Choosing a casket for a recently deceased loved one, isn’t easy. It’s usually a choice you have to make when you’re not in the best frame of mind, yet it’s also crucially important. The casket is one of the last signs of respect you can make to someone you love.
You can make this hard decision just a little easier by thinking through the three important factors that go into making the right choice of casket.
What is your budget?
No one enjoys talking about money at a difficult time, but it is important to factor your budget into your final decision. Quality caskets can run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, so before you begin your search, think carefully about what you can afford. Your loved one would certainly not want you to put yourself in any financial distress.
Once you have a budget, start your search at Trusted Caskets, where you can see a wide variety of quality choices at every price point. In general, metal caskets cost the most, followed by semi-metal, wooden, and then biodegradable caskets. Lining materials can be anything from crepe to velvet.
Always feel free to buy your casket wherever you can get the best price for the model you want. Funeral homes are not permitted to refuse caskets bought elsewhere or to charge you a handling fee for using a casket from an outside company. They also cannot withdraw any offers of a discount if you decide to buy elsewhere.
What are the practical requirements?
There are two practical requirements you must factor into your buying decision: the size you need and any cemetery requirements.
Size considerations
Most ordinary coffins are 24 to 27 inches wide. Anything from 21 to 38 inches can be considered oversize, depending on length, and so-called Goliath caskets are up to 51 inches. Caskets also come in gauges expressed by a number. The lower the number, the thicker the casket.
The most important thing is that your loved one fits easily into the coffin and the coffin is sturdy enough for the whole viewing and burial process. You want your loved one to be honoured at every step, including throughout the viewing and burial.
Cemetery requirements
Normally, these are minimal, but there are some exceptions. If your loved one was in the military, for example, some military cemeteries have specific requirements. The same is true of some historic graveyards, so always check before you spend any money on a casket or make plans about memorial items to include in the casket.
What would your loved one want?
If your loved one had specific wishes, the choice becomes easy, and you should always find out what your loved ones want, if you have the opportunity, and honor their last wishes. In many cases, however, we don’t have a chance to find out what a relative wanted, or choosing a casket simply wasn’t a priority to them before their passing.
If you don’t have specific instructions from your loved one, you will have to choose based on what you know of them. The casket should represent the person you want to honor. To find the right match, consider your loved one in all the varied roles they may have filled in life:
- Parent, spouse, or sibling
- Professional with a successful career
- Loving friend
- Generous donor of time, money, or both
- Avid hobbyist or collector
- Influence in the community
Your choice of everything from casket material to color should be influenced by considering the whole person and how best to reflect them, their personality, and their values.
Never choose a casket without giving yourself plenty of time to make a choice you’ll be happy with. It’s also a good idea to take someone with you for support and to help you make a choice you’ll never regret.
