Understanding Direct Cremation Part 4 – Save on your memorialization costs
A direct cremation offers a family the opportunity to ‘simply’ employ the services of a funeral director and/or crematory to conduct the disposition of the deceased. As mentioned in my earlier posts on Understanding Direct Cremation, it can help the family arrange a direct cremation cheaply. Then, the family can arrange their own memorial service.
Once the direct cremation has been performed and the family has the ashes returned, a memorial service or life celebration service can be held. This can be held anywhere and does not need to be in a funeral home. Indeed it can be more befitting and uplifting to hold a memorial service somewhere that is special to the family or the deceased. It can be held in a place of worship, a community center, a golf course clubhouse, or outdoors in a garden or park. The possibilities are endless!
Some in the funeral industry will have us believe that the ritual of memorialization is integral to how we grieve. I believe that how everyone handles loss and grieving differs and that families are far better equipped to know and commemorate their loved one who has passed.
Some families need a funeral director, a minister, or a Celebrant to help them conduct an appropriate and befitting tribute. However, there is no ‘rule’ that says this is right for every family. If you wish to conduct your own personalized memorial service, there are many resources and ideas online to help you.
Nowadays, you can quite easily make your own memorial products such as memory tables or boards, memorial candles or balloons, memorial DVD tributes, or a dedicated online memorial webpage. If you are considering scattering some (or all) of your loved ones’ ashes, there are many creative ways to do so.
Part 6: Death away from home – a direct cremation & shipping cremated remains
I have been researching and writing about the death care industry for the last fifteen years. End of life services and experiences are something most of us choose not to reflect upon until we are suddenly faced with dealing with it. I have been contributing comprehensive and independent resources for families that explain how the funeral industry operates, and the laws that govern funeral practices. Sara writes for US Funerals Online and DFS Memorials LLC, as well as contributing to other forums and publications for the death care industry. I have a BA in Cultural Studies. This helps my analysis of cultural death care rituals, alongside a career background in Business Management. The death care industry is undergoing an epoch of change and this fascinates me.
