If a member of your family has passed away and a cremation is scheduled, the person's body doesn't have to take this final journey alone. Many families opt to attend the cremation; doing so can help to provide closure as well as giving the family a private chance to share some reflections on the life of the loved one. It's a good idea to speak to a representative of the funeral home to find out what rules the local crematorium may have. You can then consider these tips for organizing this process.

Find Out The Suggested Capacity

You'll need to know how many people the crematory can accommodate. This isn't a funeral-like setting in which dozens of people can attend to view the cremation. Instead, the crematory may just have room for a small number of people who wish to witness the process. If this is the case, you'll need to discuss with your family who will be in attendance. It's customary for the deceased individual's immediate family members to attend, if desired, but there may not be space to accommodate family members who are more distant. You should also consider keeping children away from this process, as it might be upsetting to them if they don't fully understand cremation.

Organize Some Special Elements

Ask a funeral home rep how long you can remain at the crematorium. You need to remember that this is a business, not a memorial venue, but you can often organize a couple brief elements to coincide with the cremation. For example, a family member or member of the clergy may wish to share a few remarks or read a scripture passage before the cremation takes place. Or, the group may wish to sing a hymn or other appropriate song after the cremation. A eulogy isn't necessary, as this will be delivered at the funeral service.

Have A Plan For Afterward

Unless you have the viewing or funeral service scheduled for immediately following the cremation, it's nice to have a plan for staying together with your family members. You can leave the crematorium with the urn and meet up with the other relatives who weren't able to attend the cremation. You could then consider traveling to one of the family members' homes for lunch, at which time you can place the urn in a prominent position for the idea of everyone "being together," including the deceased loved one.