Direct cremation and a memorial service aren’t really opposites. Direct cremation is the simplest form of cremation, carried out shortly after death without a viewing or funeral service. A memorial service is a gathering to honor and remember the person, and it can be held days, weeks or even months later. Many families choose both: direct cremation first, then a memorial service on their own schedule. Today more than 60% of families in the U.S. choose cremation, and this combination is one of the most common cremation service choices.
This guide explains how each one works, what each costs, and how to decide what feels right for your family. If you’d like to talk it through, our team in Oklahoma City is here at (405) 443-8085, any hour.
What is direct cremation?
Direct cremation is cremation without a funeral service beforehand. Your loved one is brought into the funeral home’s care, the required permits and paperwork are completed, and the cremation takes place. There’s no embalming, no public viewing and no formal service at the funeral home first. The family receives the cremated remains in a temporary container or an urn they’ve chosen.
Because direct cremation skips the viewing and formal funeral service, it’s the most affordable form of cremation. It also simplifies decisions during the hardest days of grief. You don’t have to plan an event while you’re still taking in the loss.
Basic features of direct cremation
Most direct cremation packages include the same basic features:
- Bringing your loved one into the funeral home’s care
- Transportation to the crematory
- Paperwork, including the death certificate and the cremation permit
- A simple cremation container, sometimes called an alternative container
- The cremation process itself
- Return of the cremated remains in a temporary container
In other words, your loved one is cremated immediately after the paperwork is complete, rather than after viewing services or a funeral. A basic cremation container is simple, often made of heavy cardboard or plain wood, and typically costs between $50 and $200 if priced separately.
What isn’t included: embalming, a viewing, a funeral or memorial service, an urn, and an expensive casket. You can add any of these later if you choose.
At Alternatives Cremation & Funeral Service, direct cremation starts at $695. It includes bringing your loved one into our care within 50 miles, the medical examiner’s permit, crematory fees, filing the death certificate and an alternative container. Urns are extra.
Why families choose direct cremation
Why would someone have a direct cremation? Families give many reasons:
- Saving money. Direct cremation costs a fraction of a traditional funeral.
- Personal preferences. Some people simply didn’t want a formal service and said so.
- Distant relatives. When family lives far away, direct cremation gives everyone time to travel later.
- Breathing room. It separates the cremation from memorial planning, so you can grieve first and plan second.
- Flexibility. You can hold a memorial, a scattering ceremony or a private gathering whenever and wherever you’d like.
Disadvantages of direct cremation
Direct cremation isn’t the right choice for every family, and some families prefer a more traditional goodbye. The main disadvantages:
- There’s no viewing, so family members don’t have a chance to see their loved one before cremation.
- Some families find it feels too minimal, especially if there’s no memorial service afterward.
- Certain religious traditions prefer a funeral mass or service with the body present before cremation, which direct cremation doesn’t include.
If seeing your loved one one last time matters, consider cremation with a viewing instead. A short private viewing before the cremation can bring real comfort.
What is a memorial service?
A memorial service is a gathering to celebrate and remember someone’s life. Unlike a funeral, the body isn’t present. Instead, families often display the urn, a framed photograph, or both. Does a memorial service mean cremation? Not always, but it’s very common after cremation, because there’s no rush to hold it.
A memorial service can be as formal or as informal as you like. It can be led by a clergy member, a professional celebrant, a funeral director or a family friend. It can take place at a funeral home, a church, a park, a family home, or a community center or banquet hall.
What happens at a memorial service
There’s no required order of service. Most memorial services include some of these:
- Opening remarks to welcome guests
- Music, readings or prayers
- A eulogy and shared stories from family and close friends
- A video tribute or photo boards showing your loved one’s life
- A candle lighting or another symbolic gesture
- A meal or reception afterward
Personal touches help make it a meaningful memorial. Families might display favorite hobbies, play a favorite song, set out memorial keepsakes for guests to take home, or invite everyone to write a memory in a book. Some families set up a communal display where guests can add photos or personal items. Seating arrangements can be as simple as a circle of chairs.
How soon after death should you have a memorial service?
There’s no set rule. Some families hold a memorial service within a week or two. Others wait several weeks or months, so relatives can travel or so the service falls on a meaningful date, like a birthday. Creating space between the death and the memorial lets you plan something thoughtful without the pressure of the first few days. Holding the service at a later date also lets you work around your family’s schedule, school breaks and travel.
Should ashes be present at a memorial service?
It’s entirely up to you. Many families place the urn at the front of the room with photos and flowers. Others hold the service before the cremated remains are returned, or keep the loved one’s ashes at home for a private moment. Some families combine the memorial with a scattering ceremony or a committal at a columbarium niche or cemetery plot.
Direct cremation vs memorial service: the key differences
Here’s how the two compare when you look at them side by side.
| Direct cremation | Memorial service | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The cremation itself, with no service beforehand | A gathering to honor the person, body not present |
| Timing | Usually within days of death | Any time, from days to months later |
| Viewing | No | No (the urn or photos may be displayed) |
| Embalming | Not needed | Not needed |
| Cost | Lowest cremation cost | Depends on venue, food and extras |
| Who attends | No service | Family, friends and community |
The biggest difference: direct cremation is how your loved one is cared for, and a memorial service is how your family says goodbye. Many families opt for direct cremation and then a memorial service later.
Cremation memorial service: combining both
A cremation memorial service is simply a memorial held after the cremation. This combination is popular for good reasons. You get the lower direct cremation cost, and you still have a public service where people can gather, share stories and support one another. You choose the date, the place and the tone.
