If you don't want a ceremony at all, an unattended funeral could be the right choice. This is a simple cremation or burial with no service – instead, the cremation or burial takes place without any mourners, music or readings. Some people choose a direct burial or cremation to save money.
A simple funeral cuts out the need for expensive extras, such as hearses. Instead of a wake, you might choose to organise your own gathering. Some people choose not to have one at all. It's important to do what feels right and what works with your finances.
Full Service Funeral
A full funeral service — also referred to as a “traditional” or “full service” funeral — is the most common funeral type in most cultures. This usually occurs within days of a death and takes place at a church or funeral home.
Simply put, direct cremation (sometimes called simple cremation) is the most basic form of cremation. Your loved one is collected, the cremation takes place without witnesses, and the ashes are returned (usually in a simple cardboard or plastic urn).
The average time for an adult cremation is 90 minutes at a temperature of between 800 and 1000 degree Celsius. On average from insertion to final cooling the cremation process may take up to four hours.
Water cremation, also known as aquamation, resomation and alkaline hydrolysis, uses water to bring the body back to the skeletal remains. The body is placed in a steel vessel filled with water and an alkaline solution.
Most American funerals take place within one week or less from death. With the help of a funeral home, a week is typically enough time to make arrangements and contact loved ones. Historically, funerals had to take place after just a matter of days, because of decomposition.
Thanks to modern preservation methods, funerals can be held up to two weeks after the date of death. If the body is cremated, the family can wait as long as they'd like to make the funeral perfect for honoring their loved ones.
In a silent funeral, there are no songs, readings or speeches. Instead, people sit or stand in silence to remember the person who died. While silent funerals are traditional in the Quaker faith, you can also have a secular funeral without readings or music.
The cheapest option for a funeral: direct cremation
A direct cremation also offers greater financial control and flexibility over how you say goodbye, as opposed to the familiar formula offered by most local funeral homes.
The least expensive burial option that most funeral homes offer is a direct burial. In this case, the body is interred soon after death without ceremony or embalming. Costs for a direct burial usually include the following: funeral home's services fee.
At the funeral
There's also some funeral service etiquette to follow on the day itself. For the funeral procession, the etiquette for who goes in funeral cars is usually immediate family after the hearse, followed by other family members and friends, then others who were important to your loved one.
The shortest funeral in the world occurred when Mary Desmond died early in 1920. Her family home stood up against the wall of the cemetery. Her funeral was on a bitter cold November day. The roads around her home were frozen over and the horse-drawn hearse couldn't make it.
However, there are no strict rules when it comes to having to wait a certain amount of time. You can have a funeral two days after death (or less) if necessary, especially if your religion or beliefs require it.
Another early process is that of algor mortis, which occurs when the body goes cold as it “ceases to regulate its internal temperature.” How cold a body will go largely depends on its ambient temperature, which it naturally matches within a period of about 18–20 hours after death.
Most funerals in the United States happen within a week of death, but this can stretch up to two weeks if embalming is involved. This isn't a hard rule, but the timeline of funerals is generally compressed due to the decomposition of the body.
How long after death does a funeral typically take place? In the UK, a funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, although the actual time may depend on many factors including personal preference, religion and the Funeral Director or crematoria's availability.
In the quickest examples, where plans have already been put in place, a funeral service can be held within 48 hours of the person's passing. But, where no plans have been agreed, if there are scheduling difficulties or if a coroner is required to report, it can take a month and sometimes longer, to organise a funeral.
How long can a body stay in the mortuary? Usually, a body can stay in the mortuary at the funeral home or hospital for as long as needed before the funeral. Cold temperatures in the mortuary help to preserve a body but like with embalming, it won't stop nature from taking its course eventually.
Provided the deceased body is placed in a secure container or on something that is entirely combustible, there is no legal requirement in the UK to have anything in particular such as a casket or coffin in order to be cremated.
Anything combustible - like bottles of alcohol, or lighters. Pacemakers - they're removed before funerals because they can explode during cremation. Anything made from treated materials like leather, latex and vinyl - they can release fumes that are harmful to the environment. Jars or bottles made from plastic or glass.
Glass, rubber and large metal items can not be cremated. Any objects that you wish to keep such as jewellery or other items should be removed prior to the cremation.