
After a loved one dies, you and your family are often under immense pressure to make quick decisions about funeral arrangements. These decisions generally include choosing the type of service, selecting a container for the body, deciding on the final disposition of the remains, and determining the type of marker at the cemetery. This task can be particularly challenging when arrangements need to be made from a distance or under tight time constraints.
While the traditional funeral and burial offer a sense of togetherness and a physical location to pay respects, many families are now opting for alternatives that better suit their personal beliefs and financial situations. The funeral industry is adapting by introducing more personalized, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly ways to commemorate loved ones. These alternatives not only provide unique opportunities to celebrate a life but also reflect a growing desire for more intimate and meaningful end-of-life ceremonies.
By learning how these factors impact your choices, this post aims to equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions that reflect your loved one’s wishes and family values. Whether you're considering a conventional service or seeking a unique tribute, you'll gain insights into how to manage these decisions with confidence and sensitivity, ensuring a fitting farewell that respects both the environment and the legacy of those who have passed.
How Are Demographic Changes Influencing Final Arrangements?
It's important to understand how demographic changes—aging boomers, end-of-life care preferences, and religion—are impacting the funeral industry.
How Demographics are Destiny
By 2037, annual deaths in the United States are expected to surpass 3.6 million, up from 2.6 million in 2013, with a significant peak of 3.46 million in 2021 due to the pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2022 the figures slightly decreased to 3.28 million as COVID-19 recovery continued. This rise in the number of older adult deaths, expected to peak in 2055, underscores the importance of being well-prepared and aware of available options. The projected upward mortality trend is largely driven by the aging baby boomer cohort, which is facing its own set of economic challenges. Many seniors are living longer, often depleting their savings on prolonged nursing care, leaving their families with limited funds to meet funeral expenses. This economic strain, combined with demographic shifts, suggests that the nature of dying and funeral practices in America may continue to evolve, influencing how you and many others will need to plan for final arrangements.
Shifts in End-of-Life Care Preferences
A 2019 study in the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted a significant trend: an increasing number of Americans are choosing to die at home or in hospice, surrounded by loved ones, echoing practices common in earlier centuries. This shift toward passing away in familiar, comfortable settings profoundly affects how final arrangements are made. As more people opt for out-of-hospital end-of-life experience, there is a corresponding rise in memorial services outside traditional settings, allowing families to create more meaningful commemorations in spaces that hold special significance.
Changing Religious Affiliations and Impact on Funeral Choices
Religious affiliation is also playing a significant role in shaping funeral and memorial preferences. In 2021, only about 47% of Americans reported belonging to a church, synagogue, or mosque, a stark decrease from 1999, when over 70% of adults were affiliated with a religious institution. This decline is particularly pronounced among younger Americans, many of whom do not feel bound to the religious funeral services of their grandparents and parents—traditions that often involved facility-based services and processionals departing from religious venues. Younger generations are increasingly opting for alternative methods, seeking arrangements that allow them greater personal control over the remains and the memorial process. This shift contributes to evolving funeral industry practices, supporting the move away from traditional religious ceremonies in favor of personalized, secular commemorations.
Evolving Funeral Industry Practices
The funeral industry began adapting to demographic shifts well before the pandemic, most notably a growing preference for cremation over traditional burials, driven by both cost considerations and environmental concerns. This trend, along with an increasing interest in eco-friendly burial options and digital services like live-streamed and virtual funerals, which became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, are now standard offerings. This movement reflects broader trends towards sustainability and digital engagement in funeral services. The industry is approaching $20 billion in revenues, fueled by increasing deaths and inflation. However, the availability of less expensive and environmentally friendly options is expected to temper overall industry growth to less than 1% annually.

What Constitutes a “Funeral?”
The term "funeral" encompasses all events designed to honor, celebrate, and remember the life of a person who has died. Historically, these ceremonies are conducted prior to the final disposition of the body, through burial or cremation. Today, events like memorial services or the scattering of ashes might occur later, depending on personal or family preferences.
If you need to transport your loved one’s remains to another city or state, or even around the world, you’ll need to coordinate with a local funeral home as well as one in the receiving state. These funeral homes will handle the arrangements for transferring the remains. In the case of cremated remains, you have the option to personally transport the cremains. The funeral home will provide you with the necessary documentation to carry with you, ensuring the process is handled smoothly and in accordance with legal requirements.
