This section of the hotline is entitled the "5 Critical Elements of a Successful Arrangements."
You might be wondering "what is a successful arrangement," the good news is it has absolutely nothing to do with how much money you spend. A successful funeral arrangement is not a sad business transaction, it's a planning meeting which provides you with a forum for designing a meaningful and memorable funeral service that celebrates the life stories of your loved one. This can be done either in the comfort of your own home or at our centrally located office. It's a time to select stories and plan exactly how we will communicate those stories to the rest of your family and friends. On many occasions, families have found that making arrangements is a surprisingly uplifting event as they begin to recall the good times that they had with their loved one.

There are 5 critical elements during the funeral arrangement process;
The first critical element is the participation of as many family members as possible. In general you should feel free to involve as many family members as you like. This allows the family to reach a consensus on the best way to celebrate the life of their loved one. Different family members often have different viewpoints and it's best to work out any issues as a group.

The second critical element is to bring with you some of your favourite life stories about your loved one. You won't have to prepare anything, these will be the stories that quickly come to mind when you think of the deceased. The life stories you have about your loved one can come form the basis of a truly amazing funeral service.

The third critical element of a successful arrangement meeting is to be creative. A good funeral home will never limit how you wish to celebrate the life of your loved one, it can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like. One of the best things you could do is to bring in items that will help tell the story of you loved one. When you bring in memorabilia, it shifts the focus off their death and onto their life. If your loved one was an averred golfer, bring in their golf clubs, quilt maker, bring in their quilts. We once had a family provide us with all their loved ones stitch work art which we had on display during the service. Adding personal touches is something will love to encourage. The possibilities are truly endless.
Our entire funeral home is intentionally designed to feel like a true family home instead of a rigid institution and when you are here we want you to feel like you're at home.

The forth element of a successful arrangement meeting is that it must encompass the needs of every generation of your family, from elders to infants and everyone in between. It is possible to design a funeral service that provides healing for absolutely every generation. At Cairns Funeral Directors we have specifically designed our funeral home and our style of service to meet the needs of your entire family, from our lounge area with toys and games to keep the little ones entertained, to our 100% handicap accessible facility. Our goal is to serve every generation of your family.

The fifth element of a successful arrangement meeting is that the family becomes comfortable leaning on us. We will design the life story together but after that you can be at ease knowing that we will handle all of the details for you. Please be assured that the person who does the arrangements with you, will be the same person with you on the day of the service. Remember we walk this path with families every day, but we still understand your concerns and always insist that if any one has any questions to contact us at anytime. We are always available to help you.

To summarise the 5 critical elements of a successful arrangement meeting are:
1. Participation - we would like as many family members as you can bring.
2. Bring their stories - because it's their stories that are their life.
3. Be Creative - we will help you with your ideas and the possibilities are endless.
4. Involve every generation - that's what family is all about.
5. Lean on us - because when you are walking this path, we know the way.

Cairns Funeral Directors is a local, family owned and operated funeral home, not a multinational company. We are not here to become rich but to help you at your time of need.
We feel honoured that families entrust us with the finer details of how their loved one will be remembered.

I hope this information has been helpful. If you need any help or have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us on 4053 7499.