If you are pre-planning your funeral service and considering cremation, you will need to select a cremation urn. According to the National Funeral Directors Association , just over 40% of Americans choose to incorporate cremation into their funeral services. Keep in mind these factors when choosing an appropriate urn:

Determine Your Budget The first factor to consider when choosing an urn is the price. Make sure to set a price range before you contact your funeral director to ensure you do not go over your budget. If you are pre-planning your own services, you can select the urn in advance—committing to an urn early on ensures that the price will remain unchanged in the future.

Measure the Size of the Urn Next, you’ll need to determine the dimensions of your urn. A standard full-sized urn will hold about 200 cubic inches of ashes. Small urns are also available for distributing the ashes among family members. This style of urn is especially popular with large extended families. Extra-large companion urns are also available for two individuals who wish to share the same resting place.

Choose an Appropriate Style The final step in picking an urn is choosing an appropriate style. Themed urns can appeal to your personal tastes, while traditional urns are always a classic choice. If you are looking to personalize your urn, consider choosing one with a military logo that features your branch of service. You can also choose a highly decorative urn that reflects your personality and interests. Additionally, you can ask family and friends for additional suggestions for customizing the urn.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland offers both traditional and ceremonial cremation services . Contact us at (510) 654-0123 for more information on selecting the appropriate urn for your needs or to learn more about our cremation options.

Planning a funeral involves a great deal of decision-making, which can be exceptionally difficult as you cope with the loss of your loved one. In addition to our recent blog posts, the resources provided below may assist you in making some of these important decisions.

• To read about the cremation memorial options available at many cemeteries and mausoleums, visit the Cremation Society of North America’s website.
• Find out about Buddhist funeral customs on this helpful webpage.
• For links to several articles pertaining to the cremation process , visit this website.
• At the National Funeral Directors Association website, you can find answers to several frequently asked questions about cremation .
• This page is a source of information that can be helpful when choosing sympathy flowers for a funeral you are attending.

To speak with a funeral director who will be able to help you throughout the funeral-planning process, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for this great event!

Grieving the loss of a loved one is a difficult and highly personal process. Although each person copes with death differently, some general advice can be beneficial to all who are in mourning.

In this video, a trained and experienced psychologist offers insight into the grieving process. He cites the importance of giving yourself the time and space you need to accept your loved one’s passing, even if denial and conversations with your deceased loved one are a part of that process.

The grief professional in this video also discusses the role that funeral and memorial services can play in coping with loss. If someone close to you has recently passed away and you are looking for assistance in planning your loved one’s funeral, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland can help. Call (510) 654-0123 to speak with a compassionate and experienced funeral service provider today.

Unless you are highly familiar with cremation practices throughout the country, you may assume that a traditional urn is the only choice for the storage of a loved one’s cremated remains. While a traditional urn is an appropriate choice for many families, there are several cremation memorialization options that provide families with the opportunity to honor a loved one in a more personalized way.

Glass-Front Niches Inexpensive and 100% customizable, a glass-front niche allows you to honor the memory of a loved one by displaying a photograph or a trinket that reminds you of him or her. Various urn types fit inside of these glass-front niches.

Natural Stone Niches In place of glass, you can choose a columbarium niche with a granite or marble front. These niches are durable and can be purchased for indoor or outdoor cremation memorialization.

Cremorials Cremorials can be purchased for those who would like to store their loved one’s remains under the earth. Choose between several beautiful garden cremorial options, some of which feature fountains.

Cremation Benches When you elect to honor your loved one’s memory with a cremation bench, your loved one can serve as your figurative rock as you sit on the bench and reflect on the time you spent together.

Fully Customized Monuments If you want to honor your loved one with a one-of-a-kind cremation memorial, you can work with a design team to create any type of memorial. Choose from a variety of materials, including bronze, wood, and stone. Express any ideas you have with the memorial design team, and watch as the sail boat, golf bag, or baseball bat you envisioned becomes a physical reality.

At Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, our cremation memorial design team works closely with families to create the perfect memorial for their loved ones. No matter what your budget looks like, we can create the perfect cremation memorial. To speak with a member of our caring and dedicated team about any of our funeral planning and cremation services, call us at (510) 654-0123.

Flowers have been a fixture at funerals for hundreds of years. During that time, changes in the colors, types, and arrangements of flowers have become acceptable for individuals of various backgrounds. If you are planning a funeral or preparing to purchase flowers as a sympathy gift, educate yourself on which type of flowers are appropriate for the occasion:

Color In some religious traditions, certain colors and types of flowers are considered customary. In Buddhism, white flowers are generally incorporated into funeral arrangements. In other major religions, such as Christianity, a variety of colors are acceptable. Are you selecting flowers for the family of someone who has recently passed away? Consider the family’s religious affiliation and any special requests that were indicated on the funeral announcement.

Personality Flower arrangements that have traditionally been displayed at funerals typically include red or white roses. Floral arrangements that serve as tributes to deceased children are often designed with brightly colored flowers. If you are unsure what is appropriate, white and red roses are typically a safe choice.

“In Lieu of Flowers…” It is uncommon for flowers to be incorporated into Jewish funerals; however, families of all religious traditions sometimes request that flowers not be brought to a funeral service. Look closely at any funeral announcements you receive, and make sure that the family of the deceased has not requested that a charitable donation be made in lieu of flowers before you visit the florist.

Are you coping with the loss of a loved one in the Oakland area and looking for a funeral home that can provide you with all of the assistance that you need? Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland is a full-service funeral home, cemetery, and crematory with a compassionate and experienced staff that can help you with every step of the funeral planning process. To speak with one of our funeral service professionals, call us at (510) 654-0123.

Have our recent blog posts proven to be helpful during your time of need? To learn more about cremation and advanced funeral planning , check out the links provided below.

• For a step-by-step guide on making advanced funeral arrangements , check out this article.
• Find answers to your questions about cremation on this page from the National Funeral Directors Association.
• Learn about the technical details of the cremation process on this page from HowStuffWorks.com.
• Visit this website to learn a few reasons why you should plan your funeral in advance .
• Read more about the benefits of pre-planning your funeral on this helpful website.

If you are looking for a reputable funeral home or cremation services, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123.