When planning a memorial service at a funeral home or crematorium in Oakland, flowers are oftentimes the main aesthetic focus. Watch this video to learn more about choosing funeral flowers.

White is often thought as a memorialization color. White lilies and white roses are both beautiful choices to honor your loved one. A funeral home can help you to arrange the flowers. A florist will create a flower arrangement to your liking. When working with white roses, it is important to remember they need more water than other types of flowers. Using a piece of foam that can hold water, your florist will build the arrangement with greenery first.

If you are planning a memorialization of a loved one, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123. For over 100 years, our funeral home has been helping our community plan memorials and funerals.

If you have recently lost a loved one and chose cremation in Oakland for his or her final arrangements, you will need to choose an urn for the ashes. Choosing the right urn can be a stressful process for individuals, as they want to honor their loved one in a way that seems fitting. To help you choose the right urn for your passed loved one, here are some factors to consider.

Size
Before you can consider how you want to memorialize your loved one, functionality needs to be considered. If you are planning on placing the urn in a crematorium in the Oakland area, speaking with a funeral director can help you to determine the correct size for their location.

Memorialization
Memorialization of your loved one should be considered when choosing an urn. It is also important to consider where you are planning to place the urn. If you plan to place the urn in a family member’s home, or your own home, there may be some compromises to make during this process. Choosing an urn that can honor your loved one while also honoring your taste is important if an urn is going to be placed in a home.

Quality
The cremains of your loved one will be placed inside the urn, so choosing the right quality material for the urn is important. Even more so, choosing the right material for the location where you will store the urn should be considered. For instance, wood urns should not be placed outdoors, while copper urns are not ideal for burial. Depending on your loved one’s interests and passions in life, considering sustainable urn materials may also be a good idea.

The professionals at a crematorium in your area can help you to decide on the proper urn for your needs. Contact Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123 to discuss urn options today. We have been serving the Bay Area for over 100 years and we look forward to serving you.

When the loss of a loved one occurs, arranging a funeral service can seem daunting. There are many decisions you will have to consider. Working with a trusted funeral home in Oakland can help you sort through all of your options. Having the proper information and know-how ahead of time can help to make funeral planning an easier process to go through. Read on to learn about how to arrange a funeral service.

Burial Method
Each individual and family has a unique preference about the internment method. The first step to arranging a funeral is deciding whether the deceased will be cremated, entombed, or buried. If the decision to be cremated is chosen, it is a good idea to consider what will be done with the cremains. In some cases, they are buried or entombed, while other times, they are scatted at a location that has meaning to the family or the deceased. Cost can be a deciding factor when considering burial methods , but it is important to also remember the deceased’s personal preference.

Ceremony Type
Once the burial method has been chosen, it is pertinent to think about how you and your family would like the ceremony to go. At this time, you will decide whether to have an open viewing of the casket or a memorial service in honor of your loved one. Deciding where to hold the ceremony is crucial to planning the rest of the funeral. Oftentimes, the ceremony is held at a family member’s home, a funeral home, at the graveside, or at a religious institution. Once you know where the funeral or memorial service will be held, deciding who will take part in the ceremony and adding your personal touches to pay tribute to your loved one will be simpler.

If you have decided that cremation is the best burial method for your loved one, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 654-0123. We have been serving the Bay Area as a columbarium and crematorium since 1909. We also have a cemetery and offer funeral planning services.

If you or a loved one is interested in planning ahead for a cremation service, many funeral homes and crematoriums offer funeral pre-planning services. In addition to the cremation, you may want to consider planning a cremation ceremony or memorial service, as there will most likely be no burial at a cemetery. Watch this video to learn more about arranging for cremation.

For more information on cremation services , get in touch with Chapel of the Chimes Oakland. We provide funeral and cremation services, grief counseling and grief support services, and funeral pre-planning to the community. Visit our website or call (510) 992-6984 to begin planning a cremation service.

The support of your friends and family in your time of grief should be acknowledged and thanked, but you may feel overwhelmed and unable to begin writing thank you cards after a funeral. If you’re having trouble beginning the task, it may help to have a few simple statements on hand to use as a starting point.

Those who have offered their sympathy to you will appreciate expressions of thanks that are both personal and sincere. Use sentences like, “thank you for your sympathy and kindness,” “we deeply appreciate your expression of sympathy,” “thank you for your support at this difficult time,” and “thank you for your prayers and thoughts.” Include a personal detail specific to the type of help that person offered, such as acknowledging that he or she sent flowers, brought food to your house, or made a donation in the deceased’s honor.

If you’re mourning the death of a loved one, Chapel of the Chimes’ grief support services in Oakland can help. We offer grief counseling and support services to the community every day of the year either online, over the phone, or in person. Call us at (510) 992-6984 for more information.

More and more people are interested in planning ahead for their funeral service or cremation. Funeral planning can be done at any time, but the sooner you begin your preparations, the easier and less expensive it will end up being. There are many benefits to funeral pre-planning—continue reading to learn about a few of them.

