As direct cremation becomes more and more popular, families are choosing to plan their own gatherings and celebrations of life following a direct cremation.
From intimate family gatherings through to more formal memorial events, there is a vast choice available to help honour a person who has died in a way that suits you. This guide will assist you with marking an end of a life after a direct cremation by recommending some simple ideas to mark the occasion in a truly special way.
What happens after a direct cremation?
Once a direct cremation has taken place, you will receive the ashes of the person who has died. This can be a difficult time as the sense of sadness and grief can be challenging to manage for many of us, as we face the hard task of coming to terms with the bereavement.
To help you move forward it may help to hold a memorial a few days, weeks or even months after a direct cremation, and if you are thinking of how best to reflect the person’s life, Liberty Cremations can help you with this.
Here are 7 thoughtful ideas that you might consider after a direct cremation:
1. Hold a memorial at home
Host an intimate gathering with close family and friends in a meaningful place. Sometimes home is the best place for this, as it feels warm, personal and special. You can arrange that guests share stories, play music, light candles, or share photos. It may feel a little overwhelming, but you will be pleased you have organised it and will feel a real sense of pride after the day.
2. Scatter the ashes in a special place
Many people choose a meaningful location to scatter ashes with their nearest and dearest – such as a beach, a garden, or a park – and they hold a quiet ash scattering ceremony. Alongside this you may decide to read a poem, arrange a supper, or ask someone such as a family member to read a eulogy at the ash scattering.
3. Create a memorial website, or online digital tribute
A digital memory lets you celebrate a loved one’s life and connect with your friends from anywhere in the world. You may include videos, photos, a place for special messages, or donation links to chosen charities. There are now companies who offer this service which might include the setting up of QR codes linking to tribute pages, or the integration of multimedia such as voice messages.
4. Host a unique celebration of life
There really is no end of options when it comes to a celebration of life. They can be formal or informal, held in summer or winter, include catering or simply a drink, and allow a choice of venue such as pubs, country house hotels, or city venues. The choice is down to you.
5. A memorial with a celebrant
A celebrant can be a good choice if you wish to have someone lead your event. They come as experienced speakers, very experienced at delivering professional tributes, in a neutral fashion. Some celebrants specialise in non-religious services whilst others offer faith-based options. They are usually very flexible and focus telling the story of the person who has died in a wonderful, respectful way.
6. Organise a group activity that marks what the person who has died would have enjoyed
Increasingly families and friends are interested in a group activity that puts the person who has died at the centre, to honour, celebrate, and join together, and to share memories and reflect.
Following a direct cremation, ideas such as a candlelit gathering, or planting a tree or garden, or going on a ‘walk of remembrance’ in a special place are lovely ideas to celebrate a life.
7. Keepsakes
Sometimes there can nothing more wonderful than organising a keepsake. Memorial jewellery such as pendants, rings or bracelets can be very meaningful. Mini urns can be good too, where the family can each hold some of the ashes. Planters that incorporate ashes but also invite a living element such as a tree are also a modern choice. You can be creative when it comes to choosing a keepsake and it can be a perfect complement to direct cremation as a way of really celebrating a person in a long lasting fashion.
How can Liberty Cremations help organise your memorial event?
When hosting an alternative gathering to a traditional funeral, funeral directors can help be your event organiser.
At Liberty Cremations we have built this offering around:
- flexibility: we stay open-minded to a variety of options and ideas and help you arrange them
- familiarity with our local area: we provide recommendations on venues, caterers, florists, musicians or florists due to good local knowledge.
- tailoring choices to budgets: we know that you need clear pricing, and we help manage your special gathering to your budget
Liberty Cremations is proud to be part of CPJ Field. CPJ Field have been arranging funerals across the Southeast for over 300 years. With such a rich heritage, we have the expertise, experience and connections to arrange a wonderful memorial for you.
Want to create a meaningful memorial after a cremation?
Let us help bring your ideas to life.
