If cremation is the right choice for you, you’re not alone. More and more people are choosing this option. It is estimated that cremation will account for 40% of all remains dispositions by 2012. If you have decided on this type of service, look at your options for cremation containers, and if having a visitation consider renting a casket for the funeral service, held at the funeral home.
While planning for a cremation, you’ll also need to decide whether you’ll be buried in a burial plot or placed in an above ground niche, or perhaps scattered in a memorial garden, out at sea, or some other special place dear to your heart. In all the aforementioned choices an urn is not necessary; the ashes will be given to you in a simple container that is already included in the cremation fee. Some religions, like Catholicism state that remains after cremation must be interred in a niche or buried. Others opt for a decorative urn and keep the ashes at home.
You may opt for a direct cremation which means there is no service at the funeral home but rather the possibility for a memorial ceremony or a simple committal service at a later date after the cremation. Another option is scattering of ashes with close family members only. Or you may want a religious service with closed casket followed by cremation. If having a direct burial or cremation please be aware that neither option can be performed until your body has been identified by a family member or a designated person, and a death certificate has been issued. Many families are separated by long distances; make sure there are at least two people with copies of your funeral arrangements so if one person is not available the other might be. Do not leave the information in a safety deposit box which may not be accessible on Sundays or holidays, or until after the will reading which usually takes place after the funeral.