​While it is essential to create a death plan for the big things, like whether you wish to be cremated or buried, it is also important to take care of your funeral’s smaller details, like preferred floral arrangements, songs, hymns or post-ceremony food. These may seem like little things, but for your grieving loved ones, having them worked out in advance may lift a huge burden. By detailing exactly how you would like your life to be celebrated, you are giving those who are craving comfort in the wake of your loss more space to focus on what’s really important: healing. 
 
As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” To ensure that your funeral emits the feelings you radiated in life, tune into your five senses while pre-planning your ceremony. 
 
Smell 
First, decide how you would like the room to smell. Psychologically, our sense of smell is most linked to triggering memories. Tying in your favorite flowers, incense or candles can evoke a sense of nostalgia for your loved ones. 
 
Touch
Now, think about the comforting touches you can add to your ceremony. Whether it’s the addition of soft seating, memory boxes containing significant mementos from your life or a simple register book, adding special touches to your ceremony can provide comfort for your guests. 
 
Sight
Additionally, it is important to think about the visuals of the ceremony. Pre-planning the funeral’s décor, color scheme and lighting can create a more personalized aesthetic. Choosing which pictures to be displayed at your funeral service can be a huge undertaking for grieving loved ones, so having this taken care of can ease their stress. 
 
Sound
Selecting songs that hold a special significance to you and your loved ones can make your ceremony more meaningful. Deciding whether your ceremony features a live performance, congressional singing or prerecorded music can take out the guesswork for your loved ones. 
 
Taste
Pre-planning the menu that will be served at the post-ceremony reception can ease some of the responsibilities of your loved ones after your death. Choosing menu items that hold significance to you can trigger pleasant memories for your guests, providing a sense of comfort. 

It is important to document your detailed plans on paper and to keep them in a place that is easily accessible after your death. 

Family-Funeral & Cremation offers several funeral pre-planning options, easing your family’s burden of making decisions. Call today to schedule a meeting to receive guidance in planning your ceremony, burial or cremation, viewing before cremation, veteran arrangements and visitations. ​

Christmas can be a very difficult time for families who are grieving a loved one. If you will be missing someone you loved this holiday season. At Family-Funeral & Cremation Pensacola,FL we know how difficult loosing a loved one at Christmas can be. We work with you and your family to help in this time of loss. At Family-Funeral we work to make the memory of your loved one of our top priorities. Regardless of the time of year, we respect the families wishes and bring it all together for a very reasonable price. Regardless if you just lost a loved one or your looking to pre-plan and lock your final expenses into today's funeral cost, we are here to help. Contact us today for a tour of our facility and how you can save thousands on a funeral @ Family-Funeral & Cremation Pensacola, FL 850-466-5440. 

If you’re stuck trying to come up with memorial ideas for veterans, there are a number of options open to you. There really is no way to properly memorialize our veterans, after everything they’ve done for us and their country, but making an effort is still incredibly important.

Career & Military Life
Focusing on a veteran’s career and life in the military is a superb way to properly honor them. Their devotion to their country and bravery in the face of all danger makes them worthy of our respect and should absolutely be highlighted. Any medals or awards, along with acts of heroism that may not have been noticed by the brass, but are no less impressive, are also worth mentioning. Burying them with their country’s flag with their uniform will also speak to their career and overwhelming courage.

Celebrating Life at Home
Those in the military are more than capable of balancing and active home life and their career shouldn’t overshadow the positive things they were able to achieve at home. Erecting memorials that speak to their family lives is just as fitting as applauding their career, with a service dedicated to home life being just as important as the pomp and circumstance involved in a military funeral.

Together or Separate 

Some families choose to have two separate services in order to properly cover all aspects of their loved one’s life, but this is entirely optional, with a mix of the two being covered in one funeral service being quite satisfactory. This choice is really up to you and your family and is worth talking about ahead of time, as with all matters regarding a funeral service.

Attending Remembrance Day
On top of your own memorial services, attending Remembrance Day celebrations is another way to pay your respects. These events are the perfect venue to sing your loved one’s praises or simply show up and show your support for veterans everywhere. Our veterans deserve all the celebration and respect that we can give them, with Remembrance Day being one of the most important with regard to communities dedicated themselves, if only briefly, to their veterans. 

If you have any questions or comments for us, please feel free to get in touch with us at 850-466-5440

Family-Funeral & Cremation 
7253 Plantation Rd 
Pensacola, FL 32504
850-466-5440

Speaking about death is never easy so most people try to avoid it as much as they can. While this is understandable, we at Family-Funeral & Cremation, encourage people to consider the benefits of planning their funeral in advance. This option is offered by almost every funeral home and can help both the elderly or ill individual and their family. Here are some of the benefits of planning the funeral in advance:

1. Your wishes are taken into consideration
One of the biggest benefits of pre-planning is the fact that your funeral and memorial services happen according to your wishes. For example, some individuals want to be cremated rather than buried and that can go against the family’s wishes. By pre-planning the funeral, you can be certain that your wishes are carried out.

