Monthly Archives: February 2023

The Benefits of Intimate Funerals

Even if a small service at an Oakland, CA funeral home is not what you had originally planned for your lost loved one, you can still have a meaningful and memorable day. Many people think large funerals with tons of guests are the best ways to honor and remember a lost loved one. But small services can be just as good, and here’s why:

The Most Important People – While you love your Great Aunt Muriel from Australia, she’s not really a big part of your life. So, does it really matter if she’s not at the memorial or funeral for your lost loved one? Having a smaller service means your time, money and attention are only going to the most important people in your life, whether that means immediate family or close friends. Plus, you won’t have to worry about meeting some guests for the first time – like your cousin’s random plus one or your boss’ wife who you’ve never met.
Less Work – If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed about the work that comes with planning a big service, a small one might be for you. With less people and fewer moving pieces, smaller memorials or funerals are a lot less work and take a lot less time to plan. This means you can spend more time remembering your lost loved one and processing your grief.
Budget – A smaller memorial or funeral means less guests, and less guests means a lot less money. Think about all the savings on food and alcohol, not to mention how much money you could save on getting a smaller venue. These are some of the biggest costs when it comes to a service, so it would free up a lot of money in your budget for other things, like more flowers, or simply put more money back in your pocket.
Time for Everyone – When you have a big memorial or funeral with lots of guests it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to speak with or hang out with everyone. While it’s OK for the bereaved greet guests only briefly in a large service, wouldn’t it be nice to have the time to really connect with everyone? What’s more, the less people you have to greet the more time you and your family can spend remembering and honoring your lost loved one. You won’t believe how often the bereaved don’t get to sit and eat the meal they planned because they’re too busy greeting guests. Also, another bonus, no awkward small talk!

The last few years have made people really think about what’s most important. And, for many, having a big service for a lost loved one just isn’t a priority anymore, and there’s nothing wrong with that. While it might not be exactly what you pictured, a small service can actually be incredibly beautiful and special. We are here to help if you want more tips on planning a service at funeral homes in Oakland, CA. Call or visit us today.

The Benefits of Brunch Memorials

Brunch is warm, comforting, and definitely on par with what a memorial or other service can and should be after Oakland, CA cremation services. There are lots of positive benefits that come with a brunch service, like:

Food – Tired of the standard meat, fish, or pasta funeral or memorial meals? Brunch food is the answer. The combinations are endless and endlessly comforting, from omelet stations and pancakes to sandwiches, pizza, pastries and more. Brunch services are also more flexible when it comes to buffets versus passed food, family style, or plated meals. While you can have a cake for a brunch funeral or memorial, you can also get creative with other dessert options like donuts, coffee cake, pastries, and more.
Drinks – Everyone loves mimosas and bloody Mary’s. You can also serve specialty brunch cocktails like Irish coffee, Bellini’s, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Availability – Some funeral homes, restaurants, and other venues book up quickly, but usually only for Friday and Saturday nights. A brunch service is a great way to squeeze yourself in at a busy venue if it’s the one your lost loved one would have wanted or if it makes you feel comforted.
Discounts – Since brunch time services aren’t as busy, many venues and vendors also offer big discounts that mean lots of saving for you or more money to spend on other aspects of memorialization.
Time Off – While a nighttime Sunday service means your guests have to take the next day off, a brunch service gives them plenty of time to get home and get to bed before a workday. Plus, there’s a lot less traffic on Sundays.
Attire – Brunch services can be as fancy or as causal as you want, since brunch itself can be both dressy and laid back. There’s no pressure to have big centerpieces or tons of flowers at a brunch memorial or funeral, but there’s also nothing that says you can’t have those things.
Religious Services – Many funerals and memorials are religious events, and oftentimes, religious services take place in the morning. By having a brunch service for your lost loved one, you won’t have to reschedule your religious service for a different time of day.
Sunlight – Take advantage of the daylight with a brunch service. If you have a dinner event, you start to lose the light nearly halfway through the event. But daytime brunch events mean you get a whole day of gorgeous sunlight for scattering ashes, spending time with loved ones, and honoring the deceased.

There are no rules for when or what kind of memorial you can have after a cremation service in Oakland, CA. You can 100% do a brunch memorial! No matter what kind of service you choose, be it brunch or dinner, just remember all that matters is honoring your lost loved one and comforting yourself, your family, and your friends. Call or visit us today to learn more. We are honored to do what we can to help you in your time of loss or preplanning. Call or visit us today.

