Funerals

HELPING YOU MAKE ARRANGEMENTS

When you suffer a bereavement, a funeral for a member of your family is the most difficult day of your life.  Everything your family and friends ever thought about a loved one is expressed on that day.

When someone dies it comes as a great shock.  Sometimes the death may be expected but nothing prepares you for the emotional shock of losing someone close.

As your funeral directors, we are here to help and advice in whatever way we can.  We are dedicated professionals who provide a personal service to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It is a rare privilege to be a funeral director, to stand in a sensitive position at a crucial time in the midst of your family, knowing that the quality of our service and reputation will help you through this most difficult time in your lives.

Arranging a Funeral

HELPING YOU MAKE ARRANGEMENTS

This page is an extension to the specialist information that the funeral director will discuss with you.  It allows you to sit in the privacy of your own home and reflect on the information you have been given and to raise any further questions you may have about complementary or additional services we can provide.

It is not our policy to impose urgency or apply undue pressure on you or your family.  It is important for many people to reflect on the personality and character of the deceased within the arrangements and this often requires time and thought to do so.

Our services to you start when you contact us, whether by telephone or calling personally to the office and extend often way beyond the day of the funeral.

We are ready to help immediately, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and are here to guide you every step of the way, on first contact, we will ask for preliminary details, whereupon, if the deceased has died in hospital, at home or in a private nursing home, we will advise the conveyance of the deceased to our private rest rooms.

We will need to know if you have been issued with a death certificate (sometimes called a medical certificate or Form 11) as you will need this to register the death.

How to obtain a death certificate –

The doctor or hospital will issue a death certificate, provided there are no unusual circumstances or the cause of death is quite clear.  In some cases a post-mortem examination may be required to determine cause of death or if there are unusual circumstances the death will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

The Procurator Fiscal has a duty to investigate all sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected and unexplained deaths and any death occurring in circumstances that give rise to serious public concern.

If the deceased is reported to the Procurator Fiscal or has a post-mortem examination, the funeral service will be delayed until enquiries are complete, which can sometimes take anything between a few days or weeks, the funeral director will liaise directly with the relevant department and keep you informed on progress.

Death Certificate &
Registering a Death

How to register a death

We will arrange an appointment for you to register the death.

How to Register a Death.

To register the death you need to have a simple interview with the registrar at the register office.

Who can register-

  • any relative (this includes the spouse or civil partner of the person who died or a relative by marriage or civil partnership)
  • any person present at the death
  • the executor or other legal representative
  • the occupier of the premises where the death took place

Documents required-

  • Death certificate (Medical certificate/Form 11), most Surgeries, Hospitals and Care Homes will now email the Death Certificate direct to the Registrar.
  • The person’s birth and marriage or civil partnership certificates, if available.
  • Any certificate or document relating to any pension, benefits, or allowances which the person was receiving from public funds
  • NHS medical card, if available.

Details required-

  • The full name of the person who has died
  • Their full address
  • Their date of birth
  • Details of where and when the person died
  • Their occupation (if any)

If the person who has died is a married woman, you will need to give her maiden name and her husband’s full name and occupation.

Aberdeenshire Council provide a “Tell Us Once” service that can help make things easier for you, as they can give information to the Department for Work and Pensions who, in turn, pass on this information to a number of other government departments on your behalf and to other local authority services.  This service can be accessed when you have your appointment with the Registrar.  Please see separate leaflet for more information.

From 13th May 2015 national legislation changed the process of registration of deaths and requires Healthcare Improvement Scotland to review a random sample of death certificates.  These random reviews are designed to check the quality and accuracy of certificates and to improve how this information is recorded.  Reviews will be conducted by a team of medical reviewers, all of whom are experienced doctors.

How this affects you –

If the death you are registering is selected for review you may not immediately be able to complete the death registration.  The registrar will explain the review process and timescales and will contact you when the review is complete.

You can still make initial funeral arrangements while the review is underway.  However, the funeral itself cannot take place until the review is completed and a Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14) is produced.

Coffin Selection

Our range of coffins

We have a wide selection of Coffins available, which can be viewed in our Fraserburgh Office, ranging from flat lids to raised lids, panelled sides and Solid Coffins in light Oak, Dark Oak and some are available in Black.  We can offer Eco Coffins in wicker or bamboo.  We also have a small selection of wooden ashes caskets.

