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Music is incredibly important in any situation. Music helps us experience and understand our emotions, and in some cases, it energises and empowers us to move forward. If you are beginning funeral arrangements and want to utilise music during the funeral, there are many different ways to do this and many different songs to choose from. You can pick anything from Beethoven to Billy Joel, music that will make you cry in remembrance or laugh in their honour. Sentimental Songs According to…

When someone who you love has passed, the last thing you want to be thinking about is making funeral arrangements and planning a wake. But nevertheless, these tasks need to be done, and they may even help you with the grieving process. It is a tradition to serve food at a wake and this could be especially useful, too. The business of the day might leave many people forgetting to eat or feeling exhausted. Despite this, it is important to remember that…

There is almost nothing more saddening than the death of a child. To have one’s life extinguished before it truly began is the ultimate sadness. The family members of a deceased child are likely to have an even more difficult time with the passing, and they may need some assistance with funeral planning services. If you are a family member or a close friend of someone who has lost their child, it is important to be there to offer grief support, as…

For some people, attending a funeral can be a particularly trying experience. Not everyone is comfortable with emotion and grief, and you may find yourself at a loss for what to do when you attend a funeral. You may take notes from films, but most films show caskets and burials, when statistically speaking, 2 in 3 Australians prefer cremation over burial. If you’re worried on the etiquette of a funeral and how to handle yourself during funeral services, here are a few…

There are many factors to consider when deciding between burial or cremation. So, how can you decide? We will go over some of the factors below. What Are Your Religious and Cultural Beliefs, if Any? Religion can play a big role in making this important decision. For example, certain religions don’t allow anything but burial. Orthodox Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Islam do not allow cremation, but most other religions allow for it. Hindus, on the other hand, have been practicing…

Taken from the "Palliative Care Australia" Facebook page This Life By BRUCE FEILER OCT. 1, 2016 Recently a teenage boy in my community committed suicide. I immediately sat down to write the parents a sympathy note. I pulled out a monogrammed Condolence card, placed it on the desk in front of me, and proceeded to stare at it blankly for the next two hours. Though I have been a professional writer for almost 30 years, I could think of absolutely nothing to…

A funeral is a parting gift to the loved one who has died, as well as providing a source of loving support for friends and family left behind. Whether you are planning a traditional or a more contemporary funeral, there are certain basic elements that add up to a meaningful ceremony. These rituals help us to cope with a loss in a way that simple words cannot. We will go over the essential features of a good funeral in this article. We…

Following the passing of a much loved family member or close friend there are many details which the bereaved will need to attend to. In the absence of a will or any religious obligations, the choice between cremation or burial is quite often left up to the surviving family members or friends of the deceased. However, deciding which option would be best may not be as straightforward as it may seem. There can be a range of factors to consider when making…

Coping with the loss of a dearly loved family member or friend is always a traumatic experience for those of us left behind. Often times, the bereaved are in shock, highly emotional and simply do not know the right steps to take. When a person passes either unexpectedly or after a long illness, this confusion and uncertainty can add to the anguish of family and friends. Questions of who to call, what authorities should be notified and when to start arrangements for…

If you are in a situation where you need to make funeral arrangements, you might find yourself thinking about the differences between locally owned and corporate funeral homes. There are a number of benefits to choosing a local funeral director over a large corporate entity. In this article, we highlight some of the issues you need to consider when choosing a funeral director. We hope that this information assists you in making the right decision for your family. Here to Serve You…

For more than 60,000 years flowers have been a significant and deeply personal part of the funeral service. We send flowers to express something that is hard to put into words. We do it to convey sympathy, love and respect, it expresses sentiment and connection. Flowers add warmth to the environment. They create a softness that would otherwise be missing from the room. They also create harmony — the beauty and vibrancy of the flowers balances the heaviness and unpleasantness of death. Somehow flowers make the…

When we lose a loved one, it is inevitable that our own life will be forever changed. Navigating your way through grief and mourning is a challenging but necessary process. We are often not taught the difference between grief and mourning. Grief encapsulates your thoughts and feelings about the loss, while mourning is how you express and process this loss. Recognising this distinction can help make the transition through grief a little easier to manage. Everyone’s healing journey will be an intensely…

When we refer to a coffin, the image that comes to mind is actually likely to be a casket. The difference between caskets and coffins is subtle, but marked. They vary in dimensions, styles and price range, with caskets often costing more than coffins. Dimensions The shape and dimension of coffins and caskets are the greatest points of difference between them. Although it seems like a small difference, the slight variation in shape does have bearing on the style of the case…

Every person’s funeral should be as unique as they are. It should reflect their life, loves, interests, and celebrate their life while respecting their memory. Just as each individual and each funeral is so different to one another, so too does the cost of every funeral vary. Funerals can range from small, family-oriented services, to large-scale church services and everything in between. It’s easy for expenses to add up, but there are ways to keep the price down while still respecting your…

After a death occurs in the family, one of the first calls should be to your preferred Brisbane funeral director. The task of choosing a funeral director usually falls to the next of kin, but it can be carried out by anyone as long as the executor of the deceased’s estate has no objection. Knowing who to choose – especially in a time of grief – can be a tough decision. It’s important to choose a funeral director with whom you feel…

What is a Cremation Funeral? A cremation funeral usually involves the same type of service as a burial funeral. The difference lies in the “committal” – the part of the funeral where the coffin is committed to be buried or cremated. While the service still happens in public view at a cremation funeral, it can be unclear what happens to the coffin or casket after the service and committal are complete. Let’s take a look at the order of events in the…

DO YOU NEED IT? I have seen the ads for Funeral Insurance Why do I need it? Many people believe they will be able to quickly access a person’s superannuation or Life Insurance when a death occurs. No matter how much you are prepared, super and insurance claims often take weeks or even months to process before your family is granted access to your funds. With most funerals occurring within a week or two of a death, these payouts can be often…

Alex Gow Funerals continues to support Meal On Wheels in SE Qld with a donation this week to the Deception Bay branch. Alex Gow Funerals Community Liaison Officer, Cath Clark presented the cheque to the President Des Dewer, who was absolutely thrilled to receive our help. Des Dewer with Alex Gow's Cath Clark Des has been President of the Deception Bay Meals on Wheels for 34 years and is assisted by Michelle Edwards who is their only volunteer, working tirelessly with Des…