Cremation services in West Chester, PA are very popular today. They happen in about half of the cases today. The other half use funeral home services. If you are going back and forth between the two options, or if you are certain about cremation and you want to look into direct cremation versus full cremation, (which includes a funeral service before the cremation), here are some common questions people have asked to help you start down the right path 

What Is Direct Cremation? 

Direct cremation is as it sounds. It is cremation that happens in a quick, efficient, direct manner. There are no services beforehand, but rather cremation happens soon after death. That being said, you can have direct cremation done and then, you can have whatever kind of service you want after that. Many people have a memorial service and it can either be somber, like a funeral, or something more casual. Lots of families even like to have a celebration of life, which is a nice way to go over the good times and remember a life well-lived. 

How Fast Does It Happen? 

There’s some paperwork that has to happen before the cremation takes place, but none of that takes all that long. You will have to present your loved one’s death certificate for this service, or any other that the funeral home offers. You will also have to sign a cremation consent form in order to move forward. The cremation process generally takes only a few days once the death has occurred. 

What Happens With Direct Cremation? 

You are going to want to get a cremation package in order to move forward with a direct cremation. Any package is going to cover everything your loved one needs. One thing that is included is your loved one’s transportation. You will let your funeral home know where your loved one is and they will transport them from that location to the funeral home’s facilities. Once that happens, the funeral home will care for them until the paperwork is in order. They will move into the cremation ceremony, you may be able to witness that process if you want. 

How Is Direct Cremation Different From Full Cremation? 

The main difference between direct and full cremation is the timing. With full cremation, you have a visitation and a funeral first. With direct cremation, the cremation happens first and then you can have final services for your loved one after that. Direct cremation is the least costly option on the market and it’s nice to know that you can save money, which can help you with your budget, or it can help you to put more towards a memorial service. 

When you are trying to decide what type of cremation services in West Chester, PA you want to have for a loved one, full and direct are the options. You will want to ask as many questions as you have so you can get what you need to make the right decision for your family and for your loved one.