Traditional Cremation Ceremonies

Cremation ceremonies currently account for over 80% of the total funeral services conducted in the UK. This is, in part, due to lack of space in Churchyards, particularly in urban and city locations. A typical cremation ceremony will be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes at Seven Hills Crematorium or 40 minutes at Waveney Memorial Park and Crematorium. Extended ceremony times can be booked if you think a longer time is needed, This will need to be done at the time of initial booking as there is no guarantee an extended booking will be possible later on if other bookings have been made.

As crematoria are not religious buildings, a Celebrant led ceremony can offer much greater flexibility regarding the content of the service. It is possible to create a respectful and meaningful ‘person centered’ ceremony based entirely on the values, wishes and beliefs of the deceased and their family. The ceremony may incorporate music, readings and tributes from family and friends, should they wish to contribute. Ceremonies conducted Celebrants in crematoriums are often much more focused on celebrating the life that has been lead and honouring the achievements of the deceased.

The use of music within a funeral ceremony is very common. Both Seven Hills and Waveney Memorial Park have an integrated music system that will be able to provide practically any piece of music that is commercially available. More personal music or spoken audio tributes can also be accommodated provided they can be supplied in the correct format within reasonable time. The crematoria also have the facility to webcast the service via the internet if there are those who are unable to attend in person.

(Picture: Courtesy of Seven Hills Crematorium in Ipswich, Suffolk).

Crematoriums are specifically designed to ensure that the experience of the people attending a ceremony there is as comforting and as easy as possible. Most crematoriums would be happy to show you around the public parts of the building to help alay any fears you may have about attending a ceremony.

Direct Cremation Ceremonies

A Direct Cremation is the name given to the process of using the facilities of a crematorium without any form of ceremony. You may think it a little strange that someone who specalises in funeral ceremonies would be providing you with this information. But there are a number of circumstances when this may be the most appropriate course of action. If the wishes of the deceased were that there was to be no sort of ceremony at all, this would be an option to consider.

I would, however, suggest to anyone considering this as an option to think very carefully. A funeral ceremony is, to a large part, for the living. An opportunity to say goodbye in a fitting and respectful manner. You will not have the opportunity to re-do the ceremony later if you change your mind.