2. Pre-planning helps the loved ones grieve
Loved ones are forced to interrupt their grieving time to organize the funeral, which can delay their own healing and cause them a considerable amount of stress. Pre-planning removes this burden so family members can focus on their grief instead of worrying about the preparations. Pre-planning funerals also happen very quickly so there are no delays after death.

3. Financial relief
Pre-planning the funeral gives the loved ones left behind some financial relief. All the funeral expenses are paid in advance so the family members don’t have to worry about abrupt and last-minute costs of arranging the service. Arranging the funeral in advance can also help people save money as they’re protected from a future rise in cost of the service. If you book a funeral at a good rate, the cost is locked in.
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Family-Funeral & Cremation in Pensacola, FL has direct cremation starting at $995.00. Direct burials starting at $1,495.00 

If you need assistance on funeral-related matters or want to know more about our services here at 850-466-5440. www.Family-Funeral.com

Why cremation is soaring in popularity is not difficult to understand if you examine the factors driving the trend.

Reason #1 – It’s Cheaper Traditional burial (casket, vault, burial plot) coupled with a visitation and funeral service can be over $7,000.00.  Cremation is lower because you eliminate the casket, vault and typical cemetery space. Families opting for direct cremation will see the lowest bill as you eliminate any kind of viewing, service, etc.

Reason #2 – Range of Memorial Options Cremation offers a wide range of options for memorializing the deceased using the cremated remains. The seemingly endless options include typical decorative urns placed at home to having the remains used to make jewelry. Scattering over a body of water, a state park or another meaningful place is becoming increasingly popular.

Reason #3 – Mobile Society
Families no longer live in their hometown for the majority of their lives. Many Americans move frequently for jobs, family or other reasons. Technology allows us to live anywhere and stay connected with those we care about without having to be in the same city or even state. With a transient society, it’s easy to see why cremation is seen as a more practical option.

Reason #4 – Religious Tolerance For years, many religions forbade cremation. That is slowly becoming a non-issue. Many churches are not only becoming more accepting of cremation, they are building columbariums on church property to offer a final resting place for members of the congregation.

Reason #5 – Environmentally Friendly For years cremation has been seen as the “greener” alternative to burial. While burial offers its own green option (green burial), cremation is still favored by those wanting to have less of an impact on the environment. There is a new process called Bio Cremation that claims to be an even more eco-friendly method of disposition.

We are Pensacola's premier affordable cremation service. 

Family-Funeral & Cremation - 7253 Plantation Rd Pensacola, FL 32504
850-466-5440

Pre-Arrangements are available for as low as 25.00 per month. 

