When someone close to us passes away, it’s natural to feel sorrow and loss. In addition to grieving the loss of a loved one, you will also be responsible for making important decisions regarding the deceased’s final disposition. That said, cremation may be one of your options.
In order to ensure that your loved one’s cremation goes as smoothly as possible, you may take into account the following suggestions.
1. Organizing the Funeral or Memorial
In most cases, a funeral service is held before a cremation, usually within a few days of the death. There is the option of holding a “wake” or visitation with the family the night before or hours before the funeral itself. Visitation could be optional, depending on your preferences.
An increasingly common choice for funeral locations among families is the chapel of a funeral home. The use of the funeral home’s chapel for both the wake and the funeral is often included in the all-inclusive packages offered by many establishments in the funeral industry.
You also have another option with cremation. If you’d like, your cremation agency can handle the actual cremation, and you can hold a memorial service at a later date. If you have out-of-town relatives that need advance notice to arrange a visit, this choice may provide you with that.
2. Knowing Where to Assemble Your Family for a Memorable Gathering
If you decide to have a memorial ceremony, you can have it pretty much anyplace. Caskets and flower-adorned chapels are unnecessary. One option is to spread the ashes at sea on a memorial cruise with friends and family. Another is to rent a park shelter and have a picnic in their honor.
Holding a wake and funeral service at a community center, church, or other religious establishment is an option if you decide to have a funeral. The transportation of the deceased is a standard service provided by funeral homes of the highest caliber.
3. Choosing Whether to Embalm or Otherwise
If there will be a lengthy interval between the death and the wake, embalming must be accounted for in any plans for an open-casket viewing.
If you don’t want your loved one embalmed or you want to go the eco-friendly route, you don’t have to. However, if you decide against being embalmed, time is of the essence when it comes to finalizing your funeral plans.
If cremation is performed as soon as possible in the funeral or memorial planning process, embalming may not be necessary. If you aren’t going to have a wake and funeral before the cremation, there’s no reason to delay the process. In short, the cremation can be scheduled immediately after the death, eliminating the need for embalming. The funeral service can be held whenever is most convenient for the family.
4. Options for Cremation Urns
In most cases, the cardboard box or plastic bag in which your cremains are returned to you from the cremation center will be temporary. The next step is to select an urn or other suitable container for the remains.
Urns come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, materials, and aesthetics. Price-wise, they cover a wide spectrum, from cheap and simple to elaborate and costly. The maximum amount you can spend on an urn for your loved one’s ashes is unlimited. Keep in mind that the urn holding their cremains is of secondary importance to the celebration of their lives.
5. Items to be Placed in the Urn or Casket
Putting a meaningful memento or heirloom inside the casket or urn with your deceased loved one might help you feel closer to them in their last resting place. You may wish to include a message expressing your love and sorrow along with a favorite book, toy, article of clothing, or piece of jewelry. These keepsakes will accompany your loved one’s cremated remains wherever they may end up, whether in an urn or elsewhere.
Conclusion
When deciding on cremation for a loved one, many choices must be made, including those listed above. Knowing what to expect and having plans in place can allow you and your family to concentrate on sharing memories of your loved one and comforting one another during this difficult time.
Some people prefer to be cremated rather than buried. You and your family should feel free to make whatever cremation arrangements you see fit for your loved one. Think about how everyone will be affected by your decision. That said, careful preparation will allow you to honor the life of the departed and find solace in the face of your loss.
If you are looking for a well-trusted funeral home that offers affordable cremation services in Jacksonville, FL, look no further than our services here at Evergreen JAX. By combining a cemetery, funeral home, and crematory, we offer families cost savings along with the convenience of making all their arrangements in one location. Call us today and let us discuss about the funeral services that you may need.
