Many people choose cremation as their means of final disposition, as opposed to traditional burial. Often times, memorial services are associated with cremation services near College Park, MD, but it’s perfectly possible to have a traditional funeral service instead. The difference between a memorial and a funeral service is essentially the presence of the body of the deceased. For some families, this distinction is very important.

One of the biggest reasons a family might want a traditional funeral is so that they can have a viewing. A viewing takes place prior to the funeral service, either earlier in the day or on the day before. Many people want a viewing because it provides an opportunity for family and friends to see their loved one, one last time. It’s an important step in the grieving process to be able to say goodbye, and for many, a viewing helps to serve this purpose.

For others, having the body present at the funeral service is necessary. Usually this is for religious reasons. In these cases, having a memorial service without the presence of the bodily remains simply isn’t an option. Even if the person is to be cremated, there will still need to be a traditional funeral prior to cremation. Fortunately, this is common and perfectly possible to do. Even though many people might assume a traditional funeral will be followed by a graveside service and burial, this is not always true. Rather than traveling to the cemetery following the funeral, the person’s body will instead be transported to the crematory. Cremation services will take place, and the family will receive their loved one’s remains back in the form of ashes a few days later.

After this, it will be up to the family what they want to do next. If their loved one expressed a wish for their ashes to be scattered in a special place, then this can be done. The family may choose to have their ashes buried in a family plot, or interred at a columbarium. They might instead choose to store their ashes in an urn, to be kept within their home. You can also find many keepsake urns and items that can allow several different households or family members to keep a part of their loved one with them at all times. There is even keepsake jewelry that can be worn, and is designed to hold a small amount of ashes.

As a family dealing with the loss of a loved one, all you can hope for is that your loved one’s wishes will be able to be met. Your funeral home and provider of cremation services near College Park, MD, has lots of experience with many different families and all kinds of situations. They will be happy to help you figure out a plan that works for your family, including if you wish to have a traditional funeral followed by cremation. Then, you can move forward with your loved one’s arrangements and focus on being with your family.