Funeral Parlors are the ones in the UK which function like an agent in between which do anything and everything related to funerals for a stipulated amount of money. The parlor has trained professional staff that is available for funeral services all the time. They arrange the funeral ‘the client’ wants. Once the parlor is approached after the death of a person, the parlor takes the vein and helps the family of the bereaved do the burial and post-burial rituals professionally. As every client needs different kinds of burial, the parlor briefs them about the myriad burial plans they have and helps them choose the appropriate scheme which suits their requirements.
The parlors even have advance funeral plans which help one book the funeral in advance the way he/she or the beloved one wants- in much the same way one would make a Will or take out life insurance. The services provided include giving advice and information on all details from registering the death, carrying the body to the parlor, keeping the body till the burial/cremation with respect and sensitivity, embalming the body if required, making arrangements on behalf of the client with other people such as the crematorium or local cemetery, giving advice on charities, news paper announcements if required, stationery and memorials, dressing up and making up the body before funeral, arranging the funeral as per the availability of the crematorium or chapel, the funeral service as per family traditions or religious preferences which can include any thing that the client feels appropriate, the hearse which is followed by the chauffeured limousines that save the client from the worries about parking, driving and getting to the service on time, arranging the horse-drawn hearse, choosing the coffins, choosing the flowers, arranging the mourners, arranging the coffin bearers, printing the thanks cards for those who attended the funeral, arranging the doves to be released after the burial if the client so wishes, arranging the get together after the funeral either at house or in a hotel, pub or restaurant, putting the memorial grave stone etc.
The service provided does not end at the funeral. The parlor provides the bereaved family with a range of leaflets on coming to terms with the death and they put the family in touch with the local counseling services and support groups.
The service is taken to such an extend that the parlor passes information of the death to the companies which specialize in preventing junk mails from being sent to the died person as the family members may find it distressing when a mail is addressed to the person who has died.