Many families find the time in between helps them plan a more meaningful memorial. At our funeral home, families can arrange cremation with a memorial service and hold it in our chapel, at a church, or anywhere that means something to them. We can help with music, a video tribute and printed programs.
How direct cremation compares to traditional cremation and burial
It helps to understand the other options, too.
- Traditional cremation usually includes embalming, a public viewing and a funeral service with the body present, followed by cremation. Families often rent a casket for the viewing.
- Traditional burial includes embalming, a viewing, a funeral service, a casket, a cemetery plot and interment fees.
- Direct cremation skips the viewing and the formal service, and the cremation happens shortly after death.
Traditional funeral services take more planning and cost more, but some families find comfort in the familiar rituals. The end result of direct and traditional cremation is the same: your loved one’s cremated remains are returned to your family. The difference is whether a funeral service happens first. Traditional funeral homes usually offer all of these choices, so you can compare them in one place.
Direct cremation cost compared to other options
Cremation cost varies a great deal by location and by what’s included. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial was about $8,300 in 2023, and a funeral with a viewing followed by cremation was about $6,280. Those figures don’t include a cemetery plot, a vault or a headstone.
Direct cremation costs far less. The national average cost of direct cremation is often reported at around $1,900 to $2,000, though prices vary widely between providers and states. Compared with a traditional funeral, direct cremation can save families roughly $5,000 or more. In the Oklahoma City area, our direct cremation starts at $695. Because the average cost of a traditional funeral is so much higher, saving money is one of the main reasons families choose direct cremation.
What affects the cost
- The cremation container. A simple alternative container is usually included. A metal casket or an expensive casket isn’t needed for cremation.
- Mileage. Most providers include transportation within a set distance and charge extra beyond it.
- Death certificates. Each certified copy has a fee set by the state.
- The urn. Urns range from simple to ornate. You can buy one elsewhere.
- Memorial planning. Venue rental, food, flowers, printed programs and a video tribute add to the cost of a memorial service.
Ways to keep costs down
- Compare prices. Every funeral home must give you an itemized General Price List under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule.
- Hold the memorial service at a church, a park or a family home instead of a rented hall.
- Buy an urn from another seller if you find one you prefer. The funeral home can’t charge you a fee for using it.
- Ask about payment plans. Many funeral homes offer payment plans or accept life insurance assignments.
- Consider pre planning. Recording your wishes now spares your family hard decisions later. Learn more about cremation costs and packages.
Choosing a direct cremation provider
Not all providers are the same. A direct cremation provider can be a full-service funeral home, a cremation-only company or an online service. Traditional funeral homes that offer direct cremation can also add other services later, such as a viewing, a memorial service or help with an obituary, all in one place. When you compare prices, ask each provider:
- What exactly is included in the direct cremation price, and what costs extra?
- How far will you travel to bring my loved one into your care, and what’s the mileage fee beyond that?
- How long will the cremation process take, and how will I receive the cremated remains?
- Do you have your own crematory, or do you work with another one?
- Can you help us plan a memorial service later, and where can we hold it?
- Do you offer payment plans?
A good provider will answer clearly and hand you an itemized price list without pressure.
Planning ahead for your own cremation
If you’re reading this while thinking about your own cremation, planning ahead is a gift to your family. You can choose direct cremation, note whether you’d like a memorial service and what it should feel like, and record your wishes for music, readings or where your ashes should go. Pre planning takes the guesswork out of a hard time for the people you love. You can plan ahead online or with our team at your own pace.
How to decide what’s right for your family
Most families find their answer by thinking about a few questions, and talking them over with other family members:
- Did your loved one leave wishes? If they asked for a simple cremation, or for a big celebration of life, that’s often the starting point.
- Does your family need to see them one last time? If so, consider a viewing before the cremation.
- Will people need to travel? Direct cremation with a memorial service later gives distant relatives time to arrive.
- What’s your budget? Direct cremation keeps costs low, and a memorial service can be as simple or elaborate as you like.
- What does your faith tradition ask? Some traditions prefer a funeral mass with the body present.
Not every family wants a public service, and that’s fine too. A small private gathering at home can be just as meaningful as a formal service. This is a deeply personal decision, and there’s no wrong answer when it comes from love.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cremation and a direct cremation?
A traditional cremation usually includes embalming, a viewing and a funeral service before the cremation. A direct cremation skips the viewing and service, and the body is cremated shortly after death. Both return the cremated remains to the family.
What is the least expensive way to be cremated?
Direct cremation is the least expensive option. Some families also qualify for free cremation through whole body donation to medical science.
Do you need a casket if you are cremated?
No. A simple cremation container is all that’s required. A casket is only needed if you’d like a viewing, and many funeral homes offer rental caskets for that.
Will Medicare pay for a cremation?
No. Medicare doesn’t cover funeral or cremation costs. Social Security may pay a one-time $255 death benefit to an eligible surviving spouse or child, and veterans may qualify for burial benefits.
Can you have a memorial service after direct cremation?
Yes. Many families hold a memorial service weeks or months after a direct cremation, when family can gather and plans aren’t rushed.
We’re here to help you decide
If you’re weighing direct cremation against a memorial service, call Alternatives Cremation & Funeral Service at (405) 443-8085, day or night. We’ll explain every option in plain language, share our General Price List and help you plan something that fits your family. You can also learn more about direct cremation in Oklahoma City.
