What’s considered proper etiquette is changing all the time. This includes cemetery and funeral home etiquette. With all the changing rules, it can be hard to know how to act at a cemetery in Huntersville, NC, but it’s vital that you are up to date on what personal, religious or cultural considerations you need to make for the deceased’s family and friends when attending a service at a funeral home or cemetery. If you need a bit more guidance on what to do and what not to do in a funeral home, keep reading.  

To begin, here is a list of what to do in a cemetery:  

• Offer Sympathy: It’s almost always appropriate to offer sympathy to the deceased’s friends and family. Oftentimes a simple “I’m sorry for your loss” is all you need. Always remember to be respectful, but feel free to offer your own personalized condolences. 
• Find out the Gift Preferences: Its tradition to bring some sort of gift for the deceased or the family. Usually flowers are the best choice, but sometimes the family requests charitable donations in lieu of flowers. Always be sure to include a note or a signature so the knows who the gift is from.   

• Sign the Book: The registry book may seem silly, but it can be an important way for the family to look back and enjoy who came to honor their lost loved one. Include your name and relationship to the deceased for easy identification in the future.
• Inquire About the Dress Code: Black is the classic funeral color, but sometimes the event or the family calls for a different look. If you’re unable to discover the family’s wishes, dress conservatively and avoid bright colors.
• Reach Out: Don’t be afraid to reach out to the family after the funeral. A simple phone call may go a long way in comforting them in their difficult time.  

Also, here is what not to do in a cemetery:  

• Bring Overactive Children: Loud or disturbing children have no place in a funeral home. It’s all right to bring the kids if they understand how to be respectful, but if not, leave them with a sitter. 
• Avoid the Family or Receiving Line: A quick hug, hello, or “sorry for your loss” goes a long way with a grieving family. Never skip the receiving line, even if it’s long.
• Leave Your Cell Phone On: Turn your phone to silent! Also, never check your messages during the funeral service. It can wait. 
• Stifle Your Emotions: Its ok to laugh and cry at a funeral home. The deceased’s life was filled with emotion, so it makes sense for his or her funeral to be too. 
• Overstay Your Welcome: Don’t feel like you have to stick around the funeral home for too long. Sometimes a quick condolence is enough.  

Gethsemane Cemetery and Memorial Garden is here to help if you want to learn more about Huntersville, NC cemeteries and proper etiquette. You can visit us or give us a call today.

Though most people don’t consider burial in a cemetery in Charlotte, NC an option for after a cremation, burials are still one of the most common ways of body disposition. If you’re considering a burial for after your own passing, or for the recent passing of a loved one, use this list of frequently asked burial and cremation service questions for more information. 

1. Are There Laws About Burial Timelines? The short answer is no, there are no laws in North Carolina requiring a body to be buried within a specific amount of time. However, there are many steps that need to be taken before a burial can take place, so it’s a good idea to get started as soon as you’re able after a death so your loved one can have a dignified cremation service and burial. 
2. Is Ground Burial the Only Option? There are several options besides traditional ground burial. These include mausoleums, lawn crypts, and cremation internments like urns and columbarium.
3. Why is Burial Necessary? While there are many disposition options besides burial, a burial is a wonderful way to remember the deceased in a constructive way. A big part of the human grief process is memorializing the dead, and a permanent burial place serves as a focal point remembering your lost loved one. A permanent resting place also gives the deceased a dignified ending while still allowing his or her memory to live on.
4. Can I Bury Cremated Remains? Yes, you can bury cremated remains. Some burial options for cremated remains include a burial urn in the ground, or above ground in a columbarium. 
5. Will My Cemetery Close When It Runs Out of Land? Cemeteries do run out of land, but they usually do not close when that happens. They generally remain open for family members to visit graves and can even have guided tours of historic resting places. 
6. What Will Happen to My Loved One’s Grave in the Distant Future? Cemeteries are traditionally thought of as permanent, and the land designation is often in perpetuity. You can visit graves that are more than a hundred-year-old all over the country. It’s nice to think that your loved one’s grave will still be around and treasured by coming generations.  
7. Do I Need A Burial Vault? Burial vaults are the outside container that holds a coffin or casket. Their primary function is to protect the casket and help maintain the grave’s integrity, so the surface doesn’t sink in. Most active cemeteries do require burial vaults to keep the cemetery ground intact and safe.  

These are just a few of the many questions Charlotte, NC residents have about burials, cremations, and cemeteries. If you would like to learn more about Charlotte, NC cemeteries and burials, all you have to do is reach out to Gethsemane Cemetery and Memorial Garden. Please stop by and visit us or give us a call today to learn more about what we can do for you and your loved ones on your time of loss.

