New Options and Trends

The new funeral and memorial service options that people have now are much better than the past because now it is all about the personalization and options. If you are at this site then you already are taking advantage of the new trend to start your funeral or cremation planning online and at home. Some of these new options include:

•  Online posting of pictures, and obituaries and memorials online for family and friends to sign in and leave notes for the family.
• Live website broadcast of the funeral or memorial service in a discrete, respectful manner. The family is given a special access code so that out of town friends and relatives who can not make the trip due to age, illness or other reasons can view the funeral service via the internet. A recording can also be given to the family afterward. This has been going on with presidents and other famous people for a long time.
• Some people now utilize DVDs, VCRs or laptop computers at the funeral home or after the memorial service to show home movies or slide shows of the deceased. This can be quite touching.
• Green burials - designated open space parks that do not allow any grave markers or monuments. Remains are placed in bio-degradable containers, simple wood coffins, or nothing at all. Embalmed remains are not allowed. It is an all natural approach, you would not know it was a cemetery because there are no headstones, just open public space.
• Memory Gardens - where you can dedicate a bench and scatter the cremated ashes in a specific area of a cemetery or one that is strictly dedicated to memorial garden space.
• Many new cemeteries now operate as all encompassing; serving as a funeral home, crematorium, cemetery, niche availability, mausoleums, church, and memorial rooms all at one location. There are some in our directories.
• Life Gems will transform cremated ashes into a diamond. Prices range from $3,200 for a quarter-carat to $20,000 for approximately 1 carat. Check them out in our directories to understand the process and other associated information.
• Ashes launched into space aboard a commercial spaceflight.
• Ashes converted in to coral reef balls. A company in Florida mixes the ashes in with concrete reef balls and then places them in the ocean to regenerate coral reef growth.
• Currently there is a large variety of bio-degradable urn selections for placement just about anywhere allowed by law.
• Motorcycle enthusiasts can have their ashes placed in a motorcycle engine and there are some urns even made for two.
• Caskets currently are being painted in over thirty different themes.
• Now we also have the option to buy stars and name them for the deceased.
• Plant a garden in memory of the deceased.
• Plant a memorial tree in memory of the deceased.

At  a graveside service, outdoor memorial service, or during the scattering of cremation ashes you could do a:

• Butterfly release
• Dove release
• Balloon release
• Candlelight ceremony

We are currently working on two new web sites to compliment this one. We believe we have found something that many people will definitely like to take advantage of for their own planning; not nearly as adventurous as some of the aforementioned items but should please a lot of people. Check back in fall 2008 and see what you think.

Click here to be E-mailed about our new sites.