Your funeral director, will talk you through everything from collecting the deceased person right through to the service. This will finish with the burial (interment), or sometimes people have the burial first and a memorial celebration afterwards – guiding you with advice on bearers – how many people you may need to help carry the coffin, coffin choices or perhaps how your loved one will be dressed within.
The advice and journey with our team begins the same way, from when we are contacted and arrange to collect your family member. Our discussions involving a cremation service talk thorugh as with a burial – if the person is to be seen again by other family members, how will their appearance look and what instructions there are for the coffin.
A ceremony before a cremation can be held anywhere – if you are a family who have faith and will be holding a service at a church or having a civil ceremony / service of celebration perhaps at a local community venue, this will usually then finish at the crematorium or be held entirely within the adjoining chapel itself.
After the coffin is brought to the crematorium it is placed onto the catafalque – often carried or wheeled in by family members and placed onto the (catafalque) raised platform at the front which is usually for all the congregation to be able to see. Some families prefer no procession – the carrying of the coffin with family walking behind – this can be very emotional so another option is for the coffin to already be in place with the family walking in afterwards or you can take your seats and the coffin is then brought in once everyone has settled. These options can all be discussed with the Funeral Director to ensure the timings and flow of how the service works.
A further part of the service to consider is whether or not you would like the curtains to be closed or left open usually at the committal before the ending of the full service, some newer crematoriums have incorporated a voile – a tasteful see-through net curtain – as a third option to leave the chapel being able to see the coffin at all times.