You Can Relieve Your Family of the Burden

One of the most difficult responsibilities to assume after the death of a loved one is planning the funeral or memorial service . Before your family’s time of grief, you can ease their suffering by taking care of the details of your funeral, memorial, or cremation in advance. Funeral pre-planning allows you to save your family from added tension, stress, and disagreements during an already difficult time.

You Can Assume Financial Responsibility

Most families don’t have a budget set aside for funeral or cremation costs, so when a loved one dies, it can often be difficult to determine how to pay for the funeral home, cemetery, crematorium, or burial plot. If you arrange your funeral or cremation service in advance, you can pay for these costs yourself. You may even be able to pay for the services in installments, or set aside the money in a trust that can be accessed at the necessary time.

You Can Ensure Your Wishes Are Followed

When a loved one dies, family members often don’t know what his or her last wishes were. Planning ahead allows you to make your wishes clear, ensuring that the funeral home or crematorium understand exactly how to put your plans into action. This can prevent stress and arguments among your family members that could otherwise result from trying to guess what services you would want.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland is ready to help if you’re interested in pre-planning a funeral . We provide a number of pre-planning resources to the community, and our compassionate staff can walk you through the steps of planning your funeral or cremation service. Visit our website or call us today at (510) 992-6984 for more information.

Reading a poem during a funeral ceremony can be a great way to convey the wide range of feelings you have. But before you select a poem for the funeral service, watch this video clip for advice on choosing an appropriate poem.

As you consider which poems to read at the funeral, ask the family members of the deceased to find out if the deceased had a favorite poet or type of poetry. Oftentimes, you can find poetry that highlights the deceased’s hobbies and interests, especially if you browse through a large book of poems.

For help with funeral pre-planning , contact Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 992-6984. We offer cremation services, grief counseling, funeral services, and more. We also have one of the most beautiful historic buildings in California.

A funeral is, in essence, a personalized service dedicated to the memory of the deceased. At Chapel of the Chimes, we are here to help you and your family with your needs for funeral pre-planning near Oakland. Whether you are planning ahead for your own passing or arranging funeral services for a loved one, we can help you personalize the services.

The first step in personalizing a funeral is to recognize that planning a funeral can be stressful, which can be especially difficult to handle when grieving. Take a deep breath and focus on the most important tasks first, recognizing that the funeral does not have to be perfect to honor the life of your loved one. One of the best ways to personalize a funeral is to consider your memories of the deceased. Think of his or her hobbies, passions, likes, dislikes, achievements, qualities, and loved ones. Personalizing the eulogy, music, readings, and reception to these aspects of your loved one’s life will ensure the funeral services are as unique as the life your loved one lived.

For more information about our funeral home, call Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland at (510) 992-6984. You can also visit our website to see all of the memorial services we offer.

Sending flowers is a touching and thoughtful tribute that you can make to honor the recently deceased. You may want to choose the favorite color or flower of the deceased when ordering a floral arrangement for a funeral service in Oakland.

Traditional standing wreaths are beautiful options for cremation ceremonies. The wreath can even be placed over the urn to create a beautiful table centerpiece. Learn more about funeral flower arrangements in this video.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland is here to help you plan a beautiful end-of-life ceremony. We provide many traditional burial and cremation options to ensure every family gets the personalized service they deserve. To learn more, visit our website or call (510) 654-0123.

One of the biggest decisions involved in funeral pre-planning near Oakland is making the choice between cremation and burial. This can be an even more complicated decision if you are making it on behalf of a deceased loved one. Use this guide to learn more about each option for help deciding which one is the right choice.

Cremation

People have been choosing cremation for centuries. This process uses high amounts of heat to rapidly decompose the body to bone fragments. There are many ceremony and memorialization options associated with cremation. When people choose cremation, they can have a traditional ceremony with a viewing for friends and family before the cremation is done. They could also opt for a ceremonial cremation with a memorial ceremony after the cremation is complete. Other people do not want a ceremony. A funeral home can also offer memorialization options and in-ground burial of the ashes. Many people opt for cremation because it is often the less expensive option and it gives family and friends the opportunity to keep or to scatter the ashes in a special location.

Burial

Many people choose burial because of cultural or religious beliefs. When people choose this option, they must pick out a casket and buy a plot. The deceased can be buried in a cemetery, in an above-ground entombment, in a mausoleum, or in a private family estate. These areas provide a convenient location for family and friends to visit and to pay respects to a lost loved one. Burials are often accompanied by traditional funerals, but people can choose different memorialization options.

Whether you decide on cremation or burial, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland is here to make the planning process a little easier for you. With beautiful architecture and scenery, our peaceful location offers personalized services to each and every family in their time of loss. To learn more about our services or to start funeral pre-planning, visit our website or call (510) 654-0123.