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Are you looking for something unique to do with your loved one’s ashes? If storing ashes in an urn at home doesn’t appeal to you, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of alternatives.

You could use the ashes to plant a tree, create a beautiful piece of jewellery, or even press into an old-fashioned vinyl record. Keep reading for details on four touching ways to preserve the remains of your loved one.

1. Use the Ashes to Plant a Tree

Using your loved one’s ashes to plant a tree is a lovely way to keep their memory alive for decades to come.

You can now purchase special tree urns, which are separated into two capsules.  The top capsule contains the seed of the tree, while the bottom capsule contains the ashes.

Once planted in the ground, the seed will germinate and roots will sprout, eventually growing down into the lower capsule and spreading out into the earth.

These special urns can hold all or just some of the ashes, so they’re perfect if you’d like to share the remains between family members.

2. Have a Piece Cremation Jewellery Made

There are now companies dedicated to turning ashes into beautiful, colourful pieces of glass jewellery.

They use a special process that involves melting the ashes along with molten glass and glass crystals. Once combined, they’re cooled, cut, and polished to create a smooth, finished stone. This stone can then be used to create a necklace, bracelet, or ring.

You can even engrave the finished stone with a message of your choice. You could choose names and dates, favourite sayings, song lyrics, or meaningful quotes.

Creating a piece of cremation jewellery usually only requires one spoonful of ashes, so it’s possible to have multiple pieces created.

3. Commission a Memorial Painting Using the Ashes

Having a painting of a loved one created is a lovely way to honour their memory.

If you want to go one step further, commission a memorial painting that uses your loved one’s ashes, blended together with paint, to create the finished piece. This process only requires a small portion of the ashes, so you’ll still be able to store or scatter the rest as you wish.

You could commission a traditional portrait, a painting of your relative’s favourite place, their old home, or even a beloved pet. Providing the artist with a photo to work from will ensure that they get the painting just right.

4. Have the Ashes Compressed into a Vinyl Record

Was your loved one a keen music lover? Did they create music themselves? If so, having their ashes compressed into a working vinyl record could be a fitting and meaningful tribute.

This relatively new process involves taking a small portion of ashes, sprinkling onto a raw piece of vinyl, and then pressing. As the vinyl is pressed, the ashes are embedded into the record. You can choose any recording you like, and there’ll be room for multiple tracks.

The inclusion of the ashes will create some distinctive pops and crackles as the record plays, but this is part of the appeal for many people. If you’re looking for a unique way to commemorate a music lover, this is a lovely choice.

Not everyone wants to keep ashes in a traditional urn, and there are plenty of other options available. Remember your loved one by having their remains turned into jewellery, pressed into a record, used to create a painting, or returned to the earth as a tree.

If you’re looking for help planning a cremation, don’t hesitate to contact Cremations Only today.

How to Choose the Perfect Funeral Music to Remember Your Loved One

Choosing the right music for your loved one’s funeral can feel impossible. You might have so many options that you don’t know which to pick, or you could struggle to find even one song that feels appropriate.

This is completely normal, and you may go through a lot of emotions when you listen to songs that remind you of someone who has passed. Be kind to yourself throughout the process, and use the ideas below if you feel stuck.

1. Use Songs From Special Moments in Their Life

Think about the biggest moments in your loved one’s life and the music that was playing. For example, the song they first asked their partner to dance to, or the music they played on their wedding day.

Other special moments might be less obvious, like the first time they saw their favourite band play live or the day they started a new job. Choosing a song from one of these important occasions is a lovely, personal way to remember a friend or relative.

2. Take a Look at Their Music Collection

Do you have access to your loved one’s CD or record collection or maybe their MP3 player? Taking a good look at the music they owned is bound to trigger ideas, and you can be certain that they’d approve.

Look for albums which have clearly been listened to over and over, and you should get a good idea of their favourites. If you shared a streaming service, you might even be able to see which songs they played most often.

3. Choose Religious Songs If Appropriate

If your loved one was religious or spiritual, songs that recognize this can be a good idea. Your choice could be a favourite hymn or religious song, which can also allow members of the congregation to join in and sing.

Alternatively, you might opt for spiritual music without lyrics, like healing sound bowls or a Gregorian chant. If your loved one regularly attended a place of worship, get advice from members of the congregation there.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Musical Styles

You don’t need to have a consistent theme for the music; play an eclectic mix of songs. You might start with a moving classical piece and end with a cheerful pop song, or mix traditional drum music with modern rap.

