Cremation Services: Direct vs. Traditional Cremation
Whether you're navigating an immediate need for a loved one or thoughtfully considering your end-of-life arrangements, choosing the right cremation services is an important step in saying goodbye with love, dignity, and respect.
Today, families can choose between direct cremation and traditional cremation. Understanding the difference will help you select the option that reflects your values and honors the life of your loved one.
What Are Cremation Services?
Cremation services involve the respectful handling of the deceased through the cremation process and how their cremated remains are memorialized.
These services can range from direct cremation packages, which are more streamlined, to traditional offerings that may include a full funeral service, visitations, and ceremonies.
Understanding Direct Cremation
Direct cremation, also called simple cremation, is the most straightforward cremation service. Your loved one is carefully transported directly to an on-site crematory, without embalming, viewing, or a formal funeral beforehand. Because there is no memorial service prior to cremation, your loved one stays in the care of the crematory without the need for additional transportation or location. You also do not need to purchase a casket.
A licensed funeral director oversees the process to ensure a dignified, private (without witnesses) cremation. Because it does not include additional services, direct cremation is the most affordable funeral service.
What’s Included in Direct Cremation Packages?
Most direct cremation providers, including Tulip, provide the following in their cremation service plans:
- Timely transportation of your loved one from the place of death
- Filing of paperwork, including death certificates and permits
- Placing your loved one into an alternative container (usually cardboard)
- The actual cremation process at a crematory by a certified operator
- Return of the cremated remains in a basic urn
- Optional upgrades like premium urns, memorial trees, and sympathy gifts
Unlike traditional burial, direct cremation does not require an immediate funeral service. Families have time to reflect and later plan a more personal, meaningful memorial if they choose.
Traditional Cremation: A Time-Honored Option
Traditional cremation services combine cremation with elements of a conventional funeral service. Families typically hold a viewing, memorial service, or religious ceremony prior to the cremation.
What’s Included in Traditional Cremation Services?
Unless the funeral home you choose has an on-site crematory, your loved one will be transferred twice: once from the place of death to the funeral home, and then to the crematorium. Most funeral homes or cremation providers include the following:
- Use of a funeral home and staff
- Floral arrangements, music, and eulogies
- Embalming, dressing, and casketing (rental caskets are available)
- Coordination of spiritual or religious services
- Assistance in obtaining certified copies of the death certificate
Traditional cremation helps many families feel a sense of closure by offering space for shared stories, prayer, and community support.
Cremation Services Cost: What You Need to Know
Direct Cremation Costs
According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the average cost for a direct cremation is around $2,000. Your price depends on where you live and which options you select. Tulip offers among the lowest prices for direct cremation because our arrangements are 100% remote, eliminating the expense of a brick-and-mortar funeral home. With Tulip, you make arrangements online or over the phone from the comfort and convenience of your home, with help from our 24/7 care team.
Traditional Cremation Costs
Traditional cremation services are more elaborate and include more elements, raising the cost from $4,000 to over $7,000. You’ll pay for the use of the funeral home, casket, staffing, flowers, embalming, and more.
How Cremated Remains Are Returned
You should receive your loved one’s ashes soon after a direct cremation. They will be returned in a simple, often temporary, urn or container. Some cremation providers have in-person delivery, or you may pick them up. Tulip includes the price of U.S. Priority Mail service with delivery of the ashes to your home.
What Are the Memorial Options After Cremation?
With both direct and traditional options, there’s plenty of room to make the experience your own. Cremation offers more choices than burial for families to honor and remember someone special. Here are a few of the most popular memorial choices:
- Host a memorial service or life celebration that best suits your budget and schedule
- Select a permanent memorial at a local cemetery, either within a family plot, a columbarium, or a scattering garden
- Scatter the ashes at sea or in a meaningful place
- Keep the cremated remains in an urn, keepsake, or cremation jewelry
- Have the cremated ashes transformed into a memorial diamond or smooth stones
- Consider a unique memorial, like a cremation tattoo, a custom piece of artwork, or even incorporate their ashes into an artificial reef
Making Arrangements for Cremation Services
Whether you're experiencing the loss of a loved one or planning for the future, making arrangements for cremation services is an important step that brings clarity, peace of mind, and the ability to honor life with dignity.
Immediate Need: Compassionate and Prompt Assistance
When there's an immediate need, the journey begins with a first call to a trusted provider. The right team will offer immediate assistance, arrange transportation of the deceased, and initiate the cremation process right away.
Advance Planning: A Thoughtful Gift to Loved Ones
Making your cremation arrangements long before you need them is a thoughtful way to ease the burden on your family. With prepaid cremation plans, you can take care of the costs and choices in advance, ensuring that everything is arranged according to your wishes. From the type of cremation services you prefer to the details of a future memorial service and the handling of your cremated ashes, a prepaid plan gives you control and peace of mind—while sparing your loved ones from difficult decisions later.
Choosing the Right Provider
When selecting a cremation provider, consider:
- Do they operate in your service areas?
- Is there someone available to call with questions?
- Can I access my arrangements or updates through a login portal?
- Do they assist with certified copies of the death certificate, permits, and paperwork?
Tulip Makes It Simple and Convenient
Experience simple, transparent, and affordable cremation services with Tulip. Whether you’re making arrangements for a loved one or planning ahead, Tulip’s expert care team is available 24/7 to guide you every step of the way — online or by phone, from the comfort of your home.