If you want or need to arrange a funeral quickly, Poppy’s can support you.
In many cases, a funeral can be arranged within seven days, and sometimes sooner, if:
- the death has been registered
- the required paperwork is available
- a crematorium, cemetery, or burial ground has a suitable slot.
The fastest route is usually to speak to a funeral director as soon as you feel able.
People might need to arrange a funeral quickly for several reasons, including:
- Family and friends have come from a great distance to be with the person at the time of death, and you want to have a funeral while they’re still in the country/area.
- Cultural or religious reasons - this is common in many Muslim and Hindu communities, for example.
- Wanting to arrange a direct cremation or burial without a service and a separate memorial at a later date.
- Simply because a quick funeral works best for you.
At Poppy’s, we can usually arrange a funeral within seven days (and sometimes quicker) if needed. If you need to arrange a funeral quickly, you do not have to know every detail before speaking to us. We can help you understand what must happen first, what can happen in parallel, and which choices are most likely to affect timing.
Get a free estimate for a funeral in the next seven days.
Here’s how we can support with a funeral at short notice – and some things you need to bear in mind.
The main steps involved in organising a funeral are:
- Registering the death
- Choosing a funeral director
- Deciding between burial or cremation
- Booking the service, if you’re having one
- Funeral choices such as coffin type and flowers
1. Registering the death
Every death must be registered. This happens when the medical professional who verified the death notifies the local Register Office that a death has happened. The Register Office will then contact the next of kin to ask them to come and register the death.
You will need to book an appointment to register the death via the register office online service. Once completed, the Register Office will then issue a ‘Green Form’. This form is required before a funeral can take place (though you can start organising a funeral before it has been issued).
Register Offices work hard to meet with people as quickly as possible, but their availability will play a role in the speed of a funeral.
If someone has died suddenly or unexpectedly the coroner
may get involved. At that point, it’s up to the coroner when the cremation or burial can go ahead.
The coroner's investigation can take anything from a few days to a couple of weeks, or maybe even longer, but the coroner should try to ensure the person's body can be released as soon as possible.
2. Choosing a funeral director
You don’t need to wait until you have registered the death to choose a funeral director. In fact, we suggest you get in touch with one or more funeral directors as soon as you feel able. You can ask them questions and find out what their availability is looking like for the weeks ago.
Get in touch with Poppy’s.
3. Burial or cremation?
Perhaps you already know whether you would like a cremation or a burial for your person. Both can have an implication on how quickly the funeral can be arranged.
How long does it take to plan a funeral with a cremation?
Cremation involves more paperwork. The crematorium must receive the Green Form for the person who has died before they will cremate someone.
Crematoria usually require that this paperwork be delivered two to three working days before the cremation is supposed to take place. However, this will sometimes move more quickly if it’s required for cultural or religious reasons.
How long does it take to plan a funeral with a burial?
The availability of a cemetery or burial ground plays a big part in the speed with which a burial can take place.
When someone needs to be buried straightaway for religious reasons, most registrars will offer an out-of-hours service.
You’ll need to have the deed for any existing grave plot or else apply to buy a new one. In some cases, burials can happen as soon as the next day, although they’ll usually take longer if you need to buy a plot or make other arrangements.
4. Service or no service?
If you’re looking to arrange the funeral quickly, with a separate memorial service to follow at a later date, a direct cremation or burial may be right for you, and can be arranged quickly.
At Poppy’s, we offer an unattended cremation or burial with the option to visit the person who has died in our peaceful Friends and Family Room, and/or have them dressed.
If you would like a funeral service, venue options will differ whether you’re having a burial or cremation. If you wish to have a service at the crematorium or cemetery where your person is being cremated or buried, they will usually have purpose-built service spaces where services can be arranged when booking the cremation slot. If speed is your priority, it may be more challenging to find an alternative venue with availability at short notice. Your funeral director will support you in finding out what your options are for a funeral service.
5. Funeral choices, such as coffin types
At Poppy’s, we keep a small range of simple, quality coffins in stock, so there are options available even when time is limited. This usually includes our traditional elm veneer coffin or one of our cardboard coffins. Cardboard coffins can be personalised to reflect the personality of the person who has died. Other coffins styles may need to be pre-ordered and would take more time to arrive.
Whatever is most important to you in terms of funeral choices, we can help you think through your options and share some of the brilliant and creative choices that previous clients have made, even with limited time.
Poppy’s Simple Cremation with Service
We offer a simple cremation with service - a lower-cost option for those who are looking for a simple, quality funeral -delivered, as always, with Poppy’s outstanding care for the living and the dead. This might be a good choice for you if you want to arrange a funeral quickly.
What's included:
- A 20-minute service at Lambeth Crematorium in Wandsworth at 9am on the date of your choosing
- Support with completing all the necessary paperwork – we'll guide you step by step
- Choice of three coffin styles
- Poppy's hearse
- A single photo or digital photo to display at the service
- Collection of the person who has died, to be cared for in our beautiful mortuary
- Option to visit your person and/or have them dressed.
Get a quote for a Simple Cremation with Service.
Get in touch to find out how we can support you with arranging a funeral quickly
Ultimately, there’s no single answer to how long it takes to organise a funeral, it really comes down to your priorities and what feels important.
At Poppy's, we can help to organise these steps and explain what your choices might mean for timing and will always strive to arrange a funeral that works for you.
Frequently asked questions about arranging a funeral quickly
Can a funeral be arranged within a week?
In many cases, yes. At Poppy’s, we can usually arrange a funeral within seven days, and sometimes sooner, depending on registration, paperwork, venue availability, and whether the coroner is involved.
Do I need to register the death before speaking to a funeral director?
No. You can speak to a funeral director before the death has been registered, and they can explain what can be started straight away.
What is the fastest type of funeral to arrange?
A direct cremation or burial without a service may be quicker to arrange than a funeral with a full service, because there are usually fewer venue and service choices to coordinate.
Read our list of suggestions for what to do when someone dies to help you through these first few days or look through questions to consider when choosing a crematorium.
If you’re ready to arrange a funeral, we’re here for you.
