Monthly Archives: February 2021

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

Keeping Safe Around Cremation Services

While there’s hope on the horizon that the pandemic will someday be a thing of the past, while in the thick of things, it’s better to think about safety when you are planning cremation services in West Seattle, WA. You’ve already lost a loved one. The last thing you want to do is hear that anyone got sick because of the services you had for that person. There are lots of ways you can keep yourself and other safe while honoring someone who passed on. Here are a few tips.

1-Plan Online

To limit your own exposure and the amount of meetings you have to have, you could plan at least some of the service online. There’s always going to be paperwork to fill out and while you might have to meet with the funeral home at some point, those visits can be shorter if you are able to do a lion’s share of the work online, away from others.

2-Outdoor Service Options

While outdoor services aren’t always ideal in this area of the country, you could have something short or wait for the time of year that would be nice enough to be outside. Having the outdoor service may allow you to invite more people and allow them to be more spaced out and safe with the fresh air all around everyone.

3-Limit Numbers

If you want to have a memorial in a church or even in a family home, you should limit the numbers of people that are gathering in that location. You can always have another larger service later as cremation doesn’t prevent you from doing more services whenever you want to hold them.

4-Consider Livestreaming

If you have some older people in your family who you want to protect, or some with health concerns that absolutely cannot be exposed, consider livestreaming whatever cremation service you choose to have. You can set them up with a device so they can watch the services and participate as best they can from the safety of their own home. Everyone can see what is going on as it is happening and not be left out just because they want to stay where they are safest and most comfortable.

cremation services in West Seattle, WA

There are plenty of other things you can do to hold cremation services in West Seattle, WA in a safe manner and the professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory are here to help. When things went downhill last year, we worked very hard and very quickly to accommodate clients who still had loved ones that needed attention and honoring services. We have adapted and have plenty of options to consider. There are some industries that can shut down and wait it out. Ours is not one of them. We are still here working hard for you to give your loved one the services they need after they pass on. You can trust them in our hands, and you can trust us for advice on how to keep the rest of your family safe.

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

Different Cremation Services Funeral Homes Offer

When you work with funeral homes in West Seattle, WA on final services, the first decision you will make is whether you want a funeral or cremation service for your loved one. As you consider your options, it’s good to know that there are lots of different cremation services offered. These types of services are very flexible and can make it easier to plan since the timeline on the services goes away once the cremation is complete. Here are some of the main choices that funeral homes offer in relation to cremation services.

Full Cremation Services

These services feel a lot more traditional because they proceed with a visitation and funeral first, followed by cremation after those services are complete. Your family gets the closure they need through the visitation and they can have a traditional service with readings, music, poems, and so on. If some people in the family want a funeral while others want cremation, this is a nice way to reach a compromise. The funeral moves forward, and the cremation waits till after. Then, you can decide on the best final resting place.

Direct Cremation Services

Direct Cremation services take place a lot faster than full cremation services because they happen soon after death. All the family has to do is get the death certificate and sign cremation consent forms and the cremation can take place. But just because the body is cremated quickly, that doesn’t mean family members can’t have services later. In fact, the family can have any kind of service they want after the cremation happens. Most families like to have a memorial service, but there are many different types of services. The family can have a memorial that feels like a funeral, one that is a bit more light0hearted, or even a celebration of life. They can even have an ash scattering ceremony, either in addition to the other service, or on its own.

There are decisions to make about cremation once you decide that’s the direction you want to go. The majority of clients go with direct cremation and plan whatever kind of services they want afterwards, but that’s not the ideal option for everyone. You need to do what you feel is best for your family and the situation you are in. When you make a decision, the professionals will stand behind you and support the choices you have made.

funeral homes in West Seattle, WA

If you want to learn more about the cremation options and the different services and resting places that could be chosen, funeral homes in West Seattle, WA are here to help. We understand that planning services for a loved one is tough and it’s even harder to get things right when you aren’t sure what they would have wanted. We’ll show you the options and give you the compassion you need to get through these tough times. Contact the professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory and we can walk you through any part of the process you need help with and then some.

