After my father passed away suddenly, my mother, siblings and I all struggled with planning his funeral. We were already in a state of shock and sorrow, and then we were overwhelmed with the options and decisions we had to make in regards to the funeral. Luckily for us, we worked with an amazing funeral home and funeral director who helped guide us through the process. I know how hard it is to plan a funeral and how many decisions need to be made. This website was created in order to give families preparing to lay a loved one to rest a guide of sorts that will help them determine what decisions will need to be made and information about those decisions. I extend my sympathies to you if you are in this position and hope my website helps to make things a little bit easier for you.
When doing your funeral pre-planning, you have more choices to consider with cremation. You can follow most of the steps in a traditional casket service and burial. But cremation gives you the flexibility to change when and where to have the cremation services to make it more convenient for your family. Here are some of the different choices you have when you make cremation part of your funeral pre-planning.
Planning a Viewing or Visitation
If you wish to have a viewing, you will still have to have your body embalmed, even though that's not necessary for cremation. States require a body to be embalmed within a specific number of days after death, so your viewing will have to be scheduled around that. An alternative to a viewing is to plan a visitation service.
A visitation is simply a closed casket service. Friends and family can still stop by to pay their respects, but there is no body to view. In this case, you can be cremated and delay the visitation for days or weeks, giving people the chance to come into town from long distances. This can be more convenient for your family members who wish to be present.
Cremation Services Options
With cremation, you can delay having the formal funeral service until it's convenient for your family. You also have more options as to where to have the services. Places where it's inconvenient for a casket service can accommodate a cremation urn and service. A public park, on a boat or in the middle of a sports field are examples of places available to you when choosing cremation.
Interment Options
Your family will receive your cremains in an urn after your cremation, but you still have several options for burial. You can choose to purchase a casket and have a traditional burial in a cemetery with a graveside service. You can also purchase a smaller plot in the cemetery and have your urn buried there.
A columbarium is a special cemetery space made for cremation burials. Some cemeteries have a section of land set aside for cremation urn burials. These are often surrounded by gardens to create a pleasant place for your family to visit. Columbariums also have a facility with small niches in which your urn can be stored and locked away. These are normally in a building, sheltered from the weather. Whether you choose your cremains to be buried in the ground or placed in a columbarium niche, you can still hold a burial service.
The other option for your cremains is dispersal. Your family spreads the cremains on land or water that was important to you. The cremains are sterile and pose no health threat to people or animals. Some places, such as a ball park or federal land, require special permission to place your cremains on their property.
When working on your funeral pre-planning, look at the different options available with cremation. It can make your funeral plans more convenient, and meaningful, to your friends and family. To learn more, contact a company like Suess Bernard Funeral Home Inc. with any questions or concerns you have.
Share17 April 2015