There are absolutely no rights or wrongs when curating a funeral playlist. Just listen to your heart and do what feels right.

5. Read the Lyrics Before Committing to Songs

You may choose a pop song without fully remembering the words. However, read the lyrics beforehand to make sure there’s nothing that feels inappropriate. It’s better to check beforehand than get a shock if a song contains lines you weren’t aware of.

Remember that the congregation will likely be silent while the music plays, so they’ll be listening closely to every word.

If you’re ready to arrange a funeral, contact Cremations Only today.

People often say that a funeral is a time of remembrance—a day to celebrate the life of your loved one as well as mourn your loss. However, remembering the good times and high points of a lost friend or family member’s life is often easier said than done when you’re caught up in the funeral process.

Add a Timeline to the Order of Service

One simple way to inspire remembrance at your loved one’s funeral is by including a timeline in the order of service.

At its foundation, an order of service usually includes a photo of the departed, relevant dates and locations, and information about the readings, eulogies, and hymns that will be included in the service. Beyond that, however, you can add anything you like.

Some people choose to design the order of service in their loved one’s favourite colours. Others include more photos or short messages from family. Another option is a timeline of your loved one’s life. Some events you can add to the timeline include:

• When they graduated
• When they got married
• Any awards or accolades they won
• Big achievements in their career
• A move to another state or country

Timelines are still an uncommon addition to an order of service, but they’re a great way to help people focus on happy memories and inspire conversation about the life of the departed.

Plan a Unique Funeral Procession Route

Most funeral processions follow a simple route, usually beginning at the location of your loved one’s body or next of kin’s home and travelling directly to the location of the funeral.

While there’s nothing wrong with making the procession as direct as possible, you can also use it as an opportunity to take a physical trip down memory lane. Planning a route that includes landmark locations in your love one’s life is a great way to bring back special memories. The route you take will depend on what your loved one’s daily life was like, but some possible locations to plan around include:

• Where they lived
• Where they worked
• Where they got married
• Where they studied
• Their favourite restaurant
• Their favourite park

By traveling past the places your loved one frequented, you can help to guests to focus on how the departed lived more than the pain of their passing.

 

Ask Guests to Share Their Favourite Memories

The task of incorporating memories into a funeral doesn’t have to fall entirely on your shoulders. One special way to share as many special memories as possible with friends and family at the service is to invite guests to bring their own.

These memories can come in many forms. One option is set up a memory jar with a small stack of nice parchment paper. On each sheet, guests can write down their favourite memory of the departed and put it in the jar.

Alternatively, you can ask guests to bring their favourite photo with the loved one you’re remembering. Set up a photo board that guests can add their photo to when they arrive; during the service, everyone can take a look and refresh those memories.

After the funeral service, you can then collect these photos and messages and print them into a special memorial book for close friends and family, encouraging remembrance for years to come.

If you like the idea of personalising your loved one’s funeral service with memories, consider putting your focus into that and leaving us to take care of the rest. At Cremations Only, we offer a range of funeral service packages that include a casket, a celebrant or minister, flowers, an urn, and more. We also offer optional extras such as printing your order of service.

For more advice or a no obligations quote, contact Cremations Only by phone or email.

When planning a funeral for a loved one who once served in Australia’s military forces, you’ll want to give them a send-off that reflects the special role they dedicated their life to.

Thankfully, you can easily ensure your friend or family member’s funeral ceremony embodies all the prestige and reverence of their service.

Here are three of our best suggestions that will help you put together a funeral where you can honour the life of your beloved veteran in a meaningful and comforting way.

Apply for Veteran Funeral Benefits

When planning a funeral for a dearly departed veteran, the first thing families should do is find out if they’re eligible for funeral assistance. In many cases, one-off payments of up to $2,000 are available to help you cover the cost of a veteran’s funeral.

The requirements for funeral benefit eligibility vary depending on which act your loved one’s service was covered by: the Veterans’ Entitlements Act (VEA), the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), or the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act (MCRA).

Veterans who may be eligible include those receiving a pension, former prisoners of war, those who died from a disability or illness acquired during their service, and those who are members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) among others.

You can check whether your loved one is eligible for a funeral benefit on the DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) website. There, you’ll also be able to obtain a claim form that you can fill in if they are eligible.

