Direct cremation’s rapid rise in popularity is due, in part, to the value and flexibility it offers families. It’s easy to arrange and much more affordable than a traditional funeral service and burial. As such, it’s no surprise that more and more disposition service providers are also providing direct cremation.



Direct cremation’s flexibility extends to its customizability. Families can add additional goods or services to their direct cremation, so there is room to personalize the process. In this way, every family can celebrate their loved one and ensure their final wishes are carried out.

The primary difference between direct cremation and a traditional cremation service is the memorial service that accompanies traditional cremation. Direct cremation does not include a funeral, viewing, burial or memorial – and this is what minimizes the cost of disposition.



The following goods and services are the mandated minimum of what’s included:

• Retrieval of the decedent’s remains – When a death occurs, the first step in the direct cremation process is recovering the decedent. Direct cremation companies are licensed “direct disposers,” which means they have the training and resources to properly recover human remains in an appropriate, respectable and safe fashion.
• Transportation – Once the decedent is recovered, the remains are transported to the morgue for safekeeping prior to cremation. Once cremation has been approved, the remains are then transported to the crematory for disposition.
• Refrigeration – There is a waiting period for cremation – up to a week in some cases. During this period, the remains are kept in refrigeration. Since refrigeration is used to preserve the body in the interim, embalming is not required. This is another way direct cremation services minimize cost for their clients.
• Assistance with cremation approval – Cremation is approved only after the required forms are filled out and sent to the proper authorities. The state, for example, must check off on cremation before disposition may take place. A direct cremation company can help their client acquire these forms and ensure they are completely correct.
• Crematory services – The direct cremation package also includes the fee for crematory services. The body is taken to the crematory, placed in the cremation chamber and reduced to ash. An identifying metal disc is kept with the decedent during this time and recovered following cremation so that the cremains are given to the right family.
• A container for the body and for the ashes – During cremation, the body is kept in an alternative container. In most cases, this is a cardboard box. Following cremation, the cremains are placed in another alternative container for safekeeping.

The above is considered the minimum for direct cremation and is required by state law. However, families may add to their direct cremation package, which can help with personalizing a memorial for the deceased.

Direct cremation services can be customized in a number of ways. For an additional cost, the following items and services are available:

• Caskets – Direct cremation services allow families to switch out the traditional box for a cremation casket made from wood. There are numerous styles to choose from, and the casket may be cremated with the decedent.
• Urns – Urns are used to hold the cremains following cremation, and they’re available in an impressive array of designs and colors. Some are ornamental, some are understated, some are designed to be buried or stored. Some even grow a tree if buried, and some can be safely dropped in the water.
• Expedited and rush cremation – Death often occurs suddenly, so direct cremation services are often needed suddenly. With expedited and rush cremation options, families can arrange to have their loved one’s cremation take place immediately following state approval.
• Cremains storage and delivery – The direct cremation company can hold onto the cremains until the family can pick them up or have them delivered within a certain distance of the direct cremator’s facilities.
• Cremains shipping – If loved ones live far away, the decedent’s ashes can be packaged and mailed to anywhere in the lower 48 states.
• Dividing the ashes – The ashes can also be divided into multiple containers and shipped separately to multiple households.

With these options, families can arrange the direct cremation process to their liking and celebrate their loved one how and when they wish.

The baseline package for direct cremation offers everything a family needs for a proper disposition. However, every family memorializes death and celebrates life differently. And with a range of customization options, direct cremation can support every family’s choice. Here are three ways that direct cremation’s customizability can do that:



1. The cremains can be sent to any place in the lower U.S. – It’s common for modern families to be divided by state lines. With direct cremation, though, people can receive their loved one’s ashes wherever they live. And those ashes can be sent to multiple families, so everyone can memorialize in their own way. Further, there’s no need to round everyone up in a funeral home that may be thousands of miles away.
2. There is no rush to put together memorial or funeral services – Direct cremation does not include a time-sensitive ceremony. Loved ones can take weeks or even months to put together a celebration for family and friends. And with time comes distance from grief, so family and friends can celebrate instead of mourn when the time comes.
3. The ashes can be placed in the perfect urn – Some families prefer an urn that reflects the kind of person their loved one was in life. Whether it’s a favorite color, design, or image, the right urn can evoke happy memories of a beloved family member.

Direct cremation allows families to put together their disposition plans with care. There’s no rush and no need to quickly arrange something just for the sake of a ceremony. And with plenty of customization options to choose from, families can invest only what they want into direct cremation, while keeping their plans open for a future memorial.