When a loved one passes on, and you have cremation services in West Des Moines, IA for them, you might put off their memorial for a bit so you have time to process things and plan out something special. Everyone wants their loved one’s services to be unique and one way to make it so is to have a celebration of life. You can celebrate a life well lived in a variety of unique ways. Here are some of the special things you can do that can help you to celebrate that special life.

Shoot Fireworks With Remains

Fireworks shows can be very special and impressive. They can be a nice way to cap off a life celebration, and your loved one’s life. While you can get and shoot off fireworks of any kind, you can also have your loved one’s remains included in the fireworks. You can shoot their remains up into the air as you celebrate them. It’s a nice way to give them a resting place and allow them to go out with a bang, so to speak.

Fly Kites With Messages

If there are going to be a lot of kids at the celebration, you are going to want activities that they will enjoy. Get some kites, perhaps, and allow them to color them. Others can write messages on them and then, the kites can be flown throughout the celebration. It can feel like letting go of that person as the messages to up and float around in the sky. Lots of kites flying together can also be a beautiful sight to see.

Launch Lanterns And Goodbyes

When the celebration goes into the waning sunlight hours, lighting lanterns and launching them into the sky in honor of your loved one can be nice, too. You can write messages, memories, and well wishes on the lanterns for your loved one before casting them out, too.

Have a Potluck Meal

Your family members and friends likely want to know what they can do for the services, and you want include as many of them as you can. Ask them to bring a dish to share at the celebration and you can have a nice, potluck meal. You can assign dishes, or certain areas, or you can leave it up to chance. If you end up with all desserts, so be it, right? The potluck can be a nice way to feed everyone and it’s also a great way to include more people in the planning.

Plant Seeds Together

One nice way to honor your loved one is to allow everyone in attendance to plant some seeds for that person. You might clear out a garden area and have some people plant flowers while others plant vegetables or herbs. As the garden grows, it will remind you of your loved one, but also the love of your family and friends who took a hand in planting things.

As you think about celebrations after cremation services in West Des Moines, IA, there are lots of options to consider.

Cremation providers do what they do as a service to the community. They don’t expect anyone to thank them for providing cremation services in Urbandale, IA. They know that their services are necessary and that everyone receiving them is grateful for those services and the care their loved one receives. However, if you got a cremation provider that went above and beyond for you, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out to them later and thanking them for their part in caring for their loved one. Here are a few things you might want to do.

A Nice Card/Letter

You may be sending cards and letters to a lot of different people who have helped you with your loved one’s final services. You can send a card to the cremation provider at the same time, if you see it fit to do so. They will appreciate the gesture and be touched that you thought highly enough of their services to reach out to them after the fact.

Recommendations To Others

One of the biggest ways you can thank a cremation provider is be recommending their services to other people. When someone in your life has to plan final services for a loved one, recommend the provider you used and let your friend know what they did for you and how much you appreciated their services. If you hear that someone you know wants to pre-plan their services, you can also tell them about your experiences with a certain provider. Word of mouth is the best advertising and the best way to say thank you to a provider.

Reviews Online

It will only take a few minutes, but leaving a review online can be a huge way to let someone know you appreciate their services. When you chose a cremation provider, you might read the reviews to see if that provider is a good fit for you. Leaving your own review about your experiences will help that provider to garner more business in the future and that’s a huge way to thank them for how they treated your loved one.

Prompt Payment

Cremation providers give you a service and that service has a cost to it. Paying them promptly and on the agreed upon schedule is a great way to show them you appreciate their services. They can spend more time caring for other people and less time chasing down debts.

An In-Person Thank You

If you really want to let the cremation provider know how much you appreciate the services they gave to your loved one and the way they treated the rest of your family, you might stop by their facilities and tell them thank you in person. You can take a card signed by your family or just stop by and let them know what you liked about their services.

When you have cremation services in Urbandale, IA, the provider is not expecting anything from you by way of a thank you. But if you want to thank them, there are lots of ways you can do just that.

There are lots of things you can do for someone that has lost a loved one. When they have cremation services in Des Moines, IA for that person, for example, you can be there for them in many different ways. Your time and presence can be of utmost importance to someone who is going through the worst of times. Here are a few things you can do to be a companion to that person who is grieving.

Be Their Shoulder To Cry On

You want your friend to know they can come to you at any time and vent to you. Be their shoulder to cry on and it can mean the most to them. They know you are there with a hug and a kind word at any time. Your shoulder is open for business with no judgement and you can offer it to them and it means a lot.

Accompany Them To The Funeral Home For Support

When your friend is planning funeral home services, it’s important that they have someone along with them any time they visit that location. They might often have family to go with them, and that’s great. But if there are times when they need to stop by and do something with the professionals, and they don’t already have family going with them, make sure they know you are there to accompany them. You can be a second set of eyes and ears, or you can just be there to support them if they break down with emotions.

Aid In Errands/Arrangements

There are lots of things your friend might have to do around the services they are having for their loved one. They are also grieving and going through a hard time. They might have a lot on their plate and you can help to fill things in by offering to run errands for them, take care of small parts of the arrangements, or fill in other ways that are necessary. It can be a real relief to them to have a go-to person to take care of some of these things.

