Faq's

• When Someone Dies
  • Q. What do I need to do when someone dies?
  • Q. What happens when someone dies unexpectedly?
  • Q. How long does it take for a deceased to be released to the funeral directors after a post-mortem?
  • Q. What is a post-mortem or autopsy?
• About Embalming
  • Q. Does the body have to be embalmed?
  • Q. Why is embalming done?
  • Q. What sort of clothing does the deceased need?
  • Q. How much make-up is applied to the deceased?
• About Funeral Directors
  • Q. Do we need to use funeral directors?
• Viewing the deceased
  • Q. Is viewing the deceased recommended?
  • Q. Should children be allowed to view?
  • Q. How should the viewing process be handled?
  • Q. Can adults learn anything from children?
• The Funeral Service
  • Q. What things need to be considered when planning a funeral service?
  • Q. Should the family use a minister or a celebrant?
  • Q. Is there such a thing as funeral etiquette?
  • Q. What is the funeral procession?
  • Q. Should the funeral be an intimate or grand affair?
  • Q. Can I be confident Mannings are familiar with the customs/funeral rites of my specific religion?
• About Ashes
  • Q. What container are the ashes returned to the family in?
  • Q. Can I be sure the ashes that are returned to me are those of my family member?
  • Q. Can families scatter ashes wherever they like?
  • Q. How soon after the funeral should the family make a decision about the placement of ashes?
• Costs and Formalities
  • Q. How do I get a death certificate?
  • Q. What is the cost of a funeral?
  • Q. Where do I obtain funeral insurance?
  • Q. How do I organise a Prepaid Funeral

Should children be allowed to view?

ABSOLUTELY!   Martha-Louise believes they should be given the opportunity to view, but if they don’t want to, then that too, should be respected. She believes that it is often the adults who have a problem with viewing and they make a judgement call on behalf of the children saying it would be too distressing when really they are imposing their ideas on to their children. Children don’t realize the finality of death and therefore deal with it in a different way. As an 8 year old, Martha-Louise viewed her mother who had died of breast cancer and applauds her late father for being such a strong advocate of involving her in all aspects of her mother’s death and funeral. “I have had parents nervously bring in their children to view a grandparent and after a few minutes of the children standing on chairs to look inside the casket and asking a few questions say, “can we go to the park now” or “can we go to McDonalds?”. Meanwhile the parents are bereft and the children have moved on! I have met people in their 60’s who were prevented as children from seeing their parents and have carried that anguish with them through the years. Whilst nervous about viewing someone, they feel afterwards they have gone some way to eliminating the past.