for a biker, a pink hearse for someone who liked to make a statement or a Land Rover Discovery hearse for an adventurer are all available (along with many more).
Other Ideas
There are many other ideas to consider that can make a funeral service unique and individual to the person who has died. The team at Full Circle Funerals can talk through your options, give suggestions and advice, and help to make sure that the service perfectly reflects the person who has died.
Other options include:
Memorial books that attendees at the wake can sign
Balloons with a personal message
Photograph boards to display at the wake location
Memorial pictures on which mourners can leave their memories before you frame it
Enlarged photographs for the funeral or wake location
Fingerprint keepsakes, ranging from jewellery to paperweight items
Ashes keepsakes such as teddy bears, jewellery and keyrings
Headstones or grave markings designed for the individual
Flags for countries or sporting teams to lie over the coffin and keep after the funeral
Web broadcasts or DVDs of the service, which may be available depending on your chosen location
Funeral photography
Memory tables to display any fond memories people want to share
Singers, bands or groups to perform during the service (or at the wake) in a style that was favoured by the individual
Funeral entertainment including magicians and jazz bands that offers something very different and unique for a wake
How we support you with traditional funerals
Remember, there are no rules or obligations about what you should or should not have at a traditional funeral service. Traditional practice and choice provide a great guide and starting point and you may which to adapt them to reflect the person who has died and create a traditional funeral event that is helpful for you and your family and friends.
The funeral directors at Full Circle Funerals want to make sure that you, your family and friends, have all their wishes met on the day of the funeral. We will help you to create a true reflection of the person who has died, and use our experience and expertise to arrange an event which is right for you. We know the options that are available and can help to deliver a traditional ceremony, or something completely customised to your needs.
To learn more about how we can help, get in touch today.