Cremation has grown in popularity in recent years as families realized that direct cremation provides many more service options. Consider hosting a cremation ceremony for your loved one if you want something different than a traditional funeral followed by a burial. The cremation services in Lakewood, WA can assist you with this.
Some facilities allow families to be present during the cremation process. Some families, however, prefer a cremation service that focuses on the lives of their loved ones rather than their deaths. Here’s a quick guide to planning a cremation service, whether you call it a scattering ceremony, memorial service, or celebration of life.
Choose a Date and Notify Your Extended Family Members
When you are allowed to consider cremation service arrangements, you will be able to create a meaningful event that is truly a celebration of life, as opposed to the rush of planning a traditional funeral service. You’ll be able to choose a significant date and contact guests well in advance so they can arrange transportation to the service and request time off work.
Make Time to Plan a Meaningful Service
One reason funerals all seem the same is that they frequently are. This is not the fault of your local funeral director. Your funeral director may have attempted to engage your family in a discussion about how to best commemorate your loved one’s life. However, when asked to choose the music, prayers, and readings, most families struggle to think of a song.
Cremation service preparation differs. You’ll be able to get help from family and friends when selecting music, verses, or other readings. When you are allowed to read the quotes they posted on their refrigerator or examine their playlist, you will have a better idea of what your loved one would have wanted.
The service can be as lighthearted and secular or as religious and solemn as the family desires. If the service is secular, the master or mistress of ceremonies can be a celebrant, the funeral director, or a member of the family who is comfortable speaking in public. If the funeral is religious, the service can be presided over by a clergy person, preferably one who is familiar with the family.
Take Into Account the Location of the Cremation Service
If one of the goals of the cremation ceremony is to gather to scatter your loved one’s ashes, you’ll narrow down your venue options based on that. However, if you have other plans for the cremated remains such as keepsake urns, there are numerous venues to choose from. When you are not restricted to a funeral home or church, making funeral arrangements becomes much easier.
Collect Items for Displays
Planning a cremation service differs from planning a traditional service because the event requires a visual focal point, such as a large photo, flowers, or an urn. Of course, you can also request that family members collect family photos for display. Allow the rest of the family to weigh in on how to best honor the deceased. Their inventiveness may astound you.
While planning a memorial service for a loved one, consider the type of cremation ceremony you would like one day. Begin the process of writing down your cremation intentions by contacting cremation services in Lakewood, WA. Learn about cremation options and share your thoughts on how you want your life to be remembered. Visit our office or call us right away.