Pre-planning with BONNEY WATSON ensures your wishes are honored and your family is supported.
Pre-Planning a Funeral or Memorial
Advanced Planning
Peace of Mind Begins with a Plan
Our Commitment to Families
At BONNEY WATSON, we provide compassionate services tailored to your advanced planning needs.
Personalized Services
We offer a full range of advanced planning services designed to celebrate, honor, and remember.
Price Guarantee
Offering a full range of guaranteed plans.
Benefits of Pre-Planning
Planning a memorial or funeral service in advance does not have to be a somber affair. On the contrary, it can be empowering to design a service as you feel your life should be remembered and celebrated. It also reduces the stress and burden on bereaved family members who would otherwise be required to make emotionally charged decisions after a loss.
Why Should You Plan in Advance?
When you are planning your arrangements in advance, you are looking to understand why our services are important enough for you to invest in. Death is a troubling topic for most, if not all, people we interact with daily.
By pre-planning your arrangements, you are able to consider your options and make choices without the heavy burden that accompanies a death. Pre-planning acts as an opportunity to discuss your wishes and desires with those closest to you, so the choices you make uphold the rituals and traditions most important to you.
Price Guarantee
Cost is always a concern when making your final arrangements, and you want to make sure that you receive value for the services you invest in.
It is important for you to have the peace of mind of knowing that by pre-planning your arrangements in advance, your loved ones will not be burdened by making decisions about what is best for you and coming up with the resources to pay your final expenses at the time of need.
BONNEY WATSON offers a full range of guaranteed plans, including all details regarding disposition, placement, and ceremony — so you have the assurance that your wishes will be honored and paid for in advance. Learn more about our pricing.
Weight Off Your Loved One’s Shoulders
When plans are left unmade, loved ones are often faced with difficult decisions during an already emotional time. Pre-planning allows you to share your wishes, record important details, and even take care of financial considerations ahead of time.
By doing so, you give your family the peace of mind that everything has been handled, allowing them to focus on what truly matters: honoring your life and cherishing your memory.
Tell Your Story, Your Way
Many have a specific vision for how they’d like their life to be celebrated and remembered. By pre-planning, you’re given the freedom to choose the details of your service, ensuring it aligns with the values, experiences, and rituals most important to you.
Unique lives should be uniquely celebrated, and pre-planning allows you to create an experience for your loved ones to treasure for years to come. Explore the possibilities, and craft a celebration that is uniquely you.
Approaching the Pre-Planning Conversation
Death is a taboo subject in many cultures, so talking to someone about pre-planning for their own death can be difficult. However, having a conversation with a loved one about their wishes is one of the best gifts they can give to their family.
A helpful way to approach a pre-planning conversation with a loved one is by engaging them in a conversation about what is important to them as they contemplate their final wishes. How do they want to be remembered? What traditions and rituals are important to them? It also helps to share stories about their past and reflect on their experiences that had special meaning to them.
It can be helpful to have an open conversation about how to balance your own wishes with what will bring comfort and healing to those you love. Sometimes people say things like, “Just keep it simple,” or “Don’t make a fuss,” but it’s important to remember that the arrangements made after a passing are also for the family and friends who remain.
Honoring your loved one’s wishes is deeply meaningful, and so is creating space for those left behind to grieve, reflect, and find comfort. Thoughtful planning can help ensure both needs are respected with care and understanding.
Here to Answer Your Pre-Planning Questions
BONNEY WATSON is here to help you through pre-planning. Our knowledgeable, caring team of professionals will provide the necessary guidance as you navigate your options. We will work with you to find unique ways to honor your life in a meaningful way.
We pride ourselves in offering exceptional care and creating meaningful experiences. We have been serving families in the Puget Sound area since 1868, with locations in SeaTac and Federal Way, and promise to serve you in whatever way we can.
Speak with one of our team members here to learn more or contact us here.
Advanced Planning FAQs
Find answers to your questions about our advanced planning services and how we can assist you.
What steps are involved in Advanced Planning?
Once you determine your funeral preferences, a BONNEY WATSON staff person will talk to you about your options and guide you in establishing your own plans. You should find the advice of your family, clergy, and your funeral director especially helpful when considering the options. We will then record certain vital information and gather documents for the required forms.
Next, you can select a casket, burial vault, urn, or other merchandise associated with the service you choose. Finally, you may pay for the services and merchandise ahead of time through our funding program.
How is advanced planning handled?
A BONNEY WATSON staff member will meet with you at a time and location that is convenient and help you record your wishes. You choose everything you want for your funeral: the type of funeral or memorial service, casket, burial vault, urn, music, and flowers. There is absolutely no pressure; the decisions will be all yours. We will also help you record important obituary information. Once you have made your selections, you will learn the payment options available to you. A record of your selections will be kept on file at BONNEY WATSON until needed.
What will the pre-arranged funeral service cost?
The cost is a matter of your choice. You are able to decide on the types of services and merchandise. Once details have been finalized, your BONNEY WATSON family service director will prepare an agreement and a fully itemized statement for your review, and detail your choices for payment.
How are sales regulated in the State of Washington?
BONNEY WATSON is licensed to sell prearrangement funeral service and cemetery contracts by the Washington State Department of Licensing. When you purchase a contract, we are required to deposit or invest a percentage of the money you pay in an insured account to protect your investment. In addition, the State monitors the status of our prearrangement trust funds.
How does advanced planning work if my loved one is on Medicaid?
Under the Federal Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid guidelines of the State of Washington, an irrevocable trust may be established if you are now, or expect to be in the near future, on public assistance. This means you may set any sum of money aside for your funeral, provided the money is specifically set aside for that purpose and can be supported with a list of selected services.
What are the benefits of pre-arranging a funeral or memorial service for myself or a family member?
There are many benefits. Some people choose to plan ahead because they want to spare their family members from having to make decisions during a stressful time, easing the burden during their time of grief. Others have a definite preference concerning their funeral service, and they want their families to be informed and involved in those decisions.
Many people pre-arrange because they like the peace of mind knowing there will be adequate funds to cover funeral expenses. Pre-payment can provide real benefits when you are applying for Medicaid. BONNEY WATSON can provide details.
Most importantly, pre-arrangement allows you the time to make rational decisions without the usual urgency when death takes place.
What are the benefits of prepaying for a service prior to your eligibility for SSI or Medicaid?
Prepaying allows you to pay for the funeral of your choice before assets are used up for medical care and before assets are reduced to SSI or Medicaid eligibility levels.