Cremation has become more popular than "traditional" burial in the US. Traditional Burial is still a common method for final disposition of the body. Traditional burial generally involves the body being buried in a casket at a cemetery burial plot. Often, embalming is included, but it is not legally required except in special circumstances.
Other options include burial above ground in a mausoleum or crypt, donation of the body to science, and innovative cutting edge methods such as alkaline hydrolysis, in which the body is chemically decomposed.
If cremation is chosen, there are still many options for the final disposition. Scattering on land or at sea, ground burial in a smaller cemetery plot, planted as a memorial tree, columbarium niches, eco-friendly burial, sharing in smaller urns among relatives, and of course kept in a traditional cremation urn.
Consider the costs, benefits, and drawbacks of each option when discussing final arrangements with your loved ones, and be sure to review your beliefs, family traditions, and memorial service ideas relative to each disposition method. While this may be the first question you ask when considering cremation, it may be one of the last answered after scrutinizing the answers to the rest of the questions.
Cremation can be done prior to or after the funeral or memorial service. Do you wish to have a viewing? If having the body at the service is an important factor to your family and loved ones, you can usually rent a casket from the funeral home and then have the cremation conducted after the service. Or, if the body has already been cremated, you can display the urn along with photographs and other momentos.
Cremation societies are different from traditional funeral homes and mortuaries in that they specialize in the cremation only. Using a cremation society in lieu of a funeral home is often a lower-cost option, and tends to work especially well when families choose home- or church-based memorial services and alternative disposition methods.
Not everyone desires to witness the actual cremation, but for some it can help with the grieving process. It can also help you to ensure that identification is properly maintained. Some funeral homes or crematoriums may not allow family members to be present at the cremation, or they may have limits on how many individuals can come.
After cremation, the remains are placed inside a container. This is generally a plastic or cardboard box commonly referred to as a "temporary urn". Depending on what you decide to do with the remains you may wish to purchase a more permanent urn. But don’t be mislead by the terms—a cremation urn is any container into which you put the remains, so even the "temporary urn" can be the permanent urn if you so choose.
However, most people want to honor their loved one by getting an attractive urn. This can be anything from a simple wooden box, a stately marble urn, a ceramic vessel, or a custom made container from just about any type of material you can imagine. There are biodegradable eco-friendly urns for scattering or burial, fabric covered urns which will pass through TSA security screenings for air travel, and urns with photos engraved on the front. Some of our most popular urns feature stunning woodcut art scenes carefully inlaid into a walnut, oak, or maple wood box. Once you’ve decided on where or how you want to permanently store the remains you can choose the urn which works best for you.
Pre-paying can limit your options, and there is no guarantee that the funeral home will be in business when the time comes. Additionally, many pre-pay plans will require "additional fees" at the time of service.
