One of the main reasons why individuals choose to preplan memorial services in San Francisco is that they are able to help their family during a difficult time. It also allows them to voice their personal desires about their funeral and burial. This is especially important if you decide to forgo a traditional burial and opt for a burial at sea or ash scattering.

Be sure to let your family know what you are considering so it does not come as a complete shock at the time of your death. This is the perfect way to give your family guidance about what you want and what you do not want in your funeral. Having a plan in place will alleviate stress, guilt and difficult decisions that they would have to make without your guidance. You can also save your family considerable money by keeping them from ordering things that simply are not important to you.

Contact local funeral homes to find the ones that will honor your wishes for cremation and scattering at sea. Some services may not handle this type of burial, so it is important to find the right funeral home at the start. Once you have chosen a funeral home and have pre-arranged as much as possible, be sure at least one family member is aware of which funeral home you worked with to avoid duplicating your efforts at your death.

• Will you have a funeral service prior to cremation?
• If there is a funeral service, will there be an open or closed casket?
• If you chose cremation, how soon do you want your ashes scattered?
• Where do you want to have your ashes scattered?
• How will your family and friends get to the scattering location?

As far as the memorial service itself, you can pre-plan many items. Some of these include:

• Who will conduct the memorial service? It would help to ask them ahead of time so they are aware of your wishes and then ask family members to contact them when it is necessary.
• What special music would you like for your memorial service?
• Would you like specific Bible verses, poems or stories included?
• Do you want a special speaker or singer to participate during the memorial service?
• Do you have specific photographs that should be displayed during the service?
• Would you like family and friends to donate to a specific charity in lieu of sending flowers?
• If you were in the military, would you like to have a military style service?
• Who would you like to attend your service?

As mentioned above, you can pre-plan many aspects of a memorial service. The more you can plan, write down and keep safely, the easier it will be for your family during the difficult time following your death. They will have fewer decisions to make and will be sure they are following your desires. The single most important reason why it is best to pre-plan memorial service is to make decision making less stressful for your family as they grieve.

Why do people choose cremation over a traditional interment? A few reasons include:

• Being able to keep a loved one close by even in death
• It is convenient
• It is often more affordable than a burial
• It offers more flexibility in case family members cannot reach the funeral in time
• It is an alternative to burial

If possible, it would be better to have a plan made ahead of time for cremation and a scattering at sea. Unfortunately, this is not always possible or people do not decide because they think they have more time. Pre-planning for this would make things easier for everyone involved, but if things were not pre-planned, those left behind must try to decide how best to handle their loss and funeral arrangements.

To learn more about the requirements associated with scattering ashes at sea, it is best to speak with an expert. Some funeral homes may have this knowledge so you will want to find one that does. Another option would be finding a business like Atlantis Memorials that provides yacht services to take family and friends to a location for the scattering at sea in San Francisco.

Contact the civil authorities, Coast Guard or United States Navy to find out how human remains should be prepared. You may also be able to find the information you need from local health departments.

You may think of only persons who served in the Navy as having a burial or their ashes scattered at sea. The truth is, anyone can ask for a burial at sea whether he or she was cremated or not. The only question is in knowing the rules and regulations pertaining to both. This is where a business that handles ash scattering will be helpful.

If the deceased enjoyed the water and preferred to spend time there rather than on land, it would make sense to have a scattering at sea. You can have a short service at the scattering location similar to what you would have for a burial on land. After the ashes are scattered you may put a wreath in the water or toss flowers in the water to see your loved one on their way.

Once you have decided that a scattering at sea is right for your loved one, get the help of someone who is knowledgeable and can support you. You will be able to honor your loved ones’ memory and take comfort that you were able to do so.

Atlantis Memorials understands how stressful it can be to plan a funeral memorial service immediately following a death. This stress can make decision making difficult. The staff fully understands and will do everything within their power to help you plan a memorial service that befits the one who has passed.

We do our best to listen to what the family has to say verbally as well as non-verbally. When you have been in this business as long as we have, you learn to read people. Since our goal is to create a memorable service that honors your memory and the life of the one being honored, we want to ensure this becomes a reality.

The funeral home or crematorium will release the deceased to a family member who will then need to decide whether to have a sea burial in a biodegradable urn or if they would prefer to scatter the ashes at sea. We can help you decide which option to use and then provide a luxury yacht ride to the location for burial.

