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Originally Posted On: 5 Facts About How Cremation Works – Lone Star Cremation

Are you considering cremation for your next funeral? Here are the most important facts you should know about how cremation works.

Are you planning a funeral in which your loved one requested to be cremated? Perhaps they left the choice up to you and you’re trying to consider the best options. If so, then you need to learn all you can about cremation.

Not many people understand how cremation works beyond the general process of sending the body away and receiving their ashes in a jar afterward.

If that’s the case, then you’ll want to learn a bit more about it to see if it’s the right fit for your need. See below for several facts on how cremation works in order to inform yourself.

1. There Are Many Different Ways to Cremate

Many people are familiar with the traditional form of cremation, which is when you send the body to a cremation center in order to have the body compiled to ashes.

However, the cremation industry is a bit more innovative than you might imagine. Rather than saying the traditional way is “good enough”, many companies are considering other types of cremations as well.

Liquid cremation and green cremation have both become more popular in recent years.

Liquid cremation, as the name would imply, involves using water in certain temperatures and pressure levels to slowly decompose the body. It fits the body down to a fine and compact substance that you can treat as you would the ashes in a traditional cremation.

Green Cremation, on the other hand, is a beautiful way to let the body be decomposed in an environmentally-friendly manner. It essentially uses the liquid cremation process with a few extra steps.

Once the bone fragments inside the body are drained out, the remains are put through the waste system.

2. You Can Plan a Cremation Ahead of Time

Perhaps you or a loved one are dead-set on being cremated once you pass away. You don’t want to leave the choice up to anyone else. If you do, your loved ones might get selfish and have your body buried for their fulfillment.

It’s for that exact reason that cremation facilities offer two options: cremation after a death has occurred, and planning ahead for a future cremation. You can even pre-pay for certain tiers of cremation services to save your loved ones the hassle.

If you’re wanting to plan ahead for your funeral arrangements, then find a trusted cremation service to set it up with. That way, whenever the day comes, you’ll have all your ducks in a row with your ceremony.

Even if you’ve vocalized your desire to be cremated to your loved ones, there’s always the potential that they switch plans. If you only tell one or two people of your wish, then the rest of the family might vote in favor of burying you instead.

3. There Are Different Service Levels

Again, everyone understands the basic premise of cremation services, but people don’t realize there’s more to it than that.

To help customize the cremation to your exact specifications, many of the top cremation companies will offer different packages. These packages offer a different level of service, depending on what you’re looking for.

Specific details include things like the areas they service, the number of death certificates, the quality of the urn you receive the price for an oversized body (more on that in a bit), and even life insurance being used for payment.

Many times, you can have the cremation service so detailed and pre-organized that the only decision your loved ones have to make is where to spread the ashes. Make sure to walk through each cremation package in order to find the best one for your needs.

4. There Can Still Be a Visitation

There’s a common misconception that if you choose to cremate your body or your loved one’s body, then that throws out the potential for a visitation. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The body can be sent away for cremation at any time. If you’d prefer that the body be embalmed and prepared for an open-casket visitation, then you’re more than welcome to do so.

It can be a helpful part of the process. Loved ones will get to say their final goodbyes with a last visual of their relative/friend resting in peace. After the ceremony, the body will be sent to the cremation site to prepare the ashes, then be returned to you.

5. Weight Plays a Factor

Many people don’t realize that the size and stature of a person depend on the level of service for most cremation facilities.

If the gentlemen or lady getting cremated is over a certain weight limit, then there will have to be adjustments made to the cremation process. Typically, the weight limit hovers around 275 pounds.

For those of you that know your loved one to be well above that, don’t panic. Their body can still be cremated and the ashes returned to you, but expect to pay an additional price for it.

If the loved one you’re cremating is under 275 pounds, then you won’t have to pay a fee for that part of the process.

How Cremation Works: Customizable and Convenient

Now that you’ve seen several interesting facts on how cremation works and the services that are provided, it’s time to find the right fit.

Be sure to visit this page in order to learn of the different cremation packages and which one might be the best fit for your needs.

For more inquiries, please be sure to reach out via our contact us page and we will be happy to assist you further.