So who does what at a funeral?

There are various roles that we expand on elsewhere. This is your at-a-glance guide:

Remember, you don’t have to use ANY professionals. There is nothing to stop you doing all this yourself if you’d rather.

Funeral Directors : takes care of arranging the funeral from collection of the body onwards, making all other arrangements and paying fees upfront on your behalf. They may take a deposit at the beginning and bill at the end.

Funeral Conductor: ‘Funeral Conductor’ is a term used by Funeral Directors. It’s the person who leads their team on the day and oversees the transport of the body, moving the coffin into place at the crematorium or burial ground. If the funeral includes a procession of cars and/or people walking the Funeral Conductor might lead this procession with family.

Funeral Officiant, Minister, Celebrant: the person who meets the family and writes the ceremony itself, working out what music goes where, who’s speaking and timings.

Pall bearers: usually 4-6 people carry the coffin from the car to the graveside or crematorium. They may be a team from the Funeral Directors or your own family.

Grave diggers: usually the Funeral Director will arrange and pay the grave digger.