There are only 2 forms of Final Disposition, burial and cremation. When someone dies, their loved ones have to make a lot of difficult decisions in a short amount of time. One of those decisions is how to honor your loved one. If you’re looking for an affordable option, direct cremation may be the right choice for you. Let’s look at different types of services offered by funeral homes and how they compare to direct cremation. Then we’ll delve into the specifics of direct cremation and also see how to get the extras for your loved one’s services.

How Long Has Cremation Been Around?

The first recorded cremation in Europe was “on the morning of Thursday 26 March 1885. Woking Crematorium was used for the first time to cremate Mrs. Jeanette Caroline Pickersgill. She died at home in Marylebone and her coffin was taken to Woking and placed in the cremator. Her ashes were then returned to London where a couple of years later they were placed into a coffin along with those of another family member and deposited in the catacomb underneath Kensal Green Cemetery’s Anglican chapel.” (1)

However, in the United States, direct cremation services were not always offered at funeral homes. Funeral homes in the past often sent a deceased person to a crematory and received the ashes back to give to the family.

Because cremation has grown in popularity, many traditional funeral homes now have their own crematory giving you the best of funeral services with devoted crematory staff to provide a direct cremation if no other services are selected. Often, you may also choose to hold memorial services in their chapel as part of an overall basic package cost but this may be in addition to the direct cremation cost.

According to the FTC, there are three general types of funeral services most families choose from when planning a funeral. Let’s look at these types of services from a general perspective.

1- What is a “Traditional” Full-Service Funeral?

A full-service traditional funeral service often includes a wake, or visitation and a formal funeral service in a chapel or similar venus. There is often a hearse to transport the body to a cemetery where a graveside service may occur. However, with traditional full-service funerals, you may choose from burial, entombment, or cremation of the remains.

These traditional types of funerals include the:

Funeral home’s basic service fees
Embalming
Dressing the body
Rental of the funeral home for the viewing or service
Handling of death certificate and contact with medical providers
Use of vehicles to transport the family if they don’t use their own.
Casket
Cemetery plot, urn, or crypt
Other funeral goods and services

2- What is Direct Burial?

A direct burial is a simpler version of a traditional funeral. In a direct burial, a loved one’s body is buried shortly after death in a simple container. There is no viewing or visitation, and no embalming services. The family may choose to hold a memorial service at the graveside or at a later date.

Direct burial is a cost-effective solution compared to the “traditional” full-service funeral. Costs include:

Funeral home’s basic services fee
Transportation and care of the body
Purchase of a casket or burial container
Cemetery plot or crypt

Know that with a direct burial, there is no graveside service. The family may attend to witness the burial but there is no service.

3- What is Direct Cremation?

Direct cremation is the simplest form of cremation. This is a quick way to allow for family members to receive cremated remains or “cremains.”

Basic cremation does not include a service or visitation time with the deceased, flowers, ceramic urns, burial plots, or other extras that would bring additional costs.

A simple cremation involves a decedent’s cremation occurring soon after death, generally in a cardboard box or unfinished wood box. There is no need for embalming or cemetery plots and vaults. In most cases, there is no viewing or visitation either.

This is the most affordable option for end-of-life services. There is a nominal fee involved compared to a traditional full-service funeral.

Costs may include:

Funeral home’s basic services fee
Transportation and care of the body
Crematory fee
Body storage fee
Urn or other container
Basic casket for cremation

A traditional funeral home offering direct cremations also must offer an alternative container that can be used in place of a casket. If family members would rather arrange for a more expensive casket such as a wood cremation casket for cremation, the price will increase.

Choosing direct cremation with a funeral home can make the process easier and involve more options for the same cost. The same services you would get with a cremation-only provider but with a higher degree of customer care and attention to detail.

Participation in the Cremation Process

Different funeral homes may allow family members to participate in the cremation arrangements. While the funeral director prepares, loved ones often say goodbye or hold the hand of the deceased before cremation takes place. They may watch as their loved one’s body begins the process of being cremated. This is called a “witness cremation.”

Many families that participate feel a level of peace knowing that their family member is no longer suffering and is at rest. There is a level of full understanding that a loved one is gone and the ability to grieve your loss fully.

When choosing a funeral home or crematory, these days, you can usually choose a funeral home that offers crematorium services along with the benefits of all the services a funeral home may offer.

Making Loss Easier for Your Family

However, when you choose a funeral home for your cremation services, they may offer packages that include everything you need to grieve with your family and honor your loved one. In addition, they make everything easy for you, from the transportation of the body to the cremation authorization form, obtaining death certificates to the desire for a viewing.

No matter what you’re looking for in direct cremation, a local family-run funeral home will likely be able to meet your needs and work with you.

Renaissance Funeral Home and Crematory: Offering Direct Cremation with Care

At Renaissance Funeral Home and Crematory, we understand how difficult it can be trying to decide how to move forward when a loved one passes away. That’s why our family-owned funeral home takes care of the arrangements for you.

We make the entire process easy, whether you’d like a memorial service and everything a traditional cremation funeral provides or you’d rather choose a cost-effective simple cremation with no fanfare.

Check out our simple cremation service starting at $3,125, which includes:

Professional Services
Transfer of Your Loved One to Our Care
On-Site Cremation at our Crematory
Cardboard Cremains Box
Cremation Certificate
Private Goodbye Viewing
Legal Document Filing
Social Security Notification
Obituary Page on our Website

Visit our site to learn about our traditional cremation services package. You can also easily contact us online with a simple form.

We are here for you during this time and are happy to walk you through the possible choices and answer any questions you may have. We want you to feel good about following your loved one’s wishes and honoring their life!