Cremation in Seattle, WA

• Cremation
• Washington
• Seattle

Contact us: (844) 691-6956 ext. 769

Burial is becoming less common and cremation is on the rise. When cremation first became an alternative to burials, the public had a lot of skepticism but as time goes on, the cost-effectiveness and versatility of cremation has impressed a lot of people. In 2016, cremations were the preferred method over burials for post-death procedures. By 2030, cremations are predicted to top 89%. If you choose cremation, you have many options. Even though traditional burials are not involved when you choose cremation, there is still the option for a ceremony. There are so many different ways to structure a ceremony for a cremated loved one and you can customize the celebration in any way that feels right. At iMortuary, we have extensive resources when it comes to both funeral homes along with planning cremations.. Our main goal is to reduce your stress and ease the process of planning a funeral.

Cremation in Seattle: What is It?

Cremation, as we know it today, began about 100 years ago, though the earliest cremation took place around 3000 B.C. In 1876, the first crematory was constructed, and by 1900, about twenty operational crematories existed. Cremation was legalized in 1876, when the first one was built in the U.S., but its popularity was very slow. Statistics show that people who choose cremation tend to have higher education and home values, as well as lower rates of home ownership and religious affiliation. For the first time in recorded history, cremations outweighed traditional funerals in 2016. The two main reasons for this are the influx of people being born and the financial recession.

Pros and Cons of Cremation Services in Seattle

Planning a funeral immediately after your loved one passes away is a stressful and expensive process. Choosing cremation helps ease the pain, stress, and financial strain of a funeral. There are numerous benefits to cremation.

Pros of Choosing Cremation:

• Lower Rates of Financial Stress
• Allows for More Planning Time
• Combination of Tradition and Convenience
• A More Environmentally-Friendly Approach
• More Versatile

Lower Rates of Financial Stress

As we mentioned before, cremation is more cost-effective than the other options. The cost of cremation ranges from $600 to $3,000 depending on factors like location, provider, and additional add-ons. Many additional elements can be added on top of the basics, such as headstones, urns, ceremonial aspects, etc. Even with those additions, cremation tends to be less expensive than a funeral.

Allows for More Time to Plan

Traditional funerals require that a burial and ceremony take place about a week, at max, after death. Families can plan a memorial service farther in the future due to less time sensitivity. A more flexible timeline is made possible by cremation. Memorial services help family and friends face reality and cycle through the grieving process more naturally, so even though cremation allows for leisure, it is better to hold a ceremony as soon as you are able.

A Mixture of Convenience and Tradition

A lot of people think that funerals and burials go hand-in-hand, and that you cannot have one without the other. This is a common misconception about funerals. Ceremonies are an option whether loved ones are cremated or buried. Cremation allows for more flexibility with funeral arrangements, including when and where the ceremony is held. Most funeral homes require you plan the process through them. The only downsides to this are that funeral home services can be costly and limited to only what they will provide.

Friendlier for the Environment

Burials involve chemicals and energy, and it doesn't stop there, because your loved one's grave site must be mowed, watered, and treated with pesticides forever. The land is not usable for anything else once it's been used as a graveyard. Some people view burials as short-sighted and wasteful because they take up space in an already-overcrowded world. Cremation is kinder to the environment than burial because harmful chemicals are not involved and bodies are not left in the ground.

Versatility

There are plenty of ideas as to what to do with your loved one's ashes after they have been cremated. Some ideas are displaying the ashes in an urn, bury them under a headstone, or scatter them in a location that has personal meaning to your family. Something called memorial jewelry is taking off in popularity as well. Ashes are usually pressed with a gemstone and turned into a beautiful piece of gold or silver jewelry. Don't feel pressured to immediately decide what you want to do because cremation gives you the luxury of time.

Burial vs. Cremation

There is no right or wrong answer for how to remember your loved one after they pass away. The decision between a traditional burial or a cremation is entirely up to the family. As with anything in life, there are pros and cons to both options. Most people make their decision based on cost. Cremation is less expensive overall. This is just the base-level cost though, so be careful of accidentally accruing additional expenses. There are a lot of things to consider before making your decision. Cremation is final. Once a body is cremated, there is no reversing the process. It has been suggested in studies that families find it harder to mourn their loss if cremation occurs. Some religions are also against cremation. If the deceased person and their families are religious people, it is important to respect their beliefs and keep this in mind when deciding what to do.

Prices for Cremation in Seattle

From religious beliefs to environmental concerns, there are many reasons to choose cremation. Finances are another reason to choose cremation. Cremation is less costly than burials.