Cremation services in Bellevue, WA

Exploring The Cremation Service Option

Cremation services in Bellevue, WA are becoming more popular today than ever before, even though they have been utilized for thousands of years. Even so, that doesn’t mean you have ever had the chance to use them or plan such services before. When you are thinking about your own final services, or if you are planning services for a loved one and you want to explore the cremation service option, the professionals are there for you.

When you work with a funeral home and cremation provider, they are always happy to discuss whatever services you want to know about in great detail. Making decisions in any case is important and if you are seriously considering what is the best for your situation, you want all of the details. You might be curious about some parts of the process or, you just want to know what you feel about everything. You can’t get a true read on the whole thing until you have all of the details.

Once you know everything you want to know about cremation, then if you choose it, you won’t have doubts. You will know it’s what you want. You want to know how it works, how much it costs, what the options are around it and so on. While you can get many of the details from the funeral home and cremation provider, you might also want to talk to people who have had cremation done for family members before, or who have perhaps chosen it as their own pre-plans. You can ask them how they felt about how the process went and why they chose that way, if you feel comfortable enough with that person.

The funeral home can also show you different service availabilities and talk to you about the options that people have chosen in the past. Hearing about things you could do with cremation on your side could help you to decide whether or not it is right for you or your family member. There are lots of things that go into the process besides just the cremation and the low cost. Learning more about the options can help you in your thought process a great deal.

Cremation services in Bellevue, WA

When you have to plan final services for a family member, or when you want to plan your own final services in advance for yourself, cremation services in Bellevue, WA are an honorable option. Once you make the decision for cremation, you can feel good about it when you know enough about it to make that choice. The funeral home is there to help you get the information you need so you can make informed decisions. You can make your choices with confidence in knowing all of the details and having all of your questions answered. If you want to look into cremation and have questions, the professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory are here to help you figure out what you might want to do. We can get you the answers you need to make the right choices.

funeral homes in Bellevue, WA

Choosing The Right Pictures To Use At Funeral Homes

When you work with funeral homes in Bellevue, WA, you want your loved one remembered as they were. That means finding the right pictures for certain parts of the service. You might want a picture for the bulletin you put together that shows the order of events. You may want a picture in the obituary. And also pictures for a memorial display. How can you find the right shots of your loved one to show them in their prime? Here are a few tips to help you figure those things out.

Start By Deciding Between Old And New

While you will want a current picture for the obituary so people will recognize your loved one, you can decide between old or newer pictures for other areas of the service. What do you think your loved one would like? Do they want pictures of recent family vacations? Or would they prefer pictures of their wedding, them with their kids when they were little and so on. On a memorial table, you can even mix and match between the eras.

Browse The Options

Go through your photo albums, pictures your loved one has, and options that family members have available. That will help you to look at a variety of pictures and choose those that highlight your loved one’s personality the most. You want something that will allow you to showcase them in a happy manner and you will likely have plenty of photos from which to choose.

Set Aside Favorites

You might have favorites that you run across as you look. Set those aside as you can choose between them later, include them all in the memorial table, or make a scrapbook of your loved one for your own memorial. These are pictures that show your loved one’s personality and the way they lived their life.

Have Family Members Take A Look

If you can’t decide between certain photos for the bulletin, the obituary, or even the memorial table, you can have family members take a look and give their opinions and votes. That can help to involve more people into the process and it’s also a good way to take some of the pressure off of you to make all of the decisions.

funeral homes in Bellevue, WA

The pictures you pick to use around funeral homes in Bellevue, WA are going to be important to the overall results of the services you have planned. It’s a wonderful way to honor your loved one, show what they were like during their lifetime, and enjoy the overall displays yourself. The professionals at Columbia Funeral Home & Crematory are here to help you figure out all of the details from start to finish, even the pictures. You can bring options to us and we will tell you what might fit in where. Of course, you will get to make the ultimate decisions as to what pictures you will use in any area. It’s going to make the whole service personal and customized.