Cremations have become increasingly popular in recent years, with around 75% of people requesting them in funeral plans. If you are keen to be cremated rather than buried after you pass on, it helps to know your options. There are more types of cremation services than many people realize, and the sooner you finalize your plan, the less stressful it will be for friends and family.

There are different cremation forms depending on how you want to handle the occasion. Put simply, you can choose how much of a connection family members and other mourners will have with your body and casket surrounding the cremation process. Some people will appreciate having a more traditional ajax funeral service that ends with a cremation rather than a burial. Others prefer to stay detached, mourn privately, and then focus more on dealing with the ashes. There are also additional options depending on your needs.

Below are the most common types of cremation services. Take your time to go over them and see which is the best fit for both you and your family. Once you have a clearer idea of what you need, you can talk to one of our advisors and get started on a more detailed funeral plan.

A direct cremation is an ideal option for family and friends who want to remain detached from experience. Perhaps you aren't comfortable with a young family being heavily involved in the situation. This is also a good choice for families when there isn't a strong bond with the deceased. Here, the body undergoes cremation around 48 hours after death with no witnesses. The funeral home and crematorium handle the whole affair without needing family in attendance.

This quick and easy process requires no formal advanced planning on your behalf. All your relatives need to do is focus on what to do with the remains. They could keep them in an urn as a permanent memorial or choose an ash scattering ceremony in an area of deep significance. This is something to mention beforehand if you have somewhere in mind. You will need to select an urn ahead of time, which will be returned to your family within a few days of the service.

This level of speed and disconnect won't work for everyone, and that's understandable during the grieving process. Some family members might be more comfortable getting closure by witnessing the casket entering the cremator, perhaps with a select group. It is a touching way to say one last goodbye, especially when dealing with a sudden death. Your family can make more of an occasion of the cremation without the need for a full funeral. Yet, others will prefer the funeral option.

Cremations Following Traditional Funerals.

Sticking with this idea of closure and saying a final goodbye, you may have a desire as a family to hold a funeral. Funerals aren't exclusively for burials; you can have your body in the room during the eulogies and any religious rituals. Following the service, the casket will leave the room for the cremation, and the family will receive the ashes later on.

This also allows for open casket ceremonies, should that be desired. Again, this is down to personal preference, as some want that close connection to say goodbye while others don't. This requires extra planning with the outfit choice too.

Then there is an alternative option of holding a memorial without the body present. This is a nice idea for families favouring the direct cremation method to disconnect from the body but still need time to come together. You might want to come together to mourn and have a simple memorial following a sudden passing. This is easy to set up, and you can have the urn, photos, flowers, and other items on display following the cremation.

This is also a good idea for children that might not understand the process. They can gather with family for a celebration of life instead. A good idea here is to hold the memorial on a special day with positive significance, like holding a special birthday party for the deceased.

A final consideration here is the prospect of cremating the body of an organ donor. This is perfectly fine, as crematorium services will allow for cremations after the organs have been donated. This will provide a lot of peace of mind for donors and their families that might worry that both wishes are incompatible.

When the donation ends, you can have the witnessed cremation or the funeral or memorial service you choose. A memorial service following the cremation of an organ donor is a brilliant way to honour their life and sacrifice. Depending on the service date, you may have an idea as to who received the organs. This adds a whole new dimension to a celebration of life.

Remember that there is no right or wrong way to say goodbye and handle the cremation process. If you want the quick and simple direct cremation process to get it over with, that's fine. If you want to plan a more elaborate funeral that happens to end in cremation, you have every right to do that too. Discuss these different types of cremation with your loved ones and see which will bring the most comfort and peace of mind.

There is clearly a lot to consider here, and that is where we can help. Contact Ajax Crematorium & Visitation Centre at 289-372-3300 whenever you are ready to implement a plan. We will help go over the options and help formulate the perfect plan.  Together we can plan a cremation that meets your needs and makes the situation easier for your loved ones.