This article shows you things you can do to plan an affordable funeral.  With the typical funeral now costing more than the price of a decent used car, many families need help planning a more affordable funeral (or cremation) service. Family-Funeral and Cremation in Pensacola, FL offers Basic Cremation for only $995.00.
Typical funeral costs vs. affordable funeral costsMost American funerals now cost between $8,000 and $10,000.  Unfortunately, as baby boomers age, demand for funeral services will grow and drive funeral prices up even further.  Some experts predict that within three years the average traditional funeral will cost nearly $12,000.
With proper planning and a little foresight, you can realistically reduce out-of-pocket funeral expenses by at least 50-70%.
Is it too late to plan an affordable funeral service?While most families do end up spending close to $10,000 on funeral expenses when a loved one dies, more families are also finding ways to reduce or eliminate the tremendous financial burden that death brings.
The key to affordable funeral planning starts by understanding the funeral industry.Unfortunately, most information about funeral planning comes from high pressure big corporation sales people themselves - or at least it used to.  Sites such as ours www.Family-Funeral.com can take the mystery out of funeral planning and provide objective advice that benefits family members. We are a local family owned funeral home with associates that offer pre-planned funeral arrangements with a no pressure experience.
Most families don't know much about funeral planning.  It's not a topic we like to think about, and the average family only plans a funeral about once every fifteen years.  This means that most families automatically go along with whatever recommendations the funeral director makes.
Unfortunately, many families don't realize that most funeral homes are in business to make money, so funeral homes won't usually offer more affordable choices to families - unless the family knows what to ask for. At Family-Funeral & Cremation we make a point to be up front about our affordable choices. We even put our competitor prices on our website. Visit our site at http://www.family-funeral.com/compare-prices.html for a detailed list. 
The good news is that a little education goes a long way.  For example, a family using an objective funeral planning service such as ours at Family-Funeral & Cremation, usually cuts their funeral bills by more than 50% - saving themselves thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses.
Planning a more affordable funeralHere's a great tip from the Funeral Saver's Kit that can help you plan a more affordable funeral or cremation service: understand how funeral homes price their goods and services.  While most funeral homes offer similar services, they often price their services differently.  For example, Funeral Home A might charge a large fee for the funeral directors' time and add a small markup on the price of a casket; while Funeral Home B might charge a smaller fee for the funeral director's time, but then make up for it by charging more for the casket. At Family-Funeral & Cremation we offer smaller fees on every aspect of the funeral process. Every item is detailed out for your comparison and review. We are proud to show you our detailed list as most other funeral homes sometimes add extras at the end. 
Even though on paper both funeral homes appear to offer the same overall price for a traditional funeral, you'll find that in most cases, Funeral Home B is willing to give you a larger discount off their normal pricing structure.  We offer a discount at the end of our contract on our already low prices. Most funeral homes are likely to offer you a small discount on their high priced items. 
The affordable funeral vs. cremation
Over the last few years, a new trend has been emerging: more families are choosing cremation in lieu of a full-blown funeral.  The good news is that cremation can be less expensive than a funeral followed by body burial.  Unfortunately, to protect profit margins, most funeral homes have increased their cremation prices, making cremation a less attractive option compared to what it was just a few years ago. Not at Family-Funeral & Cremation. We have kept the same $995.00 price of our basic cremation since we opened our doors here in the Pensacola Florida area.
While some families have no preference for the deceased, many families don't like being forced to choose cremation solely because that's the only thing they can afford.
If you prefer a traditional funeral but can only afford cremation, don't despair.  There is plenty you can do to bridge the price gap and lower your overall funeral bill. The key is knowing which funeral home offers the best service at the lowest price such as Family-Funeral & Cremation.
Affordable funeral costs - what's the verdict?
As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, demand for funeral goods and services will outstrip the ability of funeral homes to provide those goods and services.  Unfortunately, this means that funeral prices will likely increase by a substantial amount over the next two decades, however at Family-Funeral & Cremation our promise to our family's is always having the best quality service at the lowest price.
Call us today for a pre-arranged funeral check-up. 
We can transfer any pre-arranged agreement to our facility probably saving your thousands of dollars. 
Family-Funeral & Cremation 
7253 Plantation Rd
Pensacola, FL 32504
850-466.5440
www.Family-Funeral.com

If you need to plan a funeral while you’re grieving over the loss of a loved one, an unscrupulous funeral home  might try to take advantage of you. That’s why the Federal Trade Commission created the federal funeral rule, which requires funeral directors to provide you with a price list and let you order only those products or services you want.
But the FTC’s annual undercover investigations sometimes find funeral directors who aren't playing by the rules, which is why you need to review your rights before calling a funeral home. For example, in January, the Harrison Funeral Home in Harrison, N.Y., and its funeral director agreed to pay a $32,000 civil penalty to settle charges that it failed to give consumers the required price lists.
Under the 1984 funeral rule, funeral homes must give consumers itemized price lists before any in-person discussions begin about funeral arrangements, coffins and/or outer burial containers. Funeral directors must also provide prices over the phone on request. At Family-Funeral & Creation you can be assured that all federal, state and local rules and laws are followed to a "T". We not only provide you with our published prices but we also give you a comparison of other local funeral home prices in our area. 
Among other requirements, funeral homes can’t require consumers to buy any unwanted products and services, such as caskets, urns, or unnecessary embalming. And they must allow consumers to bring in coffins or other items obtained elsewhere. With a cremation, for example, you can bring your own container, even if it’s not designed to be an urn. However at Family-Funeral & Cremation are prices of caskets and urns are the same or better quality of other funeral homes at a fraction of the cost of others. 
Some funeral homes try to increase sales by making consumers believe they need to purchase more than they want or can afford, says Lisa Carlson, executive director of the Vermont-based Funeral Ethics Organization and co-author of "Final Rights," a consumer guide. During her undercover visit to a funeral home some years back, Carlson says, the funeral director insisted the law requires the purchase of an urn for cremated remains, which he said can kill fish if released into a waterway. Neither is true. 
If a home presses you to buy more than you want or balks at your bringing in your own coffin or other items “you should get up and leave, absolutely,” Valerie Wages, president of the Georgia-based Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, said. At Family-Funeral & Cremation we always offer quality products and services at a very reasonable fee. We have a 5-star rating with our families. Value, integrity and quality is the only way here at Family-Funeral & Cremation. - 850-466-5440. www.Family-Funeral.com 
What to do

