While cremation services in Baltimore, MD are more popular now than ever before, there are still plenty of people that haven’t attended a cremation service. If you’ve been to funerals before, you know what to expect. Funerals, while they are all unique, have a certain order to things and items that you expect to have happen. Cremation services, on the other hand, are also unique and there are things that you may not expect since they can all be so different. If you haven’t attended cremation services before, here are some things to look into before you go.

The Dress Code

Some cremation services are just as formal and somber as a funeral, but not all of them. You don’t want to show up in a full suit if the family is having something casual or, worse yet, a celebration of life with bright colors. Sometimes the obituary will tell you what kind of clothing you can wear. If not, contact someone in the family circle that is slightly distant from the deceased so you aren’t bothering anyone to find out. You can also call the funeral home that is arranging the services to see what they know.

The Lack Of A Casket

It might feel strange for you to walk into a cremation service and see that there is no casket. With cremation, the person is cremated and there might be an urn with their ashes present instead, or nothing at all. You will likely see a lot of pictures of the person to help you remember them as they were when they were alive instead of having a new memory of their death. That lack of casket can be odd if you’ve never had a service of that kind before in your life, so be prepared for its absence.

An Ash Scattering Addition

Once the service is over, whatever kind it may have been, sometimes the family will invite everyone to an ash scattering, as they would for a traditional funeral with a burial service at the cemetery. This is not mandatory and some families prefer to do the ash scattering alone at another time. But if there is an invitation and you attend that portion as well, it might feel odd to you since you’ve never seen it done before. Everyone will gather somewhere, like a garden, by the water, on family ground, in a park, or elsewhere. Someone might say a few words or they might ask you to sing something together as the ashes are scattered for the final resting place.

If you have to attend cremation services in Baltimore, MD, there are certain things you might want to know so you are more comfortable with how things are going to operate. The professionals at Hari P. Close Funeral Service, P.A. are here to help answer your questions and get you up to speed on the events to come. Call us at (410) 327-3100 and we’ll talk to you by phone or visit us at 5126 Belair Rd Baltimore, MD 21206.