For your loved ones that made an organ donation, their remains will be released back to you once the organ and tissue recovery process is completed, usually within 24-36 hours. You can then proceed with any funeral arrangements you have planned, whether it's a traditional burial, cremation, or an eco-friendly option. Donating organs does not limit your ability to have a meaningful and personalized funeral service, allowing you to honor your loved one's life and generous contributions in a way that reflects their wishes.
Basic Funeral Services
Despite evolving preferences, a typical funeral service today remains remarkably similar to those held 50 years ago. Usually, this involves displaying an embalmed body in an open casket, with ceremonies led by a religious figure who may not have known the deceased personally. This traditional format can feel impersonal and rigid to many, and with costs averaging around $8,000, it also represents a significant financial burden.
It's a common misconception that funeral directors are the only ones who can provide meaningful death rituals. According to Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), the rise in cremation rates and changes in funeral practices are driven by what grieving families desire, leading to the creation of their own traditions and experiences. This shift allows you to plan more personalized approaches to mourning and celebrating a life.
By realizing the full scope of what a funeral can include, you empower yourself to choose a commemoration form that truly reflects your loved one’s life and values, ensuring their memory is honored in a way that is both respectful and resonant.
Types of Funeral and Memorial Services
There are numerous types of funeral and memorial services available. To help you narrow down which services reflect your preferences, traditions, and logistics, here is a brief summary presented in alphabetical order.
At-Home Funerals are growing in popularity and involve the family caring for and preparing the deceased at home, conducting services without the need for a funeral director.
Immediate, Direct Burial and Direct Cremation involve the swift final disposition of the body without embalming, formal viewing, or visitation focusing on simplicity and cost-effectiveness; and may include a simple graveside service.
Graveside Service, or a “committal service,” is conducted at the gravesite or crematorium chapel before the casket/coffin or urn is interred (placed in its permanent home).
Life Celebrations are festive events often planned by professional party planners or event coordinators without the body present and held in settings that were special to the deceased, like a favorite restaurant or outdoor spot.
Location Funerals are becoming more common as families choose special settings outside traditional venues for funeral services, including homes, parks, or other significant spots.
Memorial Service is a ceremony that honors the deceased without the body present and may include the urn if cremated.
Traditional Funerals, with the deceased's body present in an open or closed casket, typically occur within two or three days after death and are led by a clergy or celebrant.
Viewings and Visitations offer your relatives and friends opportunities to be in the presence of the body privately before the funeral, with viewing typically involving a closed casket and visitation an open casket.
Vigil and Wake are services conducted on the eve of the funeral; a vigil, usually part of the Roman Catholic tradition, involves prayer, while a wake is a more informal gathering where attendees spend the night watching over the deceased.
Virtual Funerals, enabled by digital technology, allow family and friends to participate in services remotely via platforms like Zoom, accommodating attendees from anywhere in the world.
Identifying these options better equips you to choose a service that aligns with your preferences. Each type of service offers unique benefits and considerations, allowing you to personalize the final farewell in a way that truly reflects the deceased’s life and values.
What Are the Steps Involved in Preparing for an Open Casket Viewing?
When planning funeral services with open casket viewing, being familiar with the body preparation process ensures mortician’s work reflects your wishes and respects the deceased.
Embalming Process
It is important to note that embalming is not legally required in any state in the U.S. if the burial or cremation is to occur promptly (within a few days). Refrigeration can serve as an adequate alternative for preserving the body in the short term, although not all funeral homes have refrigeration facilities. The embalming process typically involves removing all blood and gases from the body and injecting a disinfecting fluid. This is considered a temporary preservation method that provides the family with additional time to organize funeral preparations and coordinate travel arrangements for attendees. If you are planning an open casket public viewing, be aware that some funeral homes may require embalming to maintain a life-like appearance of the deceased and prevent the spread of bacteria.
Preparing the Body
Following embalming, the funeral home takes several steps to arrange the body for viewing. The process begins with thoroughly bathing the body to make sure it is clean and presentable. Grooming follows, which may involve trimming facial hair such as mustaches or beards and other body hair that might affect appearance. Additionally, makeup is thoughtfully applied to enhance the deceased's features and natural, life-like appearance. The final step is dressing the deceased in the selected clothing, which reflects their personal style or family preferences. The funeral home meticulously checks that the attire fits properly and looks dignified as the body is placed into their casket for the viewing.
