Types of Services and Planning Considerations

Consider and Honor Wishes: consider any expressions of their wishes, even if unofficial. Think about what suits their personality, preferences, and life.

Different Types of Services:

• Funeral Service: Typically led by clergy or a funeral director, held in a place of worship or funeral home, and may include a casket or urn.
• Graveside or Committal Service: Occurs at the burial site after interment, whether in a casket or urn.
• Direct Burial: Involves taking the deceased directly to the cemetery without a formal service.
• Direct Cremation: Involves taking the deceased directly to the crematorium without a formal service.
• Memorial Service: Celebrates the memory of the deceased without the body present; urn may be present for cremation.
• Celebration of Life: A personalized, secular service celebrating the deceased's life, held at any time.
• Wake: A Catholic-rooted ceremony held before the funeral with the casket present for informal grieving.
• Viewing: Involves an open casket for friends and family to pay respects, sometimes during a wake.
• Visitation: Often part of a funeral or wake, where immediate family receives condolences.
• Scattering Ceremony: Follows cremation, scattering ashes over a meaningful place.
• Research and Plan:
  • Crematorium Consideration: Research prices and services before visiting a crematorium. Determine whether a ceremony is desired and what to do with the ashes.
  • Find a Crematorium: If not using a funeral home, select a crematorium carefully, as services and options may differ. Discuss the cremation type that suits your family's needs.
  • Purchase an Urn: Choose an urn based on intended use, size, style, and display considerations. Online vendors offer various options.
  • Decide on Ash Scattering: Determine whether to scatter ashes, keep them in an urn, bury them, or place them in a mausoleum or columbarium. Be aware of legal and cultural considerations.

Plan a Ceremony:

Decide if you want a private moment, a service at the scattering site, a memorial service with the urn, or a burial ceremony. Incorporate traditions or creativity to celebrate your loved one's life.

NOTE: You can compare funeral homes and cremation companies with Funeralocity and Parting.com.A more in depth blog on these topics can be found here: Guide to Different Funeral Ceremonies and How to Thoughtfully Plan Them