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Pros And Cons Of Full Cremation Services

cremation services in Des Moines, IA

The cremation process is the same every time, but the timing of it can be different. You might want to have direct cremation services in Des Moines, IA, for example, and that happens soon after a person dies without any services beforehand. On the other hand, full cremation allows you to have a visitation and funeral service before the cremation takes place. Both will meet needs and both are honorable options. Here are some pros and cons of the full cremation process.

Pro: Gives Traditional Aspects

Full cremation allows you to go through with the cremation process, but it also gives your family some traditional aspects, which they might appreciate. You can have a visitation service first and get the closure you need before moving ahead with the funeral. Funerals have a lot of ceremonies involved and they can be very cathartic. You get the traditions you might want or your family might expect and then, you can go through with the cremation process. In a way, you get the best of both worlds.

Con: More Expensive Option

Cremation costs less than funerals and burial services, but the full cremation process is going to cost more than direct cremation. There are more services involved, like the visitation and funeral, and those are going to have costs attached to them. If you have a budget for it, it’s a great way to honor someone.

Pro: Costs Less Than Funeral/Burial

While full cremation costs more than a direct cremation, it costs much less than a full funeral and burial service. You do get some of the same services, but you need less than you would for a complete burial service, which will help you to keep the budget on track, perhaps.

Con: Services Have To Be Fast

Some people like direct cremation because it lets you put things off where the memorial services are concerned. That’s not the case with a full cremation. With full cremation, you have to have the visitation and funeral soon after the loved one’s death so the cremation can proceed within a few days. There’s a timeline on the cremation, which puts a little pressure on the rest of the services.

cremation services in Des Moines, IA

If you are considering either full or direct cremation services in Des Moines, IA, it’s a good idea to take into account the pros and cons of each. Take a look at your budget and try and decide what you might like to do for your loved one. What does your family want? What do you feel you need to get closure and move forward? The professionals can walk you through the options and answer any questions you have. There are packages for each kind of cremation and you can consider which you can afford, which you like the look and feel of, and what you want to do in order to move forward. One of the best things about the options is that there’s no wrong answer. Both are honorable and respectful of your deceased loved one.

Common Reasons To Pre-Plan With Funeral Homes

Funeral homes in Des Moines, IA

More people are planning their final services ahead of time today than ever before. Funeral homes in Des Moines, IA are there to give you the information you want in order to think things through and decide what you might want to line up for your own future. There’s no right or wrong reason to move ahead with final service plans. You just have to go ahead when you feel ready. But these are some of the common reasons that people state.

Express Your Wishes

Many people want to plan their final services ahead of time so they can express their final wishes and let their families know what they want. If you know what you want, that’s all the more reason to make those plans ahead of time. Even if you aren’t sure what you want, you have time on your hands and you might want to think about what you would appreciate so you can make those wishes known to your family.

Save Money

This is something that not a lot of people know, but you can actually save quite a bit of money by planning your services ahead of time. When you plan the services now, you have the option of paying for those services ahead, too. While that’s not required, a lot of people like to go in that direction. Not only do they know their family doesn’t have to worry about the costs, but they also recognize that they are paying today’s prices, which are lower than whatever the prices are going to be in the future.

Reduce Burdens On Family

It’s always hard to lose someone you love and when you lose a family member, you know planning their services while grieving can be really hard to do. You can save your family from that extra burden by making the plans ahead yourself. Your family only has to call the funeral home you have used to make the plans and your plans take action. They don’t have to make plans and guess what you would have wanted.

Give A Final Gift

Funeral homes in Des Moines, IA

When you leave your family, you might like the idea of leaving them with one final gift. That gift can be as simple as having your final service plans laid out for them. It truly can feel like a gift. All they want to do is whatever you would have wanted. When you have the services planned, they know what you wanted and they don’t even have to plan anything for you. Things are ready to go and much easier on them overall.

When you are thinking of planning your own final services ahead with funeral homes in Des Moines, IA, it can be hard to make decisions, but there are many reasons why it can feel right to move forward. Contact the professionals when you need more information and see what details sound right to you. Since you have time on your hand, there’s no pressure to move forward until you are completely ready.

