Arranging A Funeral
Honouring Life
With Piddingtons, arranging a funeral service for your loved one doesn’t have to be difficult, expensive or confusing. Our professional and experienced staff are here to guide you through the decisions that need to be made and offer you understanding and support.
The funerals Piddingtons carefully arrange with you are meaningful, personal and tailored to your individual requests and needs. Piddingtons provide a 24-hour family friendly service, and can arrange everything for you & your family in the comfort of your own home or in our offices by either male & female arrangers.
At Piddingtons we encourage grieving families to take their time when arranging the details of their loved one’s funeral. It’s important to contact Piddingtons as soon as possible following the death, but the finer details can be delayed until you and your family are ready to make the decisions needed.
The funeral, while serving to help you acknowledge your loss, also serves as an opportunity to recognise and honour those characteristics which made your loved one special. Please follow this link for more information.
SERVICE TYPES
We're all about choice
SERVICE OPTIONS
Adding a personal touch
SERVICE OPTIONS
Adding a personal touch
FUNERAL EXPENSES
Helpful information
Things to consider
When a death occurs, there is a legal obligation to register the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in that state. The Registrar asks for information as part of the process of registering the death. Information to assemble before meeting to discuss arrangements:
- Date of birth and birthplace of the deceased
- Marriage details-where, when and to whom
- Children(s) names and ages
- Parents' full name and occupations
Service Types
Cremation
Cremation is sometimes chosen as a lower-cost option, especially in metropolitan areas, where cemetery fees are very high. In regional areas, cemetery fees tend to be less expensive, so cost is not usually the main reason families choose cremation. Cremation is a respectful, dignified process that feels right for many of today’s families. If you would like to know more about this process, your funeral director will explain it for you.
There is no necessity in law to inter the ashes or keep them in an urn. You may wish to create a memorial for your loved one in a specially designed garden or wall of remembrance.
You can also create your own memorial at home or on a property have the ashes scattered at a location of significance. This is a decision that doesn’t need to be made straight away. Your funeral director will give you a range of options when you’re ready to discuss this. That may be some weeks after the funeral ceremony.
Burial
If you are arranging a burial, you may already know the cemetery that is to be used. Your family member may have even pre-purchased the cemetery plot. Feel free to drive through the cemeteries in your area. You will see the different choices within them, such as:
– Lawn areas where the plaque is recessed into the lawn
– Historic headstone sections
– Headstone lawn areas, where a more traditional headstone is erected on a concrete strip or within a garden area.
Your funeral director will have information on all cemetery options and can arrange a time for you to meet with the cemetery official, if you wish to select a particular location within it. It can be difficult at this time of sadness to discuss future family deaths. However, if it’s important that other family members be buried alongside your loved one, you may need to consider pre-purchasing adjoining plots now.
Choosing a venue
The types of funeral services are many and varied depending on religious beliefs and customs. There is no one ‘right’ way to hold a funeral. A funeral should simply ‘fit’ the person who died and the family and friends who survive that person. To help you in your planning, here are the most often asked-for formats for a funeral.
- A service held in a church, chapel or Hall, followed by a full cortege to the place of burial or cremation where the committal will take place.
- A service held in a church, chapel or Hall, followed by a private cortege to a place of burial or cremation, where only the family is present to witness the committal.
- A service and committal in a church, chapel or Hall, with no cortege. The coffin or casket will be removed by your pall bears from the church during the singing of the final hymn or piece of music.
- A service and committal in Piddington’s chapel.
- A service and committal at the graveside.
- A memorial or thanksgiving service. No coffin or casket is present at the church or chapel. A memorial or thanksgiving service usually follows a private graveside or crematorium committal.
A Special Setting
If you or the person who has died attended a church or other place of worship, this may be the natural choice for the funeral ceremony. This is particularly appropriate when a family wishes to arrange a ceremony of traditional religious significance, such as a funeral mass.
Our chapel has seating for up to 120 guests and if more seating is needed extra chairs can be placed in the condolence lounge as well as under the awning. Our extensive sound system and portable television will ensure everyone will feel a part of the service. The condolence lounge is adjacent to the chapel and is available to families who wish to have a cuppa tea or coffee after the service. Piddingtons call also organise of your behalf sandwiches and slices to share with family and friends.
- The graveside
- A garden setting
- A rural property
- A private residence
- A school assembly hall
Some points to consider when choosing the venue for the funeral ceremony:
- How many people will be accommodated? Is the facility large enough or perhaps too large?
- Is there adequate seating?
- Do you require special facilities, for example, video projection, room for musicians, on-site catering?
- Will the service be conducted completely in one location or move in cortege to the cemetery or crematorium?
- Is the venue easy to find?
- Is there adequate seating?
- Are there time restrictions in using the facility?
