When you're organising a funeral service, one of the first decisions will be whether you are organising a burial or a cremation. This choice will directly impact the type of funeral service you will have, and will include deciding which cemetery or memorial park that will be used. You will also decide whether you are having a private funeral service or a public service.
Once these decisions have been made, you can be creative and add many unique, personal touches to the ceremony if you choose. Even a religious or traditional funeral service can still have a very personal touch.
Le Pine Funerals can assist you in making arrangements to purchase a new gravesite or a memorial site, or alternatively to use an existing one at any cemetery or memorial park. We are experienced in assisting families who require an above ground burial, such as in a crypt, vault or mausoleum space. We are also experienced in assisting families who require special cremation arrangements to meet their cultural needs.
Le Pine Funerals works closely with the Southern Metropolitan Cemetery Trust and the Greater Metropolitan Cemetery Trust, however, we are always happy to recommend reliable local service providers that take care of families the way we would.
Burials
A burial – or interment – is the human ritual of placing the deceased into a burial plot in the ground, or into an above-ground burial such as a crypt, vault or mausoleum. The coffin or casket is lowered into a burial plot, and the gravesite is covered with soil once the funeral service has concluded.
For a burial service you will need to choose a coffin or casket, and the preferred location of the burial plot. Your funeral director can help you make arrangements to purchase a new gravesite or facilitate the burial at a previously purchased site.
Graveside Services
Many families choose to hold a graveside service as part of their farewell to a loved one. A graveside service can be the sole venue for the entire funeral service or it can take place after a service at another venue.
A graveside service can be personalised to your cultural, spiritual, emotional and personal preferences. For example, you can play special music, release doves or butterflies into the air, or add other special touches.
Cremations
Many Australians prefer cremations to burials. Most families choose to hold some form of funeral service before the coffin or casket is relocated for cremation. Australian legislation requires cremations to be carried out on the same day as the funeral service, or in the 48-hours immediately following.
After a body is cremated the ashes are usually memorialised in a permanent memorial or scattered in a place of significance. This ritual offers a place for the family and future generations to visit, so it’s important to carefully consider the location. Your funeral director can provide guidance.
Memorials
A memorial in a memorial park or garden offers a physical place to visit and remember a loved one. Memorials can be purchased ahead of time so you have a specific place ready when the time comes, which is particularly helpful if you want a memorial next to other members of the family.
Planning ahead and preparing a place where you and your family can always be together provides a sense of comfort and permanency. These sites also offer a historical and genealogical record for your ancestry that helps future generations understand their heritage.
Scattering or witnessing services
After a body is cremated the ashes, also known as the cremated remains, are usually memorialised in a permanent memorial. Even when cremated remains are returned to the family for scattering the ashes it is common for a small amount to be permanently memorialised so that the family and future generations have somewhere they can visit.
Gathering your family members and friends of the deceased to witness the scattering of the ashes or the memorialisation of the ashes is growing in popularity.
Le Pine Funerals can assist you to arrange with your chosen cemetery a meaningful scattering or witnessing ceremony.
Interment services
There are many ways to memorialise your loved ones ashes. Le Pine's funeral directors have helped families make memorial service arrangements to take the ashes home for display on a mantle, placed in a garden of remembrance, or in a family mausoleum among many choices. We can inform you of all the options available to you and help you make a decision that is in keeping with the values of your family.
Family gathering – the wake
A family gathering or ‘wake’ held after the funeral service can be an important time for friends and relatives to gather together. A wake is a time for family and friends to share memories, help each other deal with loss and to provide hospitality for those who may have travelled a great distance to be at the funeral service. You can choose one of the function rooms at our funeral homes, a hotel or club, or even your home.
Le Pine's funeral directors can help remove the stress of putting on a family gathering. We can help you with venues, catering and staff so that you and your family can concentrate on your guests.