Helping Families to Balance Funeral Costs

How Much Will The Funeral Cost?

A funeral related question that can cause grave concern when a family is not clear on funeral costs. This question comes up across the city in all of our funeral homes – Jennings of Raheny,  Amiens St, Blanchardstown, and Coolock.

Jennings Funeral Directors remain deeply sensitive to what families need from us. Clarity on funeral costs is an important part of a Funeral Director’s service to the family. Recently bereaved people are already enduring emotional loss and trauma. The last thing they need is confusion around funeral costs. While certain funeral prices like cemetery fees are set in stone as it were, your dedicated Funeral Director can offer you expert help in how to avoid extra expense.

Can we make sure our funeral arrangements are kept within our family budget?

Yes.  Your Jennings Funeral Director is committed to help you in organising a funeral service marked by grace and dignity; adding up to a beautiful farewell tribute to your beloved relative – but without adding financial funeral stress.

How exactly does the Funeral Director convey this clarity around costs?

A precise cost estimate is given by Jennings very quickly after the family get in touch with us – sometimes verbally during the very first phone call, or more often, a written estimate when the bereaved family come into us here at Jennings. For us, it means so much to see the family visibly reassured around finances. Estimates can and do change depending on the family needs – up or down – less flowers might be required – an extra limousine ordered. But the core estimate is still a reliable indication of funeral costs.

So how can the Funeral Director help me save on funeral costs?

Funeral arrangements have many different elements. Some funeral costs are linked with cemeteries and crematorium. For example, purchasing a new grave in Glasnevin, or opening an existing grave at Fingal Cemetery – these prices are external and outside the remit of the Funeral Director.

But in many funeral matters – such as choosing a coffin, or selecting your beautiful flower tributes, a good Funeral Director can help you in cost cutting measures. Composing a well-worded death notice is also where we can help you cut costs.  Feel free to ask your Jennings Funeral Director about all matters of finance – guidance is key to savings and discounts.

But if we cut corners on cost, might that mean my beloved departed Dad doesn’t get the funeral he deserves? 

At Jennings Funeral Directors, keeping the funeral cost as low as possible for the family never means a low quality funeral service.  We get asked this question a lot, along the lines of:  We’re worried about money, but we don’t want a cut price funeral that looks cheap. Our job as Funeral Directors is to reassure the family that we can help you create a funeral service with all the dignity and respect you need to reflect the precious life of the person who has passed.

Funeral Costs – Points Of Interest To Families

• Coffin costs can vary considerably – from large Italian or American caskets to crafted wood coffins made here in Ireland. Funeral savings can be made without losing one iota of dignity.

• It’s worth giving careful consideration to what kind of coffin suits if the family is planning a cremation as part of the funeral. Cost savings can be considerable – the undertaker will give you the most detailed and up to date guidance.

• Online death and funeral notices are now used far more widely. At Jennings, the Funeral Directors perceive new patterns where families often only request a newspaper notice in one paper, whereas funeral notices before were placed in more than one publication and for longer periods.

• Cremation or burial – your Jennings Funeral Director will guide you through all options. It’s worth bearing in mind that the biggest cost of a burial is the actual purchase of a new grave.

• Funeral Flowers: Our dedicated Funeral Florist at Jennings Funeral Directors can offer you the most beautiful floral tributes for your beloved deceased relative, but bearing in mind at all times the burden of cost on the family.

• A small recent example at our Raheny Funeral Home – a cost conscious family wondered should they order the largest size Coffin Spray possible.  But the Jennings Funeral Director pointed out discreetly that sometimes less is more, because the beautiful flowers don’t have to cover the entire coffin during the service. Flowers set against the wood grain can lend an elegant touch.

• And Jennings offer such a broad range of funeral flowers that the family can choose carefully within budget but not sacrifice in choice.

• Reposals – funeral costs can be carefully budgeted here.

• Jennings Funeral Directors are very welcoming, flexible and inclusive around Reposals.

• All of our Jennings Chapels-of-Repose are designed with elegant bespoke decor and a peaceful ambience. Sometimes, families know exactly what type of Reposal they need, other times, a family is open minded about where to repose their beloved relative – the family home, the hospital chapel, or the Funeral Home.Your Jennings Funeral Director will give you great clarity about costs in this arena. For example – at Jennings we never add on additional cost or extra funeral charges if their beloved relative is reposing with us for two days instead of one.

• But we will also advise you of costs, if, for example, the family wish to have their relative brought to more than one Reposal – for example the family home and the funeral directors. Here, the family will incur an extra cost in terms of extra funeral hearse transport, but at Jennings Funeral Directors, we give clear cost guidelines every step of the way so that each family can make an informed choice.

• Also, we will give clear options on Reposal days chosen. One family needed lots of space for a large Reposal gathering at Jennings Oscar Traynor Road Funeral Home in Coolock. Sunday was their first day of choice – and in Coolock we certainly do facilitate Sunday opening for people coming to pay respects. In this case, the Jennings Funeral Director, mindful of the family budget, asked if they’d like Saturday instead as this would not incur the Sunday admin costs of staff etc. That proved to be a welcome suggestion – reduced funeral costs – and most importantly – time, space and solace for the bereaved family to gather with relatives and friends who would help them carry in some small way the burdens of loss.

And finally, please know that you can ask us anything – no query on cost is too small. At Jennings Funeral Directors, our long-standing spirit of service to Dublin families is not simply about the high quality of our hearse, or the innate courtesy of our limousine drivers. It’s about our close attention to cost detail, so that you can focus with peace of mind on your dearly departed loved one.

Low cost funerals never means low quality service