What Are Common Reasons for Choosing to Have a Home Funeral?

People choose to hold a home funeral for a number of reasons. Some of the most common are:

• to have a more meaningful experience in honoring a loved one
• to choose environmentally sound practices
• to create a more personal space for grief
• to respect the wishes of the person who died
• to reduce the costs that are associated with traditional funeral services

Many people find comfort in being able to honor their loved one in a familiar setting without the intermingling of professional services and strangers. By choosing a home funeral, families are able to maintain a greater sense of autonomy and control in the planning, mourning and funeral process. It may also make it easier for them to adhere to specific cultural or religious customs. 

Grief is a deeply personal and intense experience, often paired with emotions that people are not comfortable with sharing in public spaces or among unfamiliar people. Some families prefer to have a home funeral since it provides a more private and intimate space for their grief. A family and their close friends might gather together to mourn and remember their loved one in a small group, preferring to share in this experience privately instead of having a larger funeral service with people from the community. Everyone grieves differently. Choosing a home funeral can also make it more comfortable for family and loved ones to grieve in the way that they’re familiar with on a cultural and personal level. 

Some people choose a home funeral due to their relation to more environmentally sound practices. Home funerals can be combined with green burials, cremation and other alternatives that have a smaller carbon footprint than traditional funerals. Due to the larger focus on taking a natural approach to the funeral and memorialization process, families may also choose not to embalm their loved one. If the person who died was an outspoken advocate for preserving the environment, they may have indicated their preference was to have a home funeral paired with a natural burial or similar practices. Families typically want to make choices that align with the values and legacy of their loved one. So, a home funeral and related arrangements might be chosen for this reason. 

Finally, home funerals are typically more affordable in comparison to traditional funeral services. While traditional funerals can cost at least $8,000 without including important components such as the burial, casket and vault, a home funeral can be conducted for a few hundred dollars. The difference in pricing can mean that families with few financial resources can still honor and remember their loved one without sacrificing quality or comfort. 

Sources
“What are top reasons people choose home funeral care?” National Home Funeral Alliance. https://www.homefuneralalliance.org/faqs.html 

“Why choose a home funeral?” Final Passages. https://finalpassages.org/why-choose-a-home-funeral