These attentive preparations honor your loved one’s memory, presenting them respectfully and beautifully for their final farewell, and providing a comforting experience for family and friends during the viewing.
How Do Burial and Cremation Options Compare?
When deciding how to handle the final arrangements for a loved one, you may find yourself weighing the differences between burial and cremation. This decision is influenced by several factors, including family dynamics, geographic considerations, personal preferences, and evolving societal trends.
The Case for Burial
Traditionally, burial has been the choice for many, providing a physical site for loved ones to visit and pay respects. However, with families now often living far apart, maintaining a burial plot in a hometown cemetery may no longer be practical. The immediacy required for organizing a burial can also add significant stress during a grieving period. For those with family spread across multiple states, the effort and expense of a burial might seem unwarranted if the site is unlikely to be visited often.
The Rise of Cremation
Cremation has seen a dramatic increase in popularity over the decades. In 1960, only 3.6% of Americans chose cremation, while projections for 2025 show a staggering 63.3% opting for this method—a 1658.33% increase in just 65 years. This chart demonstrates the shift from burial to cremation since 1998 in five-year intervals.

By 2040, it's estimated that four out of five Americans will choose cremation over burial. This shift is driven by various factors:
Demographic and economic factors play a significant role, as the geographic spread of families makes cremation a more flexible gathering alternative and often less expensive option.
Environmental concerns also influence the decision, with many seeing cremation as an eco-friendlier alternative, though it too has environmental impacts.
Cultural shifts, including decreasing religious prohibitions and a growing preference for personalized and less traditional services, are motivating more peopel to choose cremation.
Flexibility of cremation allows for various memorial options, such as scattering ashes in a meaningful area, interring them in a columbarium, or keeping them at home.
Despite the increasing preference for cremation, it's important to consider what this choice means for you and your family. While some may find cremation offers a way to keep their loved one's memory close in a more personal setting, others may feel it lacks the formality and permanence of a traditional burial.
Appreciating burial and cremation perspectives allows you decide what best honors the memory of your loved one while also considering the needs and emotions of those left behind.
What Are The Burial Process Steps?
If you choose burial, understanding each step and the decisions involved makes the process more manageable and meaningful.
Step #1 – Selecting the Right Casket or Coffin
Once you've decided on a burial, the next step is selecting the right container for the body to rest in, either a casket or a coffin. Caskets are typically four-sided, rectangular containers, with handles, and made from materials like wood, metal, fiberglass, or plastic. They can range from simple designs to elaborately ornamented ones. Coffins, distinct from caskets, have a six-sided, tapered design that narrows towards the feet, and are usually made of wood. The choice between a casket and a coffin often reflects the deceased’s personality or wishes and can vary widely in cost, so you’ll want to consider what best honors your loved one's legacy while fitting within your budget.
Step #2 - Understanding the Use of a Burial Vault or Outer Burial Container
After choosing a casket, you'll need to consider whether to use a burial vault or an outer burial container, which is sometimes a cemetery requirement. These structures serve several purposes, protecting the casket from the weight of the earth and any heavy maintenance equipment that might pass over the grave. Additionally, they prevent the ground from settling or collapsing, maintaining gravesite integrity and appearance. This step is part of preserving the burial site and ensuring that it remains a serene area for you to come and pay your respects.
Step #3 – The Role of the Grave in Burial
The grave itself is the specific plot of ground where the casket and vault will be housed. Choosing a grave often involves considering the actual location within the cemetery where the body will be buried—some families opt for quieter corners or areas with significant personal meaning. Often your choice will be limited to the available plots within a given area.
Step #4 – The Process of Interment
Interment is the actual act of burying the casket in the grave. This final step in the burial process may be accompanied by a graveside service, known as a committal service, where family and friends gather to say their last farewells. During the interment, the casket is lowered into the grave, and final rites are performed according to familial or religious customs. This moment can be a profound one, marking the physical and symbolic laying to rest of your loved one.
By understanding each step in the burial process and the significance behind each decision, you can ensure that the arrangements align with your family's needs and the wishes of your loved one, making the final farewell both personal and meaningful.