Which location will you choose? We can take you to any number of landmarks in the San Francisco Bay. The normal length for the yacht ride to the location, service and ride back is one and one-half hours. The standard fee will allow for a short service (words spoken by family members, a song or poetry reading) prior to releasing the ashes or urn as well as cut flowers following the release. If you would like to charter the yacht to allow for a longer service, we will certainly do our best to accommodate this request.

Longer cruises will include much the same order for the memorial service. It will allow for more family and friends to speak. We can provide a minister to conduct the memorial if your family chooses not to speak. Hors d’oeuvres or full catering is also available. If we can do something to ensure your family finds comfort at this difficult time, we are pleased to do our part.

After the burial at sea or ash scattering, the captain signs and issues a Memorial Certificate that includes the exact coordinates of the service, the date and the time of the scattering. Our goal is to care for those attending the funeral memorial service as if they were our own family.

Saying goodbye to someone who was such an integral part of your life will be difficult. The crew and staff of Atlantis Memorials understand the stress you will face. We want to ease the stress and help plan a funeral memorial service that will honor your loved one and help you say your goodbyes with dignity.

The unfortunate truth is newspapers make death notices public and the internet allows people to spread news within seconds. Even if you wanted to keep a funeral intimate and restrict those who would attend, it is difficult to do so. It is not impossible, however.

• Try to delay the death announcement as long as possible. This may difficult to do since most people have access to the internet and news travels quickly. If you ask the funeral home not to release the obituary until after your family has had the service, they will most likely comply. You may also want to request that they keep details about the service strictly to a list that you provide to them.
• Most people expect a funeral to occur the week after the person has passed. If your loved one chose cremation, you do not have to follow this tradition. You may have a small, intimate sea burial or ash scattering for only immediate family. When you are ready to face the well-wishers and those offering condolences, you may hold a memorial service that anyone may attend.
• Since you will be having a sea burial, you can charter a smaller yacht to take you to the sea burial location. If the yacht can handle only 6 to 10 people, it will make sense that only the immediate family be a part of the sea burial.
• Request that only family attend the service. You may not want to un-invite those who want to pay their respects because it may cause bad feelings, however you are perfectly within your rights to ask that the funeral service be limited to family only.
• If you are able to have an intimate sea burial and want to have a memorial service for more people but still are not ready for the masses, choose a private location to hold it. A location that is small such as a private home or small restaurant would let people know subtly that you are not ready for a crowd. They will be more likely to respect your wishes than having to ask them to leave.
• Your final option, if you believe there will be problems with people trying to get to the service, you may ask for law enforcement to intervene on your family’s behalf. This would be a last resort, of course.

Remember, however, that the funeral process is not about you or your immediate family’s desires. It makes sense to have an intimate sea burial for family and close friends, but others may still want to pay their respects and honor the life of the one who has died.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a family choosing a burial at sea of non-cremated remains must adhere to specific requirements. Normally, a burial at sea must take place a minimum of three nautical miles from land and within water at least 600 feet deep. Some areas along the coast will have their own requirements, so it is best to verify the area for the sea burial does not have other requirements.

There is no water depth requirement when having an ashes scattering at sea, at least not for environmental purposes. They do recommend that the ashes scattering takes place outside of the three nautical mile limit, however. The EPA also requires that someone report all burials at sea, including ash scatterings, within 30 days. Atlantis Memorials, and similar services, understands the laws governing ash scatterings at sea and ensures they will follow these requirements.

The state of California also requires anyone who does ash scattering at sea services to hold a license through the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The license, called ‘Cremated Remains Disposer’ or CRD, may not be enough. The United States Coast Guard may also issue licenses for businesses performing this service. The memorial service firm will know what licenses are required.

When discussing a scattering at sea service, it is best to get copies of the CRD license and annual inspection report to verify they are up-to-date. You can also check the Department of Consumer Affairs License Lookup form at the CA.gov website.

You will also need to obtain a burial permit when you want to have an ash scattering at sea. The County Vital Statistics/Health Department, in the county where the scattering will take place, issues this permit. Obviously, since you are scattering the ashes at sea, you would get the permit from the county where the memorial service is located. The memorial service may require you to sign an authorization form for their records, but you can get that information from them.

Once you have verified all licenses and permits are in order, you can discuss other details about having your loved one’s scattering at sea service. Things you may want to consider are:

• Will family members be present during the scattering?
• Will extended family, friends and co-workers also be present?
• Will you have specific music played during the service?
• Who will conduct the service?
• Will you allow family and friends to speak during the service?

The right memorial service company will be able to offer suggestions to make the scattering at sea service one that will honor your loved one and be remembered by all who attend.