Making it personal
The selection of a coffin is very much a personal matter. Our range varies in size and design, but all are elegant. Price is dependent upon material used in manufacture, detail of design and trimming. The nature of the funeral, ie cremation or burial, may influence the coffin / casket selection.
Remember that all funerals are different, and so are the floral tributes which families select. Each floral arrangement is individually created according to your specific needs and requests. All of our floral tributes are fresh from our reputable florist and of the highest quality.
Piddington’s professional team can help with designing and printing service sheets for the service. The Order Of Service is an expression of a life well-lived. We will liaise with the clergy or celebrant and family to design that perfect sheet that will reflect your loved ones personality and taste.
Whatever your requirement, we are able to cars to suit your need. Allan or Sam will arrange an individual cortège protocol for as many or as few as the occasion requires. A Harley Hearse motorcycle is now available for those who are looking for a funeral that reflects a free spirit and a sense of adventure.
The Piddington’s condolence lounge is adjacent to the chapel and is available to families who wish to have a cup of tea or coffee after the service. It is a peaceful place for families to gather to share stories. Piddingtons can also organise of your behalf sandwiches and slices to share among family and friends.
There are two ways to approach writing the funeral notice. You can provide the ‘who, what, where and when’, that is, only the necessary facts. You can provide a historical statement, a notice that many will cut out from the paper and keep. Newspapers will only accept a funeral notice from your funeral director.
Piddington’s Urn range includes a beautiful selection of affordable urns that our families have come to know and appreciate. Each urn is individually handled; there is no mass production, meaning each urn is unique. We cater to many different finishes, personalised inscriptions and keepsakes.
At Piddington’s, we pride ourselves on providing the best in audio visual solutions available. We ultilise the latest technology to broadcast a live feed to either a public or private forum at our Chapel or abroad. Using this technology allows viewers from anywhere in log in and view a loved ones funeral.
In lieu of flowers, some families may request donations to their selected cause or charity. If requested, we can arrange for a donation stand to included during the funeral. We offer both cash and cashless options, QR codes for convenience, and can accommodate any charity for fundraising donations.
Serving the Community for over 120 years
Audio & Visual Services
Never wanting to be left in the past the Piddington family have always turned to technology to improve the services available to help families. In 1914 Piddington’s used the first motorised hearse in NSW, now in the 21st century Piddington’s lead the way with audio & visual technology.
Finding that special piece of music to remember your loved one can be very daunting but with our vast music library we can find that perfect song. Most churches can cater for CD music and our Chapel also has a state of the art surround speaker system which also has facilities for your own musical instruments. We also carry a portable PA system that can play both CDs and accommodate MP4 players.
A well put together photo presentation is a respectful way to personalise the funeral service of your loved one. A photo presentation is great way to remember a loved one during the service but can be taken home & cherished forever. Your photos will be put together in a tasteful & professional DVD that can be viewed after the service anytime and anywhere. The presentation will be streamed through our four large LCD televisions while some Churches can cater for slideshows. All packages can be altered to suit your personal needs and budgets.
If you do choose to keep a recording of the service it will be a great way to remember your loved one by listening to eulogies & tributes after the funeral service. There are three main options when it comes to recording the service, audio, visual and Live Streaming. An audio recording will enable you to listen to the service using your standard CD player at home while a visual recording will be placed onto a DVD. The DVD can include photo presentations & will come in a professionally made DVD case. Our online Live Streaming can facilitate the viewing of a service remotely via our online service. This allows for public or private viewings of the service which can be seen from any internet enabled device in the world.
Music can be a huge part of people’s lives & our chapel offers facilities to accommodate a musically themed service. Up to ten musical instruments can be wired into our music system, so even with the biggest service everyone can hear.
Funeral Expenses
Your funeral director is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the funeral service. An important aspect of this responsibility is arranging payments on your behalf for the purchase of all goods and services associated with the funeral. These services might typically include cemetery plots, cremation fees, floral tributes, funeral notices, catering services, clergy and musician fees.
By arranging for all expenses to be itemised on one account, billing is kept as convenient as possible. Our own services will be detailed on the same invoice. Payment can be made by direct debit, cash, cheque or credit card (1.5% surcharge). If the person who has died held a bank account with sufficient funds to cover funeral expenses, the funeral director’s account can be presented to the bank for direct payment.
Although during a time of sadness it may seem awkward to talk about costs, open and honest discussion is necessary during the planning stages of the funeral. It is important to balance emotional decisions with practical common sense. When your funeral director addresses the issue of funeral expenses during the planning stage of the funeral, they are acting in your best interests.
Have More Questions, We're Here to help.
Our professional staff are here to help and assist you and your family. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.
122-158 Uralla Rd,
(PO Box 4424) Armidale NSW 2350
Phone: (02) 6772 2288 | Fax: (02) 6771 2653
Email: info@piddingtons.com.au