There are a lot of options for cremations, from direct to classic cremations, memorial services or funerals, to whether or not you want a fancy cremation casket, there are lots of different ways you can make a cremation unique. You can also make a cremation unique after the actual cremation is over, whether you want a memorial service or want to inter the remains at a cemetery in Matthews, NC. 

There are lots of classic options after cremation including scattering, inurnment, burial, entombment and more. However, you can also get even more eclectic and unique to your loved by doing things like:  

• Shoot Off Fireworks – Help your loved one go out with a bang with a fireworks display. Some pyrotechnics companies help you scatter your loved one’s ashes by placing them inside fireworks. These incorporated ashes scatter when the fireworks go off, making for a memorable end to a memorial service.
• Plant a Tree – Really go green with cremation, and help your deceased loved one continue to give back long after he or she is gone. Buy a biodegradable urn that’s specially made to be buried without any harmful impact on the environment.  Plant the Bio Urn with some ashes and seeds inside. The ashes will help nourish the seed until it grows into a beautiful tree people can enjoy for generations to come. 
• Create Glass Art – Cremation ashes can be transformed into glass with the help of professional glass blowers. These artists can take small portions of the deceased’s ashes and create glass art in a range of shapes, colors, and sizes. You can display the art at home on your mantel, or somewhere else special.  

• Order A Diamond – While expensive, this memorial will really last forever. Special companies can extract carbon particles from the cremated ashes and grow a real diamond. You can personalize the color, shape or cut to make the diamond even more unique for the deceased. 
• Commission Jewelry – Keep your loved one close by placing ashes in cremation or memorial jewelry. People have been placing memories of deceased loved ones in jewelry for centuries. However, modern technology makes it easy to order personalized pieces like lockets, pendants, rings and more filled with small portions of ashes. You can order pre-made pieces online, or have a jewelry maker custom make a piece for you.

These are just a few of the many, many options for cremation services and cemeteries. If you need more ideas, think about the deceased and their interests or unique qualities. Take inspiration from them, to make their cremated remains memorial at a cemetery as respectful and special as it can be.  

Gethsemane Cemetery and Memorial Garden is here to answer any of your questions if you want to learn more about what to do with cremains post cremation, or about cremations in general. We are a Matthews, NC cemetery with years of experience ready to do whatever we can to help you in your time of loss or of preplanning. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for you.

Losing a loved one is never going to be easy. A lot of people think that speeding through the service at a funeral home or cemetery in Huntersville, NC funeral arrangements will make the process easier and less painful.  

However, mental health professionals and grief specialists agree that taking the time to plan and execute a meaningful funeral service can help people cope, accept, and eventually move past the loss of a family member or loved one.  

Properly planned and executed meaningful funeral services provide an opportunity for families and friends to express feelings, connect with one another, and move towards healing as a unit.  

But what makes a meaningful funeral? Most meaning funerals have an emphasis on the deceased’s relationships. People always say that relationships are the most important part of life, so the best way to have a meaningful funeral service is to have focus on the relationships the deceased had with friends and family. Take a moment to remember special events, fond memories, or everyday moments that embody what made the deceased’s relationships special. Use these memories to enhance your funeral services so they can best honor the deceased.  

Meaningful funerals, whether at a cemetery or a funeral home, can also include more concrete things like: 

• Customized Prints – Order customized prints for the funeral. These prints range from photo collages and blown-up portraits to bookmarks, programs, boards and even books. Put special quotes, Bible verses, poems or artwork on the prints. You can also print out the obituary, or even the deceased’s favorite sayings. The prints serve as decoration for the funeral and can be taken home by hosts and guests as keepsakes. 

• Memorial Websites – Make the meaningful funeral services accessible to the world with a memorial website. Websites are beautiful and useful. They help connect family, friends and acquaintances online for easy funeral announcements and communication. They also can display the video, obituary, photos and more online so everyone has easy access long after the funeral is over.
• Tribute Videos – Modern technology offers a unique way to remember the deceased. Take your home videos, photographs and memoires and create an especially unique tribute video. Put in graphics and music for even more personalization.  

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to plan a funeral that honors the deceased and helps the bereaved grieve. These are just ideas to give you inspiration, as what is meaningful to you about the deceased might be different than what is meaningful to someone else about their lost loved one. You knew the deceased, and you know the best ways to honor his or her life through meaningful funeral services.  

 Gethsemane Cemetery and Memorial Garden is here to help if you would like more information on how you can plan a meaningful funeral for your lost loved one, or would like to learn more about Huntersville, NC cemeteries. You can stop by and visit us or give us a call to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.