Applying for funeral assistance is one of the best ways to help make a veteran’s funeral special. If you’re eligible, the funeral benefit will ease your money worries during the planning process, which will give you the freedom to create the perfect send-off without financial constraints.

Request a Grave Memorial

Alongside a funeral assistance payment, many veterans are entitled to an official war grave memorial when they pass away. Run by the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG), this program provides eligible veterans with an inscribed plaque to commemorate their life.

Each plaque is cast in bronze and inscribed with your loved one’s initials and surname, their service number, their rank and unit, their age and date of passing, and their service badge.

There are multiple types of memorial plaques available to suit a variety of final resting places. If you intend to keep your loved one’s ashes in a crematorium wall niche, the OAWG will arrange for the placement of these ashes and the setting of the plaque.

Alternatively, if you will scatter the ashes or keep them at home, the OAWG will place your commemorative place in the Garden of Remembrance at your nearest capital city.

Personalise With Military Details

When it comes to the finer details of your love one’s funeral, you have many options to personalise the ceremony in honour of their military service.

One example is to incorporate the Australian flag into the ceremony by laying it over the casket. You could also take inspiration from American tradition by asking a local military guard to fold and present the flag to your loved one’s next of kin at the end of the ceremony.

You may also want to play martial or patriotic songs at the funeral service rather than traditional funeral songs. If you’re in touch with any other service people or veterans in the area who knew your departed loved one, ask if they’d like to serve as pallbearers.

Exactly how you personalise your ceremony will depend on the specific life you’re celebrating, but any military details will make a veteran’s funeral special and memorable.

If you’d like to personalise your loved one’s funeral with music, decorations, and other details that celebrate their veteran status, consider opting for a funeral package. Funeral service packages include the foundational elements of a ceremony and cremation (such as the casket, celebrant, and urn), giving you time to focus on adding the special military touches.

At Cremations Only, we provide a range of full-service packages to choose from that will take care of all the essentials for you. For a free, no-obligations quote, contact Cremations Only.

While organising any cremation service is stressful, an unattended cremation reduces the number of difficult decisions you need to make. All you have to do is arrange for a funeral director to pick up the deceased’s body and to have it cremated privately. You are then given the ashes if you want them.

People choose this kind of service for various reasons. For example, you may organise an unattended cremation because the person who died specifically asked you not to have a funeral service.

In some cases, you may have to take this option because people who want to attend the cremation service can’t make the date. They may live overseas or be unable to travel in time due to illness or other commitments.

Also, if you have lost an older relative or friend, then they may be the last of their generation of friends and family. You may simply think that a dignified private cremation will be more fitting.

However easy organising an unattended cremation is, you may be upset because you can’t attend a funeral or memorial service before the cremation. The service is the traditional way to pay your respects and to say farewell to people you love. Losing this opportunity can make it harder to progress through the stages of grief.

To get closure, consider having some form of memorial service or event after the cremation. What is the best way to celebrate the life of your loved one?

Plan a Group Memorial Event

Think about why your loved one is having an unattended service. This helps you pick a memorial event that the deceased would approve of and appreciate. For example, if the person simply didn’t like funerals because they personally found them gloomy, then throw a party later to give them a cheerful send-off.

If you lost an older relative with few friends and your family can’t get to the service in time, then organise a date a few weeks or months down the line when everyone can get together. You can then arrange a formal or informal memorial service on this date.

For example, you could arrange a formal church service with a minister or celebrant. Or you could hire a hall to run your own memorial tribute for friends and family.

If you prefer something more informal, then everyone could go out for a meal. Or you could have an open-house day in your home so people can pop in when they are free. You can all reminisce and celebrate the life of your loved one. You can also tie a post-cremation memorial tribute in with an ashes scattering or internment ceremony.

Hold a Private Memorial Event

If you are the only person in mourning, then you should still set time aside to remember your relative or friend. To help you grieve, set a date when you will say a private farewell.

This farewell could be as simple as buying some flowers on your relative’s or friend’s next birthday and putting them on display next to their photo.

Alternatively, you can say your goodbyes when you scatter their ashes or inter them in the crematorium gardens. Another possibility is to take a trip somewhere the person loved to go. Visiting their favourite beach, garden, or attraction is a good way to feel close and connected to someone you loved.

If you aren’t sure what kind of memorial event to organise, contact our compassionate staff at Cremations Only. We can help you find the perfect way to say goodbye after an unattended cremation and can help you organise the event if you wish.