Planning a Funeral Ceremony for a Cremation Service

Planning a funeral ceremony or memorial service comes with a great deal of responsibility and requires numerous crucial decisions. When it comes to planning a funeral ceremony for a cremation service, it is important to divide the planning into two parts. First, you must decide on cremation over burial and evaluate which cremation option works for you and your family. After you have decided on cremation, you must plan the accompanying funeral ceremony. For many families, end-of-life decisions are not openly discussed and this can be a challenge when it comes time to make funeral arrangements. The best place to start is looking at the available options and then opening up dialogue with other family members or whoever is involved with the funeral ceremony planning process. At TS Warden we believe not only in providing the highest standard of compassionate service, but also providing useful resources for families to use at their disposal. Below is a step-by-step guide to help with the planning of a funeral ceremony for a cremation service. 

Before the Cremation Decision is Made

1. Learn about your cremation options. Review the cremation information found on our website. 

2. Engage your family in a discussion. We urge you to bring your family into the conversation to get a better idea about how they feel about cremation and what they would prefer.

3. Speak with a funeral professional. If there are any questions or concerns, please turn to us for the insights you may need at this point.

4. Document your cremation intentions in writing. There are a number of forms we can provide to take this step. Call us at 904-765-1234 to learn more.

5. Arrange for the transportation of your loved one's physical remains. We can escort them to our facility or directly to the crematory.

After Deciding on Cremation

6. Consider what kind of ceremony you would like to have. You can plan for a traditional funeral followed by the cremation or delay the ceremony until you have the time to plan a memorial service, scattering ceremony, or even a celebration of life.

7. Ask for assistance from your family and friends. When making plans for a meaningful event, encourage everyone to get involved. Ask them to gather family photos, write down the stories they'd like to share, and talk to them about the best location for the event. If you would like a eulogy, this is the time to ask someone special to take on that task.

8. Select the music, prayers, or other readings. You don't have to have any of these things but you should decide exactly what you and your guests will do at this event. There are endless possibilities.

9. Contact guests well ahead of time. This is especially important if they will need to travel or request time off from work.

10. Decide what will be done with the cremated remains. Commonly the urn is a visual focal point of a celebration-of-life. Will you then take it home? Will the scattering of ashes be a part of the event? You may want to purchase keepsake urns for family members.

Call on Us

We hope that you have found these steps helpful in getting started with the funeral ceremony process. With cremation, there is plenty of flexibility for planning and the options are really up to the family. For example, the scattering of ashes can be private or it can be incorporated into the ceremony. We suggest that no matter what you do, that you think about the deceased and try to capture their life within the ceremony. Whether you opt for a more traditional ceremony or a more creative gathering, it is important to plan carefully.

Our advice comes from years of experience helping other families make cremation service and funeral ceremony arrangements for their loved ones. If you have any questions or require any additional information on planning a funeral ceremony for a cremation service, do not hesitate to pick the phone up and call us. We would be privileged to serve you and your family. Simply call 904-765-1234 to speak with one of our funeral professionals or send us an email at ts@tswarden.com.