How Does The Cremation Process Work?
When you choose cremation for your loved one, it's helpful to be familiar with each step of the process. This insight assists you making informed decisions and preparing for what happens from the moment you choose cremation until the final disposition of the cremated remains.
Step #1: Transportation to the Crematory
The first step in the cremation process involves transporting the deceased's body to a crematory or crematorium. This facility is specifically designed and licensed to perform cremations.
Step #2: Preparation and Cremation Process
Upon arrival at the crematory, the body is prepared for cremation. This typically does not include embalming unless it has been performed previously for a public viewing or for other specific reasons. The body is typically laid in a combustible container or casket appropriate for cremation, ensuring it meets any required standards for material and safety. The cremation itself involves reducing the body to its basic elements through incineration at high temperatures in a specialized furnace. This process takes several hours, during which all organic material is consumed by heat or evaporation.
Step #3: Processing of Cremated Remains
After the cremation, the remaining bone fragments are carefully removed from the cremation chamber and ground into finer particles, often referred to as "ashes" or "cremains." These remains are then put either in a temporary container or in an urn that you have selected beforehand.
Step #4: Return of the Cremated Remains
Once the ashes have been processed, they are returned to the family. You can choose to keep the ashes in an urn, scatter them in a meaningful locale, or even situate them in a columbarium niche within a cemetery building designed for urn storage. What to do with the cremated remains is deeply personal and can reflect the deceased’s wishes or your family's desires for remembrance.
What Are the Environmental Concerns of Burial or Cremation?
As your environmental awareness grows, you may find yourself scrutinizing the ecological impact of final resting place choices, including traditional burial and cremation.
The Environmental Impact of Burial
Traditional burials involve several environmental drawbacks. The use of embalming fluids, which contain chemicals like formaldehyde—a known carcinogen—can contaminate groundwater. Annually, over 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid are buried in U.S. cemeteries. Hardwood caskets and concrete vaults not only consume significant resources but also alter landscapes permanently. Each year, the wood used in burials could build over 2,000 homes, and 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete are used for burial vaults.
Moreover, traditional burial methods can lead to soil and groundwater contamination with the release of organic and inorganic elements as bodies decompose. This pollution includes ions, bacteria, fungi, and viruses that can spread through the soil and enter water systems. Solutions are being developed to collect and treat effluent from burial sites before it enters the environment, enhancing sustainability.
The Cremation Challenge
Cremation, once considered a more environmentally friendly option, also presents significant environmental challenges. It requires a substantial amount of energy and emits pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and heavy metals like mercury. The process is equivalent to a 500-mile car drive in gas consumption and releases about 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per body.
Notably, crematories contribute to 0.2% of the global dioxin and furan emissions. Alternative methods like alkaline hydrolysis, or “water cremation,” offer a reduced carbon footprint—about 15% of that produced by conventional gas-fired cremation.
Comparing Traditional Burial and Cremation
When comparing traditional burial and cremation, it's clear that both choices have significant environmental impacts, albeit in different ways. Burial consumes large amounts of land and involves materials that are slow to degrade and can pollute soil and groundwater. Cremation, while using less physical space, requires significant energy and releases harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
Green burials present a more sustainable alternative for you, minimizing the use of non-biodegradable and toxic materials and allowing for natural decomposition, which is less harmful to the environment, especially if managed properly and using a shroud instead of a coffin.
As environmental considerations become increasingly important in making final arrangement decisions, the shift towards more sustainable practices is likely to continue. This trend not only addresses ecological concerns but also reflects your changing values towards sustainability and personalization in honoring the deceased.
What Are Your Options for Environmentally Friendly Body Disposition?
As societal awareness about environmental impact grows, more people are considering green alternatives for final body disposition that reflect a desire for simplicity and sustainability. According to a 2023 NFDA report, 60% of consumers are interested in "green" funeral options due to their environmental benefits and potential cost savings. Here's a look at how various eco-friendly alternatives work.
Green Burials
Green burials represent a return to traditional practices before modern embalming became common. In a green burial, the body is not embalmed and is laid directly into the ground, either wrapped in a biodegradable shroud or in a simple, eco-friendly casket made of materials like willow. The graves are shallower than traditional burials, which allows soil bacteria to aid in natural body decomposition. This method not only reduces the environmental impact by eschewing chemicals and non-biodegradable materials but also often costs less than traditional funerals.
