1. Crematoria in your area.

Once you have decided on cremation as your choice and have decided whether or not you wish to have a funeral or memorial service, you will need to decide on a cremation service provider. If you are working with a funeral home in planning the services, they will be able to recommend a crematorium with whom they regularly work. However, if you are going the route of a direct cremation without a funeral service or visitation beforehand, the task of choosing a crematorium will most likely fall to you.

2. Where the cremation will take place.

Whether you deal with a funeral home or not, the cremation process will take place at the crematorium. Funeral homes have certain crematoriums that they use but if you are not using a funeral home then you will locate one on your own.

3. Viewing or visitation.

An ever increasing number of families are requesting cremation services. Cremation services options are:

Full service cremation includes visitation with public viewing and funeral service held at the funeral home or at a place of worship. This service usually also includes a private family viewing arranged at your convenience. These arrangements require embalming by company policy and, in most cases, by state law. At the end of the service or ceremony, family and friends are dismissed and the decedent is taken to the crematory for cremation.

Full service cremation with a public viewing or visitation the same day as the service. The service may be scheduled either daytime or evening.

Public viewing followed by cremation and then a graveside committal service.
Public viewing followed by cremation but without a committal service, with cremated remains returned to the family.

4. Costs associated with cremation

Cremations are typically much less expensive than ground burials for many reasons. For example, in many cases a cremation is not preceded by a funeral. If a funeral is held before the cremation, very often the casket is rented for the duration of the funeral instead of purchased. Similarly, remains that are to be cremated are often not embalmed for a wake or visitation.

5. Caskets choices.

If a funeral is planned, you have choices as to what kind of casket you use. Most casket makers have specially made caskets for cremation which allow both the coffin and the remains to be burned at once. Very often, a casket can also be rented at the funeral home to be used for any planned services.

The finest possible thing to do both for you and your family is to pre-plan. Advanced planning will ease a lot of the burden when the time of death truly comes. Nevertheless, I know that realistically, this can't always occur. Death is not always predictable.