Feed Them At Home

When your friend is grieving, and trying to plan things out, you are going to want to make sure they care for themselves as well. Make sure they have nutritious food and that they are eating on a regular basis. That can help them to have the energy they need to get through this hard time.

Attend The Services They Arrange

Once the final services are arranged, you should attend those services to support your friend. Whether you knew their loved one or not, being there for the services to back them up can mean a lot.

Show Up After The Services For Further Support

After services are complete, your friend will still be grieving through the cremation services in Des Moines, IA. Be there for them through those hard days when others may have moved past the immediacy of the services. Emotions are still going to be high.

Once you decide on cremation services in Des Moines, IA for a loved one, you will need to figure out what you will do with their remains. There’s no timeline on their final resting place, but you are going to want to decide what kind of container you will use for their remains in the meantime. You could take the simple container that the provider will give you as a part of any package, for example. Or, you can get an urn of your choosing. One of the urn options is a biodegradable urn. Here are some details on that option.

What Are Biodegradable Urns?

Biodegradable urns are urns that break down naturally, either in the earth, in the water, or both. You can utilize these urns if you want your loved one to have an eco-friendly service. They are gentle and friendly to the environment no matter what you do with them. They also cost less, so you can save on the budget in that area as well.

When Can They Be Used?

Biodegradable urns have certain functions and there are times when you might want one, and times when you might not. For example, if you are going to keep your loved one in your home, a biodegradable urn is not going to be ideal. These urns break down and they would not be a good idea for a long-term placement in your home. On the other hand, if you are going to bury your loved one, either in the cemetery or in a home garden or another location, a biodegradable urn is a great fit. It will break down under the earth in a natural way. You can also utilize one of these natural urns if you go for a water burial. You can cast the urn into the water and it will sink and break down, again, in a natural manner, dissipating your loved one’s remains into the water.

Where Can You Find Them?

Most cremation providers have one or more biodegradable urns on the market. You can ask them about that option and for what reasons you might use such an urn. You can also buy an urn from any other vendor, if you so choose to do so. Perhaps you want an urn that has seeds in it that you can plant in your garden. You might be able to get certain seed urns from another vendor and the funeral home and cremation provider will use it without question. They simply want you to get what you want to honor your loved one, no matter what that might end up being.

When you are looking into biodegradable urns, there are plentiful options. You will want to look into the materials and consider the purposes you have for the urn. You will also want to think about what you want for your loved one, and what they would have wanted. The professionals that help you with the cremation services in Des Moines, IA can help you with the urn as well.

If you decide on cremation services in West Des Moines, IA for a loved one, there are many things you can do for them once that method is completed. You can have a memorial service at any time, for example, and you can do a number of different things with their ashes. Ash scattering services are very popular today and they come with a lot of benefits. Before you make any decisions, here are some reasons to consider this option.

Give Your Loved One A Special Resting Place

Any resting place you choose for your loved one is going to feel like a special place because they are there. If you want to lay them to rest somewhere outside the cemetery, having an ash scattering somewhere, like their favorite park, family ground, or other such locations, can really make those spots feel special. Any time you visit that place in the future, you are going to think of them and that can be very valuable to you.

Prevent Family From Keeping The Remains

While family members can keep the remains of your loved one for as long as they want, it can be a responsibility as well. Perhaps several family members want to keep them. You can split them into several urns and that can help. But you might not want them to be in several locations, but rather in one. Or, you might be worried that their urn will be disturbed in a family home. You would try to keep them safe, but you just never know. Scattering the ashes will help you to prevent anything from happening to them in your home and it might help to keep them together in one location.

Give Family A Place To Visit

Scattering is different than burial and your loved one isn’t really in that place any longer. But when you choose a special location for the scattering, it’s always going to be a special spot for you and other family members. When you want to think of your loved one, that’s where you will go. You might even have a memorial there in the future to think of them again.

Save Money On The Resting Place

Cemetery burials are going to cost, while not as much as a funeral, they will still cost more than other options. Keeping your loved one at home means getting a nice urn. When you scatter ashes, you can use the simple container the provider gives you and not have any other costs associated with the process. That can be a nice way to suit your budget.

When you are trying to figure out what you want to do for your loved one, first concentrate on their immediate needs. Ensure that they get the cremation services in West Des Moines, IA they have to have and then, you can worry about the other options later. You might have a memorial service, for example, or you could have an ash scattering—or both. There’s no timeline on those decisions and you can make them when you are ready.

If you have to make decisions for a loved one who has passed on, or if you are trying to figure out what you want to do for yourself in the future, it’s smart to consider cremation services in Urbandale, IA as well as funeral home options. If you have any concerns about cremation, or you know people in your family who do, ask questions and get to the bottom of those concerns so you can get everything worked out and move forward from there. Here are a few concerns some people have.

Can You Have A Funeral First?

Some people believe that you can either have a funeral or a cremation, but not both. That’s not the case at all. Cremation services allow you to do whatever you want. You can have a full funeral and visitation service first and then follow those up with cremation services. Or, you can have cremation in a direct manner and after that, you can have a memorial service that feels like a funeral with many of the same traditions in place. Cremation allows you the freedom to do whatever you want on any timeline you want to do it on.

