Why You Would Choose Cremation Over Traditional Burial

Blog

When pre-planning your funeral, a major decision to make is whether to have a traditional burial or cremation. It's expected that more people will choose cremation over burial very soon. People have a variety of reasons for making this choice. Here are a few reasons why you may choose to specify cremation in your funeral pre-plan.

1. Cremation can be a less expensive option than full-body burial.

There are some items required if you choose burial that are not needed if you're cremated:

  • A full-sized casket for your remains
  • A standard-sized cemetery plot.
  • A concrete vault to contain the casket, if required by the cemetery.

You'll have some additional expenses if you choose to have a viewing of your body, such as:

  • Embalming fees
  • Cosmetic restoration for the viewing
  • Storage fees for your body until the viewing is held

You can avoid all of these expenses if you choose cremation services. However, you may choose to use all of these services in additional to the cremation services of the funeral home. In that case, cremation won't result in any cost savings.

2. The scheduling of services is more flexible with cremation.

Your family will only have a few days in which to organize your funeral if you choose a full-body burial. The funeral home can only keep your body for a few days before they must do something with it. This makes it difficult if you have friends and family traveling long distances to be at the services.

The alternative is to have your body cremated right away. Your family will receive your remains and they can take their time setting up the funeral arrangements. People will have time to set up travel plans from out of town. This reduces the stress on your family to execute your funeral plan quickly after you pass away.

3. Cremation can be a more eco-friendly solution to full-body burial.

If you're conscious of the ecological impact of being buried, cremation limits that impact in a number of ways, such as:

  • An immediate cremation does not require using harsh embalming chemicals
  • Less materials are needed for an urn than a full-sized casket
  • You'll use no ground space if your remains are scattered or kept in a columbarium niche

4. Cremation is an easier way to get your remains home.

Should you pass away when away from home, your family will have to make arrangements to get your body back to them. This can be difficult, especially if you are out of the country when you expire. You can have your body cremated and the remains sent via a delivery service back to your family. This is a much easier and less expensive option than transporting your entire body back to them.  

Share

14 January 2016

Writing an Obituary: Do's and Don'ts

Following the death of my grandfather, I found myself in the awkward position of having to write the obituary. I wanted to capture the spirit of him and list everything he was proud of in his life, including his family and work accomplishments. However, at the same time, I knew that I had a limited amount of space to work with. After spending hours researching obituaries, I finally felt confident in my skills and proceeded to write my grandfather's. In my opinion, it was perfect. Writing an obituary while you are grieving your loss is challenging, but I hope that my website helps you write one for your loved one that helps capture who they were as a person.