Can You Still Hold a Funeral for a Loved One that Was Cremated?

Not many people know about the complex options surrounding disposition methods and funerary services. Most assume that funeral services are linear, the same services from one person to another. However, things like cremation services in Savage, MN, can cover a bunch of different funeral services. As a matter of fact, you don’t have to have a funeral for a loved one that was cremated, if you don’t want to, and if that wasn’t in their final wishes. 

Comprehensive funerals cover an array of services, from flower arrangements and funeral director eulogies to memories and stories shared by family and friends during the visitation. However, not every passing of a loved one has to end with a funeral. It could end with a celebration of life, a direct cremation, or nothing at all – it depends on your personal method of mourning and grief. 

Cremation is more cost-effective than burials, even if funeral services are involved. You can either opt to witness a traditional cremation or opt for a funeral service that mimics the services of a burial (without lowering the decedent into the ground). For funerals before cremations, deceased loved ones are either embalmed or refrigerated. This slows the process of decomposition, allowing visitors the chance to see their loved ones for the last time. 

After the funeral services, cremation is quick and effective, with a ceremony that involves a casket or combustible coffin made from thin wood or cardboard. The organic matter is burned down within an hour, while the bones take another hour to become a crumbly consistency. In some cases, especially is requested, the gravel-like bone matter is ground to fine powders for easier scattering or keepsake of reclaimed ashes. 

Not Interested in Burials or Cremations? Here are Some Disposition Methods that are Gaining Traction! 

Not everyone wants to be buried or burned, and there have been popular methods of disposition to come to light over the last couple of decades. For example: 

• Decedents can choose to donate their bodies to science. This allows scientists to study the stages of decomposition in a controlled environment. 

• The biodegradable earth urn and burial pod are new ones. These are buried beneath the ground, containing the body in its organic state – no embalming. Decomposition takes its course, returning a deceased body back to nature for the benefit of the soil and earth. 

• The Growing Green Funeral Movement is a new eco-friendly option for burial and disposition. Decedents are clothed in mushroom suits, which are clothing that house spores of mushrooms in biodegradable materials. As decomposition occurs, the body serves as an ecosystem for mushrooms and other organisms that help the earth return to healthier conditions. 

Do You Need a Designated Casket for Cremation Services? 

In short, no, you don’t need a designated casket for a cremation. It’s better to pay for a custom urn or cremation container instead of a casket. The casket that crematoriums use is combustible, allowing the fire better access to reduce the organic matter and bones to cremated remains. 

You can learn more about cremation services in Savage, MN. Talk to us at Scott County Cremation to schedule a consultation and learn about cremation services/funeral home services. Visit our office in Minnesota or call our location.