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What Is a Cremation Ceremony

What Is a Cremation Ceremony? A Complete Guide

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11 minute read

If you’re reading this, it might be because someone you care about has died, or you’re helping someone who’s going through it. Times like this can feel challenging, and trying to understand your options while dealing with loss can feel overwhelming. On top of that, cremation myths can sometimes cause extra confusion, especially around what’s involved in a cremation ceremony.

It may help to know that cremation has become a very common choice – in fact, the majority of funerals in the UK today are cremations. This means you’re not alone in considering this option, and it’s widely accepted as a meaningful and practical way to say goodbye.

You may have come across the term ‘cremation ceremony’ and wondered what it actually means, especially compared to a traditional funeral or a direct cremation. This guide will gently walk you through what a cremation ceremony involves, how it works, and what makes it different , so you can decide if it feels right for your loved one, and for you.

Key takeaways:

  • A cremation ceremony is a service your way. Families shape every part of the service, making it as simple or personal as they wish.
  • A celebrant, minister, or the family can guide the cremation service, without a funeral director involved.
  • Support throughout: Aura Angels help plan, prepare, and deliver everything needed for the day.
  • Held at a crematorium of your choice, there is room for as many guests as the venue allows for the memorial service.
  • More than a cremation: combines the practicality of direct cremation with the warmth of a personal farewell.
What is a cremation ceremony

What is a cremation ceremony?

A cremation ceremony is a type of funeral service that takes place at a crematorium, where family and friends gather to say goodbye before the cremation happens. While cremation ceremonies today are deeply personal, they are also part of a longer history of cremation that spans many cultures and centuries.

Unlike an unattended direct cremation, where there’s no service or attendees, a cremation ceremony gives people the chance to come together, share memories, play music, read poems or eulogies, and honour the person who has died in a way that feels personal and meaningful.

It’s usually led by a celebrant or religious minister, but how it runs is entirely up to the family, with no set rules or traditions to follow unless they choose to. With Aura, you have a choice of two types of cremation ceremonies: fully attended and intimate funeral.

Intimate cremation ceremonies

An intimate funeral with Aura is a quiet, thoughtful way to say goodbye. It’s a chance for 15 close family and friends to gather for 10 minutes a crematorium’s chapel and pay their respects in a way that feels right.

There’s no pressure for formalities or large crowds. Instead, it’s a personal ceremony usually led by the family, but sometimes by a celebrant or minister. It is shaped around the wishes of the family and the life of the person being remembered.

With gentle support from Aura’s team, it’s a chance to honour someone’s memory with warmth, simplicity, and space to reflect.

Fully attended cremation ceremonies

A fully attended funeral allows for more attendees and more time.

It is an up to forty-five-minute ceremony which may include music, readings, poems and visual tributes. Taking place at a crematorium of your choice, the service is usually led by a religious minister or a celebrant with the family in full control of how the service should run, and the number of guests that can be invited is limited only by the crematorium’s maximum capacity – which is often over 100 people.

What happens at a cremation ceremony?

With Aura, a cremation ceremony gives families the opportunity to create a service for their loved one, that is a befitting tribute to remember them by.  It can be a send-off that is as simple or as special as you want it to be.

Working closely with the celebrant or religious minister, if desired, and our dedicated team of Aura Angels, the family chooses how they would like the service to run. There is no funeral director present to influence proceedings, which means that the ceremony is private, special and personal, and it is fully led by either the religious minister or celebrant, or the family.

Loved ones can share photos, video clips, sing and listen to eulogies, funeral poems, songs, hymns or readings. There is no set formula to follow, which is the beauty of a cremation ceremony with Aura.

With no formal procession, hearses or limousines, the person who has died will be taken privately to the crematorium before the service, and will be resting in the chapel when the guests arrive.

While every cremation ceremony is personal, a typical service might look like this:

  • Guests arrive and take their seats in the crematorium chapel at the scheduled time.
  • The service begins. A chosen celebrant or minister (or a family member) leads the ceremony. This can include personal eulogies, readings or poems, music or hymns – whatever the family has arranged to honour their loved one.
  • Committal. As the service comes to a close, there is a final moment when the coffin is respectfully moved out of view, often behind curtains or doors, to begin the cremation process. This is the symbolic moment of saying goodbye.
  • Guests exit the chapel after the committal. People often offer condolences to the immediate family and may view any floral tributes. Some families also choose to gather for refreshments or a wake. This is an optional, informal way to continue sharing memories.