A funeral service allows family and friends to come and pay their respects to the person who has passed. This is usually within a couple of days of the death. Quite often, these occur quickly due to circumstances. Perhaps extended family members and friends will not be able to attend a funeral; however, they would be able to attend a memorial service in San Francisco.

A family may also choose to have a memorial service in San Francisco if the deceased chose cremation. This could save a considerable amount of money because you will not need some elements of a traditional funeral – casket and burial plot. Of course, if a family chooses an ash scattering service in lieu of burial, that could be associated with it.

Atlantis Memorials has an expert staff to help you plan the right type of ash scattering service. There are a number of locations from which to choose for the ash scattering in the San Francisco Bay area. The staff will assist you in scattering the ashes from the bow of the yacht and provide you with a memorial certificate that includes the date, time and coordinates of the scattering.

The following are some of the benefits of choosing a memorial service to honor your loved one:

• You can schedule a memorial service any time after the death rather than within a few days. This will enable people who have to travel long distance to get to the service, attendees will be able to save money with advance booking or there may be someone in the hospital that would want to attend. In effect, a memorial service allows you to plan the service without feeling pressured.
• You can have more than one memorial service if it makes sense. Perhaps the person who passed chose cremation and to have their ashes scattered in San Francisco Bay because they lived in the area. If most of their family lives in another state and could not make it to California for the ash scattering service, they can have a memorial service during the ash scattering and then have another memorial service with their friends and family in their hometown.
• You can choose to have a memorial service nearly anywhere. Choose a place that makes sense. If the deceased was an art lover, you may be able to rent a banquet room in a local museum. If they spent time at their cabin in the woods, this would make perfect sense as a memorial service location.
• You can also decide who will come to the service and how you let people know about the service. A memorial service lets you have more control.
• Having a memorial service in San Francisco allows you to choose who leads it. Obviously, you can choose a member of the clergy if you desire, but you can have anyone speak or no one at all if that makes sense. This option would give people attending the service an opportunity to share their memories of the deceased freely.

Personalize the service to make it an event that exemplifies the deceased. This will allow those attending to remember them with fondness when you choose to have a memorial service in San Francisco.

Your loved one may have been a unique person, and so you want to remember them and celebrate their lives in a unique way. The following are some ways to celebrate their uniqueness in a way that others can participate and remember them with fondness. If your loved one chooses cremation rather than a traditional burial, you have many more options for a funeral memorial service because the service can take place any time after the cremation.

Obviously, spreading their cremains in the San Francisco Bay is the perfect choice for someone who loved the water or served in the Navy. Atlantis Memorials is available to assist you in planning a memorial service fitting your loved one.

When you let friends, families and others who were a part of the deceased’s life know about their passing, tell them when the memorial service will be, ask them to bring pictures, memorabilia or something that they feel sums up the person’s life. You can create either a scrapbook or a memory box.

Plan to set up the seating at the memorial service in circles. Let those attending know that you want people to sit and share stories about the departed. Remember the fun times you shared how important they were to your lives and even the times that were not as good. Ask someone to video tape the service and the different circles so preserve the event. Then, be willing to share the video with those who would like a copy.

Did your loved one enjoy the Fourth of July more than other holidays or were they born on July 4? Some people have been known to scatter their loved one’s cremains by placing them into fireworks. Of course, before choosing this option, you may want to discuss it with local authorities.

For the gardener, you may want to create a special area in your garden in their memory. You can plant their favorite plant or flower in the garden and then place a chair or bench near it. If they chose cremation, you can spread their cremains in the garden or keep the urn there after having their ashes scattered at sea. When you miss them, you will have a concrete place to ‘visit’ them.

Keep their memory alive throughout the year. Instead of focusing on the loss at their birthday and holidays, give a gift in their name. You could find someone in the community that is in need such as a single mother, a homebound senior, or a random person.

Donate a book to the local library or public school each year in the person’s name. Normally, the library will include a bookplate with the departed’s name. Each time someone reads the book, he or she will see your loved one’s name.

Planning any funeral will not be easy, especially when the loss is new. If you consider the life your loved one lived, it will be easier to share your loss and how important they were with others. A funeral memorial service can be unique like your loved one or traditional. The important thing to do is honor your loved one no matter which type of service you have.

Pre-planning any type of funeral or ash scattering service provides a number of benefits. These include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Allows time to find the right service providers;
• Relieves the burden of paying for the service at the time of death;
• Removes the possibility of the cost increasing;
• Ensures your final wishes are carried out;

Speaking with a funeral director may be your first stop. They will be able to provide you a list of burial or cremation options. It is a good idea to include your close family members when discussing these options. Let them know it is your desire to be cremated rather than have a traditional burial. At first, they may balk at this choice, but stress how important it is for you. If you can articulate why you want to be cremated, it will help them understand and accept your choice.