We can order many different types of ashes caskets, American style coffins and can order the more modern picture or glitter coffins too.

Cremation Coffin Oak Burial Coffin Wicker Coffin Black Flat Lid Coffin Light Oak Flat Lid Coffin Light Oak, Raised Lid Coffin Medium Oak, Flat Lid Coffin Medium Oak, Raised Lid Coffin Panelled Side with Raised Lid Coffin Light Solid Coffin Dark Solid Coffin Amble Ashes Casket
Here at Buchan's we believe creating a beautiful memorial card in memory of your loved one, is a fitting tribute and keepsake for friends and family to cherish. It can help families, in a time of great sadness, to remember some special memories they have shared with their loved one. All our hymn sheets are created in house and can have as many photos as you wish and tailored to your specific requirements. Some examples are show.

Hymn Sheets

Helping you make arrangements

Fleet

Hearse and family cars

We always pride ourselves with our appearance and the same goes for our fleet. Our Hearses and Cars are always cleaned to highest standard.

We have two hearses in our fleet an Insignia Hearse and recently purchased an Eco-friendly Norwood Hybrid Hearse, Alexander Buchan and Son are going green. 🍃

We also have chauffeur driven cars for mourners at request including Insignia and Ford Galaxy which can carry 6 mourners.

Collection of donations.

After the service we will count the donations, record the amount and store it in our safe, we would normally advise you to collect the donations yourself as we feel it is more personal for the family to hand their donation to the charity themselves.  If you would like us to donate your money, please let us know.

Acknowledgement

Some people like to put an acknowledgement in a newspaper to thank people for attending the funeral, there is no set time limit for this, you can contact us and we will be able to help with wording and arrange this to be inserting in a newspaper of your choice.  We can also post your acknowledgement on our Facebook page which is proving to be a popular way to remember your loved one with a photo.

After a funeral

Collection of Ashes

If your loved one has been cremated, you will have been asked at the time of signing the cremation application who you would like to pick up the ashes.  The crematorium have strict rules about who can pick up the ashes, if you have asked us to collect the ashes but have since changed your mind you will have to inform us to make the necessary changes.

We offer to pick up ashes on our next visit to the crematorium free of charge, if ashes are required before the next visit there is a small transport charge.

We can also arrange for the ashes to be interred in the cemetery of your choice.

Headstones

Many people gain comfort from having a headstone erected as a lasting memory for a loved one who has died.  If this is something you would like to consider, please ask for a brochure.  We can also arrange to have inscriptions added to an existing headstone and have the headstone cleaned and older inscriptions re-gilded or re-painted.

Costs and Charges

Whilst arranging the funeral, we will advise you on costs and charges to be incurred, culminating in a full written estimate that should be agreed and signed so that you feel confident with the funeral commitment you have arranged.
Please click HERE for our CMA Standardised Price List.
Please click HERE for our full price list including additional options.

The funeral account itself is divided into two separate parts-

  1. The funeral directors charges, which contain conveyance of your loved one to our care, all professional fees for hygienic preparation, care and attendance to your loved one, provision of 24 hour funeral director services including, use of rest rooms with you own personal key, so you can visit at any time, day or night, appropriate advice, support & guidance necessary to make the funeral arrangements, completion of all associated documentation, liaison and co-ordination with all necessary third parties and all necessary staff to conduct the funeral service, coffin of your choice, coffin pad, hymn sheets or memory cards (if required), Use of chapel and use of  hearse including chauffeurs, any family cars requested and grave marker (if required).
  2. Payments made on your behalf, which include, cremation fees, church fees, minister / reader / humanist /organist / piper fees, death notices and acknowledgements in newspapers.

**Please note Aberdeenshire Council will now invoice you directly with purchase of lairs (if required) and opening of lairs, as they can now offer credit facilities.

Funeral Teas and Flowers are usually invoiced direct to yourself from the supplier

    Charges for Aberdeen City Cremations can be found HERE.
    Charges for Aberdeenshire Burial Grounds can be found HERE.
    Charges for Baldarroch Chapel and Crematorium can be found HERE.
    Charges for Moray Crematorium can be found HERE.