• If you need to plan a funeral, don’t be rushed into making expensive decisions. You should have at least two days to make arrangements if the dead is in a hospital morgue or with a coroner.
• Start by reviewing the requirements of the funeral home.
• Examine your state’s law governing such issues as embalming, coffins and vaults, burial, and cremation. That can help you know whether a funeral home is trying to sell you unnecessary items.
• Read "How to Read a Funeral Home Price List" and other advice at the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit consumer protection organization.
• Don’t let anyone guilt trip you into spending more than you can afford or think is wise.
• Always comparison shop among other funeral homes and online. You can find all our prices and price comparisons on our website at:  www.Family-Funeral.com ​

As important as a funeral service is to appropriately and respectfully celebrate a life lived, it’s an equally important experience for family and friends who’ve lost their loved one. Funerals bring meaning to loss and offer people the support they need to begin the healing process—by giving them an outlet for grief, connecting them with others feeling the same emotional outpouring and offering a chance to come together with good, happy memories.

A DVD is included in our packages at no extra charge, we believe it is that important! Other funeral homes can charge $150.00 or more for this service. 

You’ve no doubt watched the shape of a standard funeral or memorial service evolve over the years. And today, funerals don’t need to be strictly somber events. In fact, funeral services unite people in love and comfort, and cheerful laughter is a key part of that!
A funeral service is one wonderful place to use this to our advantage, by sharing video memories of the life lived with the loved ones craving comfort. At Family-Funeral & Cremation we provide our family's with a state of the are memorial tribute on CD. This is just one of the extras we provide our families while providing cost effective funeral solutions. http://www.family-funeral.com/burial.html

Here are 5 reasons your funeral home’s services should include video:

1. Videos bring unheard stories to the surfaceFunerals tend to bring together people who normally wouldn’t spend a lot of time together, but who are all bound by a shared love of a person. Viewing a meaningful moment in time, whether or not you were there for it, can bridge a gap between relative strangers and encourage greater sharing, which encourages greater healing. Starting a conversation can be difficult at any time, but especially so with new people at a funeral service—but watching a video or slide show together is a built-in icebreaker that gives people a common ground to begin sharing and comforting. Sharing memories, trading stories, laughing together and uniting in grief all help begin and usher in the next phase of healing for the family and friends.
2. Videos bring you back to the moments that matter mostPhotos and videos trigger memories and emotions in a much stronger way than words alone can. The old adage goes “a picture is worth a thousand words” for a good reason: film captures nuance that a conversation can’t, shows expressions and movements that can’t be described. How often does it turn out that an unexpected trigger or cue jogs your memory of something you haven’t thought about in months or years? And then all of a sudden, you can remember every sound, smell and taste of that one day so long ago. We can even add a loved one’s favorite song alongside important photos, making the sharing of memories even more personal and special, since our brains naturally make strong connections between music and memories.
3. Videos bring together many stories of one single momentWe share our loved ones with others throughout the course of their lives, but we can’t always know or understand the connections, relationships and shared memories they have with others. When three people view one video of the same moment, they may in fact be seeing three different stories playing out. A birthday party, for example: the birthday boy or girl’s mom, best childhood friend, and grandfather may all remember the day differently—as a big event that took weeks to plan and pull together, a two-hour play date with cake and ice cream at the end, or the day a loved one began to grow up. Videos share the facts of an event or moment, which let the people involved share their personal connection and perspective of that moment. And as we know, sharing memories and remembering together is a crucial part of healing after loss.
4. Videos remind people of the good times on a hard dayMemories trigger emotions. Good memories trigger smiles, laughter, happiness—all of which are infectious and so necessary when dealing with loss. Laughing together helps family and friends form bonds and connections that can be really beneficial when making it through the grieving and healing processes. Used as an icebreaker, video tributes encourage people to discover what they have in common with other guests, and help people continue laughing and healing together long after the day of the funeral.
5. Videos help unite people around one simple actAt most funerals, there tends to be at least one person who is not intimately connected to their lost loved one’s family or core group of friends. Not everyone is comfortable extending condolences to relative strangers, or seeking support and comfort from people they don’t know. Having a station where people are invited to gather around a tribute video for laughter and sharing helps to break that barrier for all, giving a natural element of comfort and togetherness during a difficult time. And for the family who cannot greet everyone at once or share stories with every mourner as they walk through the door, our facility give guests a place to feel welcomed as the services begin, unfold or draw to a close.
With your help we create beautiful, moving, inspiring video tributes for funeral services. Family members and friends get to be a part of the creation process by sharing their photos and favorite songs which funeral professionals can then turn into Hollywood-style memorial reels. And, as an added bonus, you and guests can share the videos after the service so friends and family can remember and feel connected to their loved one long after the funeral.

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