Fascinating Funeral Home Superstitions

Our funeral, cremation, and death traditions at Oakland, CA funeral homes have come a long way from where they first started thousands of years ago. Are you curious about outdated traditions and superstitions that most people don’t practice anymore? Here are some of the most interesting.

To begin, we used to have extended mourning periods. When someone died in the Victorian era, families would stop all the clocks in their home, cover mirrors with fabric, and hang a wreath with black ribbon on the door. These changes would last for four days or more, which is much longer than most formal grieving periods in modern times. A widow and oftentimes the entire family would also wear only black for an entire year.

Historically, death and mourning have carried many superstitions that are no longer believed. For example, it used to be back luck to wear anything new to a funeral and many funeral attendees believed spirits would enter their mouths if they yawned during a funeral. Others thought that if rain falls during a funeral procession or if there is thunder during a burial, it’s a sign the deceased is entering heaven. Still more believed that if they heard three knocks but no one was at their door, it was actually death that was knocking.

We also had in-person death notifications. For a very long time, death notifications were delivered in person on a piece of paper with a black border that listed the service details. Someone from the bereaved family or someone hired by the bereaved would go from house to house of everyone the deceased would have wanted at the service to make the death announcement and provide service details. These days, it’s more common to receive service particulars in an email from the family, read obituaries online, or post social media remembrances.

What about more modern ones? Expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual funerals and memorials are becoming more and more common. They are often held via FaceTime, Zoom, or other platforms so people can attend in person or virtually, depending on their and needs or preferences. People are becoming more open to less traditional, more personalized funeral services. Instead of standard hymns and readings in churches, services can be almost anything the deceased and the bereaved want, from celebrations of life to gatherings with slideshows, photos, and more. Per longstanding funeral customs, a headstone would only list the deceased’s person’s name, birthdate, date of death, and perhaps a memorial message. Today, however, thanks to modern technology, headstones can include photos, personal inscriptions, and even screens that display photo montages, holograms, or life story videos.

These days, there are many different ways to plan a funeral or service that speaks to you, your lost loved one, and your family traditions at a funeral home in Oakland, CA. You don’t have to be tied to outdated traditions or superstitions anymore. At the end of the day, what you believe or do doesn’t matter as long as you feel comfort after a loss. Call or visit us today to learn more.

How to Inter Cremains

Internment is laying someone to rest permanently, whether that means burial, a cremation service in Oakland, CA, a nice, or more. In the past, internment specifically meant burial. But these days, since cremation is so popular, it has also come to refer to the final disposition of cremated remains. Inurnment, however, is when ashes or cremated remains are placed in a permanent cremation urn, while burial is only the placement of remains in the earth.

You can inter, or lay to rest, cremated remains after cremation services. There are many ways you can inter your lost loved one’s remains after a cremation. You can bury them, place them in a niche, or many other types of internment. But where can you inter your lost loved one’s cremated remains?

There are many places to choose for interment of ashes. You just need to decide how you would like to lay your loved one to rest, such as public land. If you want to inter an urn on public land, you will need a special permit as public land cannot be used to burial or scattering remains unless otherwise stated. Some spaces, like theme parks and sport stadiums, never allow any type of burial or scattering. Other spaces, like national parks, do allow it when the bereaved fill out an application and get a permit. It is always wise to ask first. You would hate to have your loved one’s cremated remains swept or vacuumed up, only to be placed in a trash can.

You can also inter ashes in a columbarium. A columbarium is a room, wall, or building created specifically to house cremated remains inside urns. They are built with niches to hold the urns and provide the bereaved final resting places at which they can visit and remember their lost loved ones. There are also cemetery options. You can inter or bury cremated remains in a cemetery. Some cemeteries allow ashes to be buried in the same kind of grave space as full caskets, while others only allow ashes to be buried in special cremated remain graves. Before making plans to inter a loved one, check with your local cemetery.

You can bury an urn with cremated remains on private property, such as your own land or the land of someone in your family or that of a friend. If you choose to bury the urn, you should consider the different types of burial urns. There are options that are designed to stand the test of time and there are others that are made to decay so the cremains can return to the earth. You should also consider if you need a burial vault to help keep the land from sinking after the burial.

Finally, urn gardens. Urn gardens are special areas in cemeteries dedicated to cremated remains. In elaborate gardens, cremated remains are incorporated into the landscape, such as in benches, in a fountain, or other pieces. Less elaborate urn gardens have urns buried in the ground like other parts of the cemetery.

Do you have more questions on internment and ashes? We are here to help if you want to learn more about interment or Oakland, CA cremation services. Call or visit us today for more information.

Blog