Unlike traditional funeral services involving a church service and procession to the graveside, a direct cremation is a cremation without a funeral. Also known as unattended cremations or no service cremations, Covid-19 has caused direct cremations to rise sharply in popularity over the past year. Direct cremations are a budget friendly option for cremating a loved one who has passed away, and while you may worry you are disrepecting your loved one, you need not, as a direct cremation allows for you to plan a memorial after the cremation has taken place.
How much does a direct cremation cost?
The good news is that direct cremations offer an affordable alternative to traditional funerals. Often a traditional funeral can be a costly undertaking, however the cost of a direct cremation is limited to transportation coss, crematorium fees, registration of death and other paperwork and the return of the ashes to the next of kin. Traditional funerals are much more expensive because the cost includes the funeral director’s time in arranging the funeral, mortuary care fees, transport, church fees, catering and multiple transportations of the body.
What is the benefit of direct cremation?
There are many benefits of direct cremation. Although many people still prefer to take the path of a traditional funeral, direct cremations are a more economical option, and they eliminate the stress of planning a funeral during times of deep distress and grief. Many people choose to honour their passed love one by planning a memorial to take place after the direct cremation, rather than dealing with the extreme emotional stress of planning a funeral service within a matter of days following the death.
Planning a memorial after a direct cremation
A memorial following a direct cremation allows you a greater degree of flexibility and creativity in how you choose to say goodbye to your loved one – you may decide to choose a location that was special to the deceased person, include more personal touches than a traditional funeral would allow for or you may include an ashes scattering ceremony as part of the post cremation memorial service. We will share some ideas for planning a memorial after direct cremation on our blog and our Facebook page in the coming weeks.
Final thoughts…
We hope this article about direct cremations has answered some of the questions you may have around what direct cremations are, how much they cost and what some of the benefits are. Please check out our services page or contact us for help in arranging a direct cremation in Gayndah, Biggenden, Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Monto and anywhere else in the North Burnett region or the surrounding areas.