What Are Memorials Like?

If you feel like direct cremation might be a good option for your situation, you may want to know more about memorial services. What are they like? The truth is, they are whatever you make of them. If you want to do something traditional in a funeral home or church, you can. If you want to do something casual like a picnic in a park, you can. If you want to celebrate your loved one’s life, you can. Do whatever feels best for your loved one’s personality and the rest of your family.

Is Your Religion Okay With it?

This has been a hurdle over the years, but most major religions are now completely fine with cremation services. Some even promote the option as their method of choice. There are a few hold outs, so if you want to be absolutely sure, you should talk to your faith leaders and go ahead from there. But cremation is an honorable option and is accepted by most religions.

How Much Will It Cost?

Cremation services are going to cost less than the other methods. The more simple and straightforward you keep it, the less it will cost. It’s nice to know that any cremation package will include everything you need for the process. You can add whatever you want, but the package itself will cover the needs. These package prices will give you a good idea as to what things are going to cost.

What Can You Do With the Cremains?

Like memorial services, there’s no timeline on the final resting place process and cremation services in Urbandale, IA allow you to do whatever you want. You can keep the remains, bury them in a cemetery, bury them in a garden at home, scatter them, or do a variety of any other things.

Once a loved one goes through cremation services in Des Moines, IA, you might have a memorial service for them and you may even gather with family to lay them to rest in a nice location through scattering, burial, or another avenue. But there are things you can do yourself to memorialize your loved one in an affordable manner. Here are some of the things you can consider doing.

A Music Playlist

If your loved one may have had certain musical tastes and you want to remember their eclectic style. Make a playlist you know they would be proud of and when you want to think of them, play that in the background of your day. You can play it when you look at pictures of them, when you are reading, or any other time you feel the need to do so.

Planting A Garden Or Tree

If your loved one had a green thumb, it can make sense to plan things for them and think of them while they grow and you care for those items. Planting a tree in your yard can be especially moving as that is something that will get huge and be around for a long time. You can also plant a garden with flowers, vegetables they enjoyed or liked to grow themselves, and other such things. It doesn’t have to cost much to have your own memorial right there in your yard.

A Scrapbook

You likely have a lot of pictures of your loved one and you might want to organize them in a manner that gives you something to look over when you want to think about your loved one. You can put them into a scrapbook, for example, and decorate around them. You can add movie stubs, quotes, or anything else around the pictures and make it something that is special and just for you.

Repurposes Belongings

You may have ended up with some of your loved one’s belongings, and they are going to be very special to you. But are you really going to wear their old concert t-shirts? Probably not. Have a quilt made out of them instead so you can have them out, enjoy them, and even use the blanket as something to keep yourself warm. It can feel like a hug from your loved one when you use it. There are lots of other things you can use in different ways as memorials for your loved one.

Cremation Jewelry

Something special you might appreciate is a piece of cremation jewelry. You can place a little bit of your loved one’s ashes inside this piece and wear your loved one close to your heart. You can also store it in your house, perhaps on display in a place of honor, when you aren’t wearing it.

If you are trying to figure out how to memorialize your loved one after their cremation services in Des Moines, IA, there are plenty of affordable things you can do. Talk to the cremation providers and get more details.

No one every signs up to use services from a final service provider hoping to get something subpar, right? In fact, when you have to use cremation providers in West Des Moines, IA for a loved one who has passed on, you want nothing but the best for them and for the rest of your family. That means you need to check the cremation providers out before you sign up for their services. Here are just a few of the questions you should ask them before you move forward with their services. Please know that you can ask as many questions as you want—and you should—to ensure you are comfortable before you go ahead.

How Long Have You Been In Business?

There might be absolutely nothing wrong with a new cremation provider, but do you really want to take that risk with your loved one? They are important to you and you want their final services to go off without a hitch. Instead, make sure the provider has been in business for a long time so you can trust that they know what they are doing. When you see that they have decades of experience, that can help you to feel confident about placing your loved one in their hands.

What Service Choices Are Available?

There are tons of different cremation options and when you decide on that type of service, you can choose whatever fits your loved one the best and go from there. You are going to want to make sure that the cremation provider has lots of different options so you can get what you want and need for your loved one. Of course they will have cremation, but do they have other options around it that you might want? If you know what you want, you just have to find a provider that has it. IF you aren’t sure, look at providers with long service lists so you can be sure that they will have what you want when you are able to decide.

How Did The Costs Come About?

When you are working on cremation in in West Des Moines, IA, you want nothing but the best for your loved one. Asking questions will help you to determine which company is right for you and which provider will help your loved one with their needs. You want a good fit to move forward with confidence in the right direction.

You should be able to get price lists from any cremation provider with ease, but once you have those lists, don’t stop there. You should look into the averages in the area and even compare the costs to other providers. That way, you can tell who is fair and who is overinflated or under charging, even. You might also want to ask the providers how they came to the costs they charge and they can explain that process to you. It can help to hear from them where they costs came from.