Alternatives to choose from

2008-04-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Burial at Sea

Got a family member who loved the water? Burial at sea could be a possibility for you. There are companies like Sea Services, who will supply the family with a vessel, a crew and the port from which the body would leave. If the body is cremated, the ashes of the deceased are spread on the surface of the water, or placed in a special urn which biodegrades as it makes its way to the bottom of the ocean floor. It is also possible to bury a body at sea, though it is considered to be a much more difficult task than that of spreading ashes.

The family is able to plan everything ranging from when they want to hold the actual ceremony, to a dinner held in the loved ones memory. Sea Services offers small group prices that range in the $500-$900 dollar range. However, larger groups and certain circumstances, such as boating season can add onto the regular price.

Cryonics

Cryonics is when the body is frozen after death and kept that way for an extended period of time. While it is rather unorthodox, people usually engage in cryonics in hopes of being able to find a cure for a disease, or cause of death sometime in the future. The process is currently in its infancy, as it is not currently possible to bring someone out of cryonics.

According to Funeralideas.com, the two biggest plants in the U.S. are the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, which is located in Arizona, and Cryonics Institute, which is in Michigan.

Direct Burials

A funeral can be one of the most expensive purchases a person makes in a lifetime. That is why direct burials tend to be a very attractive option for people looking to keep things at a decent price. Direct burials are really pretty self-explanatory. The body is usually buried shortly after death, and is usually buried in a very simple casket. This leads to very little involvement of the funeral home and in turn saves a family from having to spend a lot of money on services (like embalming, caring of the body and transportation) that aren’t necessary.

Direct burials prove that it is possible to have a very moving and memorable funeral for under $3,000.

Direct Cremation

The cremation process is one that continues to become a more appealing option when one passes away. It is an option that can remain relatively cheap, and can help eliminate certain service fees, like embalming, and eliminates the use of a casket, which can be quite costly.

The body is placed in a chamber and is then heated at extensive temperatures until it is refined to ash. The process takes a few hours to complete, and once completed the staff removes the ashes and places them into the urn selected by the family.

Do-it-yourself Funeral

It’s exactly how it sounds- a funeral that the family of the deceased takes care of by themselves, eliminating the funeral home almost completely (you do need to obtain the proper documentation, and most states require a body to be transported to a funeral home if a person passes at a hospital). Once one has passed, the family is able to clean and take care of the body until they are ready to bury the deceased. In that time they can purchase a simple casket to put the body in and lay them to rest at a proper resting place. Obviously any ceremonies conducted would be conducted by the family, and usually occur at a later time.

It is, however, not legal in all states. Michigan is on the list of states that have restrictions on how to care for their dead. Joining Michigan on that very list is: Delaware, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Utah, Nebraska and New York.

Green Burials

Green burials take a little piece of direct burials and then tie in an environmentally friendly method to it. While the deceased are placed in a simple container, which is similar to a direct burial, as well limiting the funeral homes involvement in caring for the body (i.e. no embalming), green burials, or natural burials, eliminate unnatural supplies and chemicals from going into the earth. The container is made of wood and other perishable supplies, and the body is left to decompose with the casket it rests in.

Memorial services can be conducted by the family at a later date, and can take place anywhere the loved ones would like, though if they choose to do it graveside a funeral director is allowed to charge a fee.

Mummification

While it may be impossible to keep the body perfectly preserved forever, mummification is the best alternative to keeping the body preserved. The body is chemically treated, wrapped up in cloth and then is sealed in some kind of entombment to be preserved.

The process, however, is a lengthy one and can take up to three months to complete. It also isn’t cheap. According to Funeralideas.com, mummification can cost the customer up to $65,000.

While the idea might seem out-dated, mummification is something that people look for as an alternative. According to transcripts from NPR, there are organizations like Some Mum, who are allowing people to sign up to be mummified when they pass.

Alternatives to the "typical" funeral

Alternatives to choose from