How much does a cremation ceremony cost

Direct cremation prices are usually lower because they don’t include a service or attendees. With Aura, these start from £1,195 . A cremation ceremony includes more time, space, and support, offering a meaningful way to say goodbye with family and friends present.

An intimate cremation ceremony with Aura costs a total of £2,095 which includes the cremation fees, a simple coffin, administration and paperwork support and for a nominal fee, the hand-delivery of your loved one’s ashes to your chosen address. For a fully attended service, it’s £2,695.

The cost for either also includes full Aura Angel support in preparing everything for the ceremony, including uploading your chosen music to the crematorium’s system and helping the family to prepare readings, poems, visual tributes and a eulogy, if that’s what the family would like.

There may be additional costs depending on the circumstances surrounding a death, such as urgent collection fees and oversized or bariatric coffin fees, but our expert Aura Angel support team will guide you through these if they are required.

People placing hands on shrouded person
A cremation ceremony allows loved ones to celebrate the person who has died in their own unique way, with personal touches, music, and memories that matter most.

What’s the difference between a cremation ceremony and a direct cremation?

A cremation ceremony includes all of the services of a direct cremation, including bringing the person who has died into our care at our state-of-the-art facilities, a simple coffin, and cremation fees.

With a direct cremation, there are no attendees and no service to attend, and the family does not have a choice of where the cremation can take place.

A cremation ceremony, on the other hand, includes the option for an unlimited number of guests to gather at a crematorium of the family’s choosing. A cremation ceremony with Aura also includes a roughly forty-five minute service, remembering the person who has died in a special and deeply personal service.

It’s worth noting that even if you choose an unattended direct cremation, you can still hold a separate memorial service or ash-scattering ceremony at a later date for family and friends.

Cremation ceremony with Aura

Here at Aura, we help families to focus on paying tribute to the life of someone they love, in a way that feels right to them.

But we also understand that those first stages of grief after we lose a loved one can bring some of the most difficult days that a person can face. That’s why we have a dedicated, professional team of Aura Angels to guide you through the cremation process from start to finish.

Our Aura Angels will talk to you, listen to you, celebrate life with you, and mourn with you. They will take you by the hand and help you through the process step-by-step, or step back and let you lead the way. In whatever way you need them, whenever you need them, our Aura Angels will be there.

Whether you would like to arrange a simple direct cremation so that you can celebrate your loved one’s life when the time feels right, or a fully attended ceremony to bring the most treasured people together for one final goodbye, Aura is with you.

Choose to celebrate and remember a life in the way that feels personal and true.

Tamsin Ferrier
Tamsin
Amy Rees
Amy
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FAQs

A cremation ceremony is a service held at a crematorium before cremation. It gives families and friends the chance to gather, share memories, play music, read poems or eulogies, and honour their loved one.

A direct cremation has no service or attendees, while a cremation ceremony includes a personalised service with guests at a crematorium of your choice.

A celebrant or minister usually leads, but families can choose to guide the service themselves. With Aura, there is no funeral director involved, keeping the focus personal.

  • Intimate Ceremony: A small, 10-minute gathering for up to 15 people.

  • Fully Attended Ceremony: A longer service, up to 45 minutes, with tributes, music, and readings for as many guests as the venue allows.

The loved one is taken privately to the crematorium before the service and rests in the chapel. Guests gather for tributes such as poems, music, eulogies, photos, or videos, before the cremation takes place.

A cremation ceremony with Aura can last up to 45 minutes, depending on the type of service you choose.

A fully attended cremation ceremony, for example includes a family-led, standard daytime service with an unlimited of attendees at any crematoria in mainland Britain.

For those who prefer a smaller gathering, an intimate cremation ceremony allows up to 15 people in the crematorium chapel for a quiet, thoughtful farewell.

Both options are shaped entirely by you and your loved ones, with the support of Aura’s team to help plan and guide the day in a way that feels right.

Aura Angels guide families step by step, from planning tributes and uploading music to preparing readings and eulogies, ensuring the service is personal, compassionate, and dignified.

Yes. Families can include music, readings, photos, videos, or spiritual rituals. Every ceremony is tailored to reflect the life and wishes of the person being remembered.

A crematorium is designed to be a calm, respectful place for saying goodbye. So, what does a crematorium look like? From the outside, many are surrounded by gardens, trees, and water features. Some look like traditional chapels, while others are modern buildings with natural materials and large windows.

Inside, there’s usually a simple chapel or service room, quiet waiting areas, and, in some cases, a private viewing room where families can witness the cremation if they wish. While the cremation area itself isn’t open to the public, it’s managed with great care by trained staff. Every space is designed to offer peace, dignity, and comfort.

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