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Why do some people choose cremation over a more traditional funeral?
There are several funeral arrangement options available when deciding what to do when a loved one dies. Some choose cremation because they feel it is a more ecologically sound choice, or they feel that there simply is not enough grave space available for everyone in the U.S. to be buried in a casket. The fact is that if all 300 million Americans were to die at once, they could all be buried in caskets in a cemetery one-quarter the size of Rhode Island. The problem is that some areas do not have enough designated cemetery space. There is plenty of land…there is just not enough cemetery land set aside at this time.
Can we save money by choosing cremation?
Cremation can be a less expensive alternative to traditional burial. It may or may not be the best choice for your particular situation.
Understand that cremation is less expensive because you normally do not have to purchase a casket. A less expensive alternative container may be used. An outer burial enclosure (usually a concrete vault) is not necessary either. Some choose to protect the cremated remains with an urn vault, however. When burying the cremains in a cemetery, a smaller grave is dug, which is less costly in most cemeteries. The services offered by the funeral home for arrangements and conducting a memorial service are the same as those of a traditional funeral. Therefore, you should expect to pay for those services at the same rate when cremation is chosen. The least costly of all disposition alternatives is a “direct cremation” service, which involves no services beyond that which is required to cremate the deceased. For more information on why direct cremations cost what they do, please click on the following link: Direct Cremation: What’s Involved.
Can we still have a service if cremation is chosen?
Absolutely. Many are not aware that following the death of a loved-one, if cremation is chosen, there is ample opportunity to conduct a memorialization. Calling hours (a wake or viewing) are also available so that friends and family can gather and show support for the bereaved. A ritual good-bye, whether it be religious with clergy officiating, or less structured, can be arranged with the help of a funeral director, and can be held either in a church, at the funeral home, or at another appropriate site. A burial rite, such as a committal service, can also be performed at the place of disposition of the cremains (ashes), if you have chosen burial or scattering.
Another available option is to have a traditional service followed by cremation. Many families have found this to be the best way to combine religious and social needs with their own beliefs, or to adhere to the wishes of the deceased. This option, although it does require embalming the deceased in most cases, does not mean that a traditional burial casket must be purchased. You may opt to use a funeral home’s rental casket in such instances, or to purchase a less costly cremation casket.
It is important to remember that choosing cremation does not mean you have to be shut off from the traditional social, family, and community interactions that can be so important to people at a time when it means so much.
