How long after a death is a funeral?

When a loved one passes away, it’s often extremely difficult to think past your grief and start planning their funeral. But how long after a death is a funeral? Learn what you need to do when it comes to planning your loved one’s funeral.

How long between death and funerals

Typically, a funeral is held between one to three weeks after a death. However, this can vary depending on a variety of factors – such as religious beliefs, which in some cases would mean the deceased would need to be buried as soon as possible – sometimes as soon as within a day of the death.

Funerals are normally held on weekdays – this is because funerals held on Saturdays or Sundays can often work out to be more expensive, as crematoria or cemeteries may charge extra. Many funeral directors will only take weekend bookings by request.

How long does it take to organise a funeral?

The type of funeral you’d like to organise can affect how long it takes to plan. For example, if you’re thinking of unique funeral ideas, and want to have a quirky funeral for the departed, availability and extra special planning can cause delays. Also, there are often things that need to be considered when planning a funeral, which can lead to it becoming more of a prolonged process than intended.

This could include:

Accounting for friends and relatives who live out of the area and would need to travel/book time off to attend the funeral

Ensuring close relatives and friends aren’t on holiday at the time of the proposed funeral date

Avoiding upcoming events that have already been pre-planned e.g. a relatives’ birthdays

Once you have everything in order, planning what is going to be said at the funeral, the order of service and the logistics of the day need to be taken care of. This can be as thought out and as carefully planned as you like – but it’s likely that regardless, you’ll be planning up until a few days before the funeral.

How long can you delay a funeral?

As funerals are usually between one to three weeks after a death, it’s unwise to delay the funeral for too long. The initial rush to organise a funeral so soon after a death is required due to nature’s natural course of body decomposition, as well as emotional urgency – as mourners want to be able to say goodbye and make their peace with the passing of a loved one.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that sometimes delays cannot be avoided.

This could be because:

The deceased’s body is part of a criminal investigation and needs to be preserved for post-mortem and criminal evidence purposes

The deceased was a soldier who’s remains have not yet been found

The deceased has been categorised as a missing person

Relatives or friends may live overseas and could not be able to travel for a few weeks

However, in any of these instances, it may be beneficial to hold a memorial service when you can – but be swift in organising the actual burial or cremation as soon as possible, depending on how long it will take to have the actual funeral.

Do you have to have a funeral?

No – you don’t have to have a funeral if the deceased did not want one organised. However, it is required by law that the body is taken care of by means of cremation or burial – which is naturally often followed with a funeral or memorial service.

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