The cost of cremation covers a number of things:

• The process of cremation
• The cost of the urn or container
• The memorial or funeral service (optional)
• The cost of the resting place (optional)

The majority of the costs associated with cremation can be customized and/or are optional. If you house the ashes in a simple urn and keep your service to a small gathering, you can avoid major additional costs. If you place a headstone or monument in memoriam, you could end up spending more for cremation than you would have for a traditional funeral. The average cost of a cremation is about $1,100 according to the National Funeral Directors Association. The NFDA found that the average traditional funeral, ceremony included, is about $11,000 total.

Affording Cremation in Seattle

The overall cost of a cremation varies depending on your location. Costs depend on city, state, and service provider. Most states have cremation costs ranging from $1300 to $3000, but the lowest costs hover around $600 and $1200. If a major city is home for you, you would be looking at higher costs for cremation as well as for burials. Your most cost-effective option would be a cremation through a crematory rather than a funeral home because you don't have to go through a middle man. A direct cremation involves immediate cremation of the body and then direct return of the ashes to the family. There is not much assistance available for low-income families, as unfortunate as it is. For families with tighter budgets, there are a few limited options available. Contact social services to find out if you apply for low-income assistance in funeral planning. At iMortuary, we help find and compare cremation services and providers for you. All of our database providers have been screened and endorsed by us. Planning a funeral takes a lot of time and the process can be frustrating, but reputable providers can help make the process less stressful for you. We are happy to help you find all the information you need prior to actually reaching out to the provider you are considering. That way, you don't waste your valuable time on providers that aren't the right match for you.

VA Benefits for Cremation

The VA will pay for up to $2000 of fees for funerals honoring service-related deaths. The VA will cover just about $762 of funeral expenses for non-service-related deaths.

Seattle Cremation Service

The first step is deciding which method you want to use. Let iMortuary help you make your decision. iMortuary is here to be a support system when you are going through a hard time. Since 2007, we have helped over 15,000 families. We can also help you pre-plan a funeral and/or cremation. Here are the top three reasons to pre-plan your own funeral:

• By making major decisions yourself, you spare your family and friends from the stress of making the right choice.
• You can give input on how you want your funeral to take place.
• You control the cost of the funeral.

What Happens Next After Cremation in Seattle

Approximately 7% of people do not hold a memorial service after cremation, according to the NFDA. There are no rules about how to honor your loved one after a cremation. You can go the traditional route and plan a ceremony either in the comfort of your home or at a venue. Another idea is to scatter your loved one's ashes in a location that holds sentiment for you. Memorial jewelry is another way to honor the loved one who passed. There are so many options associated with cremation and you will more than likely be able to find one that works for you and your loved ones. However you choose to honor your loved one will be beautiful because it will be unique.

Options Other Than Cremation and Traditional Funerals

Cremation is a greener option than traditional funerals. Fewer chemicals are involved in cremations and entire plots of land are not necessary. A few gases are released into the environment but it is nothing compared to chemicals emitted by burials. If you are environmentally-conscious, consider green options near your home.

Final Thoughts on Cremation in Seattle

We urge you to use iMortuary for your funeral planning once you decide whether burial or cremation is right for you. We provide pre-screened, vetted information, which means you won't have to spend your valuable time researching. Having to plan an event following the death of a loved one is an incredibly stressful and heartbreaking ordeal. Our goal is to lessen your stress and heartache as much as possible. We started our business back in 2007 and have helped 14,000+ families since then. Read more about our services here. Familiarize yourself with our cremation services, resources, and funeral information. We are here to help you through the process of grieving.

Zip codes that we work in include: 98101, 98102, 98103, 98104, 98105, 98106, 98107, 98108, 98109, 98110, 98111, 98112, 98113, 98114, 98115, 98116, 98117, 98118, 98119, 98121, 98122, 98124, 98125, 98126, 98127, 98129, 98131, 98132, 98133, 98134, 98136, 98138, 98139, 98141, 98144, 98145, 98146, 98148, 98154, 98155, 98158, 98160, 98161, 98164, 98165, 98166, 98168, 98170, 98171, 98174, 98175, 98177, 98178, 98181, 98184, 98185, 98188, 98190, 98191, 98194, 98195, 98198, 98199.

Looking for Seattle funeral homes or need Seattle cremation services?

Other nearby cremation options:

• Bellevue cremation
• Kent cremation
• Renton cremation
• Bremerton cremation
• Issaquah cremation