Whilst you can place favourite items with them in their coffin prior to cremation, there are some things that are prohibited including anything with a battery such as a mobile phone or radio, rubber, glass, alcohol, golf balls, pet or human cremains (ashes), tin cans or aerosols, firearms and ammunition, lighters and, surprisingly - coconuts.
- You might be able to have a toast to the deceased. Check first!
- You cannot have a candle lighting ceremony unless it’s battery powered (Insurance requirements)
- Ashes can be memorialised in jewellery or glass or can be scattered in a location significant to the deceased
- There’s no burial plot to purchase and maintain
- For some, it might be a religious requirement
- It might be possible to see the coffin enter the cremator (again, sometimes a religious requirement)
- There are time constraints – usually 40-45 minutes in Norfolk, but one crematorium allows just 25 minutes’ service time. For an additional fee, you can book an extra ‘slot’ of the same length (called a double slot).
I can advise you about timing, but if a slot has already been booked, it will constrain what can be included. If you contact me before seeing the Funeral Director, I can discuss it with you and advise you on how best to proceed. I’ll tell you if you are trying to include too much. There’s always the informal gathering afterwards where people can read their tributes, or you might want to consider an alternative venue (see below).
Some crematoria will impose an additional charge if the service overruns and impinges on the funeral that follows. If I have advised you of this and you add people or items to the order of service after we’ve agreed it, I will not take responsibility for the charge.
Think about how many people you might want to speak and how long their tributes are, the length of the music and how many tracks you’d like played (at least three but another piece or a hymn can be added if there’s time). If you would like live music, a singer or string quartet, for example, allow more time. The funeral arranger won’t necessarily have detailed knowledge of how to time a service, so ask a celebrant!
- Cremation is not as environmentally friendly as people might think
- Most crematoria are dog friendly; some require written confirmation that the owner will clean up any mess.
