Your Guide To Choosing The Right Casket For Your Pre-Planning Needs

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When creating your own funeral pre-plan, you'll want to specify the type of casket you wish to hold your remains. It is a choice based on an individual's tastes and a decision that should not be left to your family to make after you've passed away. You have a variety of styles and materials from which to choose the ideal casket for your final resting place. Here is what you need to know about where to buy a casket and the types available to you.

Casket Retailers

Funeral homes were once the most likely place from which to view and purchase a casket. Now there are a number of options open to consumers, such as:

  • direct from the casket manufacturer
  • discount stores or "big box" stores
  • online retailers and distributors

Where you shop depends on the level of research you can do yourself. For example, if you are looking for the most cost-effective deal, the discount store may have what you want, but you'll have little in the way of customer service to answer questions about the caskets. If you prefer to talk with a person directly about caskets and options, speaking with a funeral home is still a good choice.

Casket Construction

The material from which a casket is made has the most impact on the price. You'll find caskets made of wood, metal and plant fibers. Look at a variety of types of caskets to find the one that most fits your tastes from the following construction materials.

Hardwoods - Traditional casket construction has been from a variety of hardwoods including maple, ash, elm and cottonwood. They are heavy and dense types of wood that make carving into intricate designs easier.

Softwoods - Woods, such as pine and cedar, make a lighter weight and less expensive casket. They are harder to carve than the hardwoods, so they may include more ornamentation attached to the casket, or the use of hardwood veneers.

Veneers - This is a softwood casket covered with a layer of hardwood. The result is a casket lighter than traditional hardwood that can also be carved into ornate designs.

Metal - You'll find caskets made of copper, bronze, steel and stainless steel. The surface can be polished to a high gloss or left with a matte appearance. Accessories are attached to the outside of the casket to create a more ornate look.

Fiberglass - These are lightweight caskets often with an exterior made to look like a more expensive material. These caskets can look like wood, metal or stone and include a number of accessories to enhance the appearance.

Environmentally Friendly Materials - Sustainable materials, such as bamboo and seagrass, are used to make caskets. These caskets are lightweight and often have little ornamentation.

Casket Accessories

You will also find a number of ways to enhance your casket with decorative and practical ornamentation including:

  • straps and handles attached to the outside of the casket to aid in carrying it
  • materials and designs of linen used to line the inside of the casket
  • engraved plaques and markers that are attached to the casket, inside and out

 ​Contact a business, such as the Lisa Scott Funeral Home, for more information on choosing a casket.   

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25 April 2016

Planning Your Loved One’s Funeral

A couple of weeks ago, one of my dear family friend’s suffered the loss of her husband. After a brief illness, he passed away at a local hospital. Immediately after his passing, she started planning the funeral arrangements. She didn’t want his funeral to be a sad occasion. Instead, she wanted the service to celebrate his amazing life. She worked tirelessly with the professional staff at a local funeral home in order to plan the order and type of service for the funeral. On this blog, you will discover tips for planning a funeral service that will celebrate the life of your deceased loved one.