There are other portions of the funeral you can pre-plan other than cremation. Will you have a traditional viewing at a funeral home prior to the cremation? If you want to have a viewing or wake prior to the cremation, at which funeral home will it be? Who will officiate? Who will perform the cremation? Who will transport the deceased to a crematory if it is used?

Once the cremation is complete, how soon will the ash scattering service take place? You may also want to speak with a memorial service provider like Atlantis Memorials. They will be able to provide options for an ash scattering at sea. This type of service will work closely with you to ensure your desires are observed. They will be able to tell you about the locations they can spread the cremains and allow you to choose.

Will family and friends be present at the ash scattering? Will only the crew of the scattering service scatter the ashes? This may be one of the more difficult questions to answer. Depending upon the method of scattering, you may not be able to decide. For instance, some services such as the United States Navy or a service offering ashes scatterings by air will not allow family to be present. Instead, they will send documentation of the date, time and location of the scattering.

These are a few of the considerations when choosing cremation rather than burial at the end of life.  The more of these things you can decide upon and pre-plan while you are living, the less your family will have to decide when you pass. This includes pre-planning  your ash scattering Service.

Tips to Plan for Sea Burial in the San Francisco Bay

- Choose a director that will be understanding and sensitive when it comes to following your guidelines and meeting the needs of your loved ones. There will be a number of people involved in your sea burial and you want to be sure that the process runs smoothly.

- Get it all down in writing and bring in your executor when putting the plan together. It is important that there be no room for interpretations when you are pre-planning a sea burial to avoid putting the pressure on those left behind.

- Meet with your family when the plans are being made or after they have been finalized. You want to be sure that the decision to be buried at sea does not come as a surprise to those people that are already dealing with the issue of having lost you.

- Work out the finances. You may be able to work out a payment plan that will let you cover the costs of the sea burial long before you need the services. It may also be possible to get a discount for paying in full (either with a check, cash or by credit card). Some insurance policies have the option of being assigned to the company providing the services to cover the expenses. Review your options and determine the one that will work best for your situation and budget.

- Respect the people that you will leave behind. Keep in mind that they will be the ones in mourning. Create an atmosphere that will help heal their hurts.

There are plenty of details that go into planning a funeral of any kind. Most people that are dealing with the loss of a loved one do not have the patience or understanding to deal with all of those details. You can make it easier for those that are left behind and you can also insure that you have the sendoff that you desire. Take the steps to plan for sea burial in San Francisco Bay to create a memorial that you want and that will provide a chance for healing for others.

Whatever the reason the deceased and/or his or her family choose cremation, consideration should be made concerning an ash scattering ceremony. Doing so would give the family and friends of the deceased individual an opportunity to say their final goodbyes and to console each other.

An ash scattering ceremony can be tailored to fit the family’s desires. How much goes into it will depend on how elaborate (or not) a person wants the ceremony to be. Some families will want something over-the-top, while others will opt for something a little more laid back and less extravagant. Whatever an individual’s preference, it is possible to create a ceremony that meets an individual or family’s particular needs. Below are some ways to organize an ash scattering ceremony that meets the desires of those responsible for planning it.

1. Think about the likes and dislikes of the deceased: It is important that whoever is planning the ash scattering ceremony consider the likes and dislikes of the deceased individual. This will ensure that the ceremony is one they would have appreciated. Unless the person passed unexpectedly, chances are they have discussed or written down their preferences.
2. Choose an easily accessible locale: To enable family and friends to attend the ash scattering ceremony, it would be best that the locale is easily accessible to as many people as possible. The only exception to this is in instances where the deceased’s family chooses to make the ceremony ultra private.
3. Get personal:  Ash scattering ceremonies tend to be very personal. Many personal elements are included, including what the departed liked or loved. This is very important. This type of ceremony is an opportunity not only for the loved ones of the deceased to get together and console each other but it is also a great way to celebrate the deceased. It is thus, extremely important that these sorts of elements are included in the ceremony.

In Summary: Ash Scattering Ceremony Is a Way to Honor Your Loved One’s Memory

An ash scattering ceremony really is a good way to honor ones loved one’s memory. However, in order to ensure that does so, it is important that it is held at a locale that is easily accessible, that it is considerate of the likes and dislikes of the deceased and that it includes plenty of personal elements.