At love to celebrate we are counting down the days until the Royal Wedding of Kate Middleton & Prince William!!  In fact for the past couple of weeks we have been dreaming of wedding dresses, high tea, scones & jam, cupcakes,  fine bone china, kitsch wedding souveniers and the Union Jack!! So in honour of the happy couple we decided to pay tribute to this royal occassion with a very “British” window display!!

This week we were very luck to have a friend bring us some “authentic” Royal Wedding memorabilia fresh from the London High Street in her suitcase!!  How cute are the little wind-up Queen and Prince Phillip which we have placed on top of our beautiful wedding cake from Sonia and her team at Kiss Me Cake!! We thought they “topped it off” nicely!!

The girls at Kiss Me Cake  never fail to amaze us with their beautiful cake creations so we also commissioned them to create these gorgeous little treats to mark the occassion!! Just perfect for British Royalty!!

Are you as excited as we are about the Royal Wedding?  Are you staying home next Friday night to watch the wedding broadcast? Or are you hosting your very own Royal Wedding themed event?  We’d love to see some photos if you are hosting an event!! Please email them to us at lovetocelebrate@iinet.net.au and we will showcase some of the best in the first week of May…or in other words when the happy couple are on their honeymoon!!

The Responsibilities of the Funeral Director

Over the years, the responsibilities and role of the funeral director has changed. Currently, modern funeral directors work with families to help them deal with their stress and grief in addition to the duties of the past, which primarily included preparation of the body for burial. Greenhaven funerals have now assumed the responsibility for both the memorial and funeral services which were once handled by the clergy, family, or friends.

Every single detail involved in planning for a funeral is overseen by the funeral director. These professionals complete the necessary paperwork including the death certificate and arrange for the transportation of the body to the funeral home. Because of this, the family and friends of the deceased don’t have to deal with the legal paperwork and can spend time grieving.

After a loved one passes away, the funeral director meets with the family to make arrangements. Either an urn, vault, or casket is selected. During this discussion, the services are planned and choices are made about grave markers, headstones, pallbearers, music, and flower arrangements. The Melbourne funeral director assists in most aspects of either the memorial service or funeral. The family will not have to write out many checks because payments to third party vendors are arranged by the funeral director. All necessary costs are covered by one payment to the funeral home, which makes the process much simpler.

Arrangements can be made for video slideshows and photos of the deceased to be shown by the friends and family. Room for these items is made available by the funeral director to the family. The funeral director also helps with the selection of thank you notes and a guestbook.

Once arrangements have been made, the funeral director completes the preparation by either cremating or embalming the loved one. Either a licensed mortician working at the funeral home or the funeral director himself will complete the preparations including the application of makeup, dressing, and casketing. 
Arrangements are made by the funeral director with the Melbourne cemetery to open a vault in a mausoleum or to dig the grave. In addition, they will speak with the clergy member selected by the family and let them know which music was selected and what the time of the service will be. In addition, they will inform the life insurance provider that the deceased has died and will send local newspapers an obituary. They also have a direct cremation service for Melbourne residents

Melbourne Cemetery ChapelOnce the funeral service is over, transportation to the cemetery from the funeral home is arranged by the funeral director. In addition, they will take flowers from the home to the graveside and send any remaining flowers to hospitals or other locations as requested by the family.

The funeral director’s primary job is to help the friends and family of the deceased get through the funeral without being overwhelmed by details. The professional guidance of the director allows the family to focus on fondly memorializing their deceased family member during their time of grief.