Pros And Cons Of Direct Cremation Services

cremation services in West Des Moines, IA

If you are thinking about using direct cremation services in West Des Moines, IA for a loved one, or even for your own pre-plans, it’s wise to learn all of the details. You might want to consider the pros and cons of the option, for example, and see which side wins. There’s no right or wrong reason to choose cremation, or even direct cremation, over other options. But here are some of the sides for and against the direct form of cremation to help you with the choice.

Pro: Low-Cost Option

Cremation overall is a much more cost-effective method than a funeral and burial service. Direct cremation, for example, is the most cost-effective. It’s the lowest cost option you can get when it comes to final services. If budget is of any concern, direct cremation can help you to accomplish meeting your loved one’s needs at a price you can afford. There’s nothing wrong with going for cremation just because you have a budget to stick to. It will still be an honorable choice.

Con: No Chance To Say Goodbye In Person

Some families might feel like with direct cremation happening soon after death, they didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to their loved one in the way they would have liked. There are no services before cremation happens since it is direct. That means no funeral and no visitation. Families might have the chance to witness the cremation, but the community as a whole won’t see your loved one to say that goodbye.

Pro: Allows Tons Of Options Later

Many people choose cremation in its direct form because of all of the options it brings to the table. It can free families up and allow them to have an option they might want after the cremation process is done. For example, it takes away the timeline pressures so families can have memorial services whenever they feel ready to move forward with plans. It also opens up final resting place options as people can scatter, bury, or even keep ashes.

Con: Might Feel Too Fast

Direct cremation does happen fast—within a few days of a person’s death. It needs to be something you are sure about before you sign on for it. Cremation of any kind is a permanent process that cannot be reversed. Your loved one has needs that have to be met and direct cremation can meet them, but it will be soon after their death.

cremation services in West Des Moines, IA

When you are thinking about different kinds of cremation services in West Des Moines, IA, there are reasons to go with full cremation and reasons to go with direct cremation. Both are honorable and respectful, you just need to figure out what works best for your family and what your loved one might have appreciated the most. Talk to the professionals, go over the packages, and see what feels like the best fit for everyone involved. They are there to answer any questions you have.

Celebrating Life With Funeral Homes

funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA

When you decide that you want to have an event with funeral homes in Urbandale, IA to celebrate a loved one’s life instead of mourning their death, there are lots of different things you can do. There are a variety of things you can incorporate with a life celebration. You will want it to feel like something unique that your loved one would appreciate. Here are a few things to consider to make it everything you want it to be.

Utilize Favorite Hobbies

One thing you might consider doing is using your loved one’s hobby as a potential starter for event planning. If they loved to bowl, for example, having an event at the bowling alley might be a nice way to honor them. Everyone can bowl a game and remember all the strikes they got and all the times you bowled together. If they enjoyed reading, a life celebration at the library where you collect books for schools can be a nice idea. There are lots of options that might revolve around a hobby your loved one appreciated.

Donate To A Chosen Charity In Their Name

If your loved one was connected to a certain charity, you might want to donate to that charity in their name to celebrate their life. Have a life celebration event and collect funds for that charity. You could also collect items, like food for a food pantry, diapers for a baby charity, and other such things. It can be a nice way to honor them and do some good in their name.

Celebrate In A Certain Destination

If our loved one always wanted to visit a certain state, you might go to that state in their honor. Or, if they had a favorite vacation destination, have a life celebration in that location and pair a family vacation with it. You will be able to feel them with you the whole time, smiling at all of the fun things you are doing as a group to remember them.

Create A Memorial Garden

Some people love to garden and a memorial garden can be a nice thing to do for someone you will miss. Have family plant the garden together and gather to weed and harvest things as well. You might even put some stakes in with new names for certain plants that carry your loved one’s name or things they said about those plants or enjoyed them. It can be a fun project and a great way to celebrate a gardener’s life well lived.

Have A Musical Event

funeral homes in West Des Moines, IA

Everyone enjoys music and you might want to have an event that features a lot of music for someone who adored it. Play songs they appreciated and consider having live music. People can dance, look at pictures of their loved ones, and do whatever else you set up among the songs you are playing for them.

Planning a funeral is an important decision that should not be made lightly. It’s natural to want your loved one celebrated in life and farewelled with dignity, so it only makes sense for your plan how they would like their final arrangements as well! If you need more ideas on how to find the right fit for a life celebration, funeral homes in Urbandale, IA is here to help.