Natural Organic Reduction (Human Composting)
Legal in states like Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, natural organic reduction, or human composting, transforms the body into nutrient-rich soil through a controlled process. This option is seen as a way to give back to the earth, supporting new life after death.
Promession
Promession is a method originating in Sweden, where the body is freeze-dried with liquid nitrogen, then vibrated into particles, and finally converted into a powder. This powder can then be buried in shallow soil, where it quickly turns into nutrient-rich soil, further contributing to plant growth.
Infinity Burial Suits
Known as mushroom suits, these garments are made from biodegradable material impregnated with mushroom spores designed to decompose the body and neutralize toxins released during decomposition. This method safeguards that the body's return to the earth contributes positively to the surrounding ecosystem.
Alkaline Hydrolysis
Also referred to as water cremation or aquamation, alkaline hydrolysis uses a solution of water and alkali to break down the body, leaving behind bones that are then crushed into ash and a sterile liquid. This process is considered more environmentally friendly than traditional cremation because it uses less energy and produces fewer emissions.
Creative Alternatives for Cremated Remains
Beyond traditional urns or scattering, cremated remains can now be incorporated into unique memorials such as artificial reefs, fireworks, or even turned into vinyl records and diamonds. These options allow for a personal touch in remembering the deceased and can create a legacy that honors their life in a distinctive way.
These environmentally friendly funeral options provide meaningful alternatives that align with the values of those who are conscious of their ecological footprint, allowing for a final act that is both personal and considerate of the planet.
What Are the Different Options for a Final Resting Place?
Selecting a final resting place is a big decision that reflects personal, cultural, or familial preferences. Understanding the various options available allows you decide the most fitting tribute for your loved one.
Cemeteries and Plots
A cemetery is a dedicated land area reserved for graves, tombs, or cremation urns, and can be privately or publicly owned. Many cemeteries are adapting to modern preferences by setting aside specific sections for green burials and other eco-friendly options, making them what is referred to as hybrid cemeteries. This shift towards hybrid options allows for traditional practices to coexist with environmentally conscious choices, accommodating a broader range of preferences. A plot is a specific piece of ground purchased by a family or individual to bury a casketed body or an urn containing cremated remains. Approximately 31.7% of people prefer to have their cremated remains buried or interred in a cemetery plot rather than keeping them in an urn at home or scattering them in a sentimental space.
Mausoleums and Columbaria
A mausoleum is a building designed to house casketed remains above ground. This option is chosen for various reasons, including tradition, prestige, or personal preference. Adjacent to or within mausoleums, you often find columbaria—structures designed to house urns holding cremated remains. Each urn is set in a niche, a specific space within the mausoleum or columbarium that serves as the final resting spot.
Scattering and Special Gardens
Scattering the cremated remains is another popular choice, providing a way to return a loved one to a spot that holds special meaning. This can be done in a designated scattering garden within a cemetery or crematory, which offers a beautiful and tranquil setting for this purpose. Additionally, aerial scattering, where ashes are dispersed from a plane or other airborne device, provides a unique sendoff that celebrates a loved one's spirit of adventure or love for the sky.
Burial At Sea
Burial at sea, often associated with the U.S. Navy, is available to anyone, not just military personnel. This type of farewell involves a ceremony aboard a boat where the body, typically shrouded or in a biodegradable casket, is gently lowered into the ocean. It’s a profound option that transcends traditional land burials, offering a serene return to nature. Conducting a burial at sea in the United States requires obtaining the necessary permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure the process respects environmental guidelines and legal standards.
Each option offers a different way to honor a deceased loved one, catering to various wishes and preferences. Whether it's a traditional burial in a cemetery plot, a lasting tribute in a mausoleum, or a return to nature through scattering, choosing a final resting place is a personal decision that significantly impacts how you remember and honor those who have passed away.
In our next post—How The FTC Funeral Rule Helps You Achieve Transparency—we will delve deeper into the specific costs associated with each of the services discussed here, providing you with a detailed breakdown to manage your budget effectively. Additionally, we will review consumer rights and the regulations governing funerals and final arrangements, ensuring you are well-informed and prepared to navigate these decisions.
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