Cremation Services

Cremation Services can vary, depending on a family's budget and how they want to celebrate the life of their loved one. When cremation is the choice as the means of final disposal of a loved one, there are several different decisions that a family will have to make. Some Cremation Services can be simple, while other Cremation Services can be elaborate. Below is a list of the different Cremation Services that are available, and how each one will differ from the others in cost.

Direct Cremation Services

Direct cremation is the simplest of Cremation Services, wherein the deceased is transferred from the place of death to the crematory. Visitation services, where the body is viewed in a casket, are not part of the direct cremation, therefore the body does not need to be prepared to be viewed. Even though a family elects direct cremation, they can still hold a memorial service with the urn present with the ashes inside. Direct cremation can be the least expensive of Cremation Services, because the costs of preparing the body and placing it in the casket, the cost of the purchase or rental of the casket, and the cost of transferring the casket to place of viewing can be avoided, to name a few. Whether to hold a viewing ceremony along with the Cremation Services or not is always a very personal decision for the family, however financial decisions must be made, too.

Traditional Cremation Services

Traditional Cremation Services can include the visitation of the body and a funeral or memorial service. There are many families who have strong religious beliefs that include the visitation and funeral service, where they feel like closure is obtained. The memorial or funeral service that is held in traditional Cremation Services can be as elaborate as a family wants it to be, depending on their budget for the services, of course. The cost of traditional Cremation Services will be more than the cost of direct Cremation Services, because the family will need to pay for the preparation of the loved one's body, the transferring of the body to the casket, and then the transferring of the casket to the place where the funeral service is held. Then, the costs that are associated with hosting and planning the funeral services will also have to be accounted for in the Cremation Services cost.

Cremation Services with Memorial Service

The difference between the traditional Cremation Services and the Cremation Services with the memorial service is the visitation, or viewing, of the body. With a cremation with memorial service, the family and friends can gather together in remembrance of their loved one, with a beautiful ceremony. However, the visitation is eliminated in these Cremation Services. Some families will choose to have the urn present at the memorial service, and they may place a picture of the deceased loved one to remember them in the flesh.

When a family chooses Cremation Services with a memorial, they do not have to worry about the costs that are associated with the visitation, yet they can still host a remembrance ceremony with flowers and memorabilia of their loved one. While some families feel strongly that a visitation is important, they may have to weigh out the costs.