With cremation becoming more popular, families are now able to hold their own memorial service or ash scattering ceremony. If you wish to save money on the overall expense of a funeral, arranging your own DIY memorial service can certainly help.
Visit our Complete Guide to Memorialization and Cremation Tribute Ideas to learn all about Memorial Tributes, and how to create your own affordable Memorial.
A cremation with service from a funeral home can cost upwards of $2,000. An alternative is to arrange for a simple direct cremation, which should cost around $800-$1000, and then conduct your own memorial service.
You can gather family and friends together at home, or at a special place to the deceased and hold a ‘life celebration’, where family members can share stories. You can make it as simple, or elaborate as you desire. Choosing to personalize it as a tribute to the loved one you lost. Did he or she have a special interest or quirky hobby that you can theme your tribute around?
You can make your own ‘Memory Board’ or slideshow, or make your own guest book/board for guests to leave a memorial tribute in. Whether you decide to offer food and drink and go for a party-style send-off or just gather together quietly to pay last respects, you are completely in control.
There are so many wonderful ideas for personalizing a memorial, and if you do it yourself, then it truly IS personal.
INEXPENSIVE IDEAS FOR A PERSONALIZED MEMORIAL:
Get everyone to bring something that reminds them of the deceased
Hand everyone some memory seeds to plant
Have a butterfly or Chinese lantern release
Record a memory movie and make copies for everyone gathered
Have a themed event related to the deceased’s life
Create a ‘Memory Tree’
Have a candle-lighting ceremony
Whether you choose to keep or scatter the cremated remains is entirely up to you. Many people can scatter all the ashes and then regret that they have no ‘physical’ legacy of the deceased, so do no rush to scatter all the ashes unless you are very sure this is for you. (Or, of course, the request of the deceased)
There is a multitude of ideas for how you can inexpensively and imaginatively scatter ashes. Visit our full Guide to Scattering Cremated Remains to learn tips for how to scatter safely, legal implications, and tips on places to scatter and hold an ash scattering memorial.
All-in-all, creating your own memorial service can cost you less and prove to be much more personalized.
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.
