CREMATION SERVICES
OUR PLEDGE TO YOU
The Vander Plaat Memorial Home will provide a dignified cremation service no matter which cremation option you select. Your love one will remain in our care until the cremation process begins. One of our fully licensed New Jersey Funeral Directors will witness the cremation process begin to ensure that your loved one will not be left unattended at the crematory.
NOT ALWAYS WITHOUT CEREMONY
Many people believe that when a loved one passes away they only have two choices, either have an immediate cremation or have a traditional funeral, including viewing, funeral service and burial. In truth, there are many different options are available for those who prefer cremation. Cremation can occur after a funeral service where the casket is present at a place of worship or the funeral home. Likewise, cremation can occur before a memorial service and an urn may be present for the memorial visitation and memorial service, depending on the family's wishes.
And, as with burials, a cremation funeral may be preceded by a period of visitation with the casket open or closed according to the preferences of your family. After cremation, a public or private service may be arranged for the final placement of the cremated remains.
To make an accurate comparison of the cost of cremations, you must consider all of the services you have chosen in your planning. We offer current information on cremation costs and will, at the time of pre-arrangement, provide a complete listing of charges for the services you select.
It is the goal of Legacy Pre-Planning Center and the Vander Plaat Memorial Home of Paramus to provide you and your family the funeral service that is most meaningful to you. Our Pre-need Counselors are dedicated to helping you honor and celebrate the life of your loved one and will work to ensure that your unique needs are being met.
+ COMPLETE FUNERAL SERVICE
A complete funeral service is one that includes a family or public viewing of the deceased, followed by a service, typically at a place of Worship or at the funeral home. After the service, the cremation will occur.
+ MEMORIAL VISITATION
Memorial visitation is a time for the family or public to gather at the funeral home after the cremation has occurred with or without the cremated remains present. Following the gathering, either the same day or the following day, there will be a service, typically at a place of Worship or at the funeral home.
+ MEMORIAL SERVICE
A memorial service is a time for family and public to gather for a service at the funeral home or place of worship with or without the cremated remains present.
+ NON-CEREMONIAL CREMATION
A non-ceremonial or "direct cremation" refers to a cremation being provided while limiting funeral services to the very basic services of funeral director and staff. This includes local (within 15 miles) transfer of your loved one to our funeral home, the basic sheltering of your loved one, obtaining the necessary permits and authorization, local transportation to the crematory, sanitary care and preparation of remains for identification.
BURIAL SERVICES
A funeral represents a purposeful opportunity to reflect and celebrate a life lived. There is no single proper funeral service. It is a time for family and friends to share memories in the deepest sense.
It is the goal of Legacy Pre-Planning Center and the Vander Plaat Memorial Home of Paramus to provide you and your family the funeral service that is most meaningful to you. Our Pre-need Counselors can help you create a service that will remember and celebrate of your loved one. We have provided here just a few of the service options that are available to you. Your funeral service should be customized to reflect your wishes and the wishes of the family. Remember that any of the options list below can be customized to fit your needs.
COMPLETE FUNERAL SERVICE
A complete or traditional funeral service is one that will include a private family or public gathering with the casket either open or closed. Following the gathering will be a service, typically at a place of Worship or at the funeral home. After the service the interment or entombment of the casketed remains of your love one will take place in a cemetery or mausoleum.
+ GRAVESIDE SERVICE
A graveside funeral service is one that we gather either privately or publicly at the cemetery or mausoleum for a time of remembrance. A brief service may or may not be offered to celebrate the life of your loved one.
+ MEMORIAL SERVICE
A memorial service is a time for family and public to gather for a service only at the funeral home or place of worship without the remains of your loved one present. This would typically be preceded or followed by a private gathering of the family for a graveside service.
+ GREEN BURIAL
Green burial is a way of caring for your loved one with minimal environmental impact and ecological aims such as the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat. A green burial favors the use of a shroud or casket made of seagrass or plentiful soft woods like pine. A green burial will not preclude your family from holding a complete funeral service or any of the other service options offered by our funeral home.
+ NATURAL BURIAL CEMETERIES MAY/OR MAY NOT ACCOMMODATE THREE SHADES OF GREEN:
- Dark Green - are those who prefer to be buried in a burial shroud.
- Medium Green - are those who prefer a natural biodegradable casket and want some type of memorialization.
- Light Green - are those who prefer a natural biodegradable casket, some type of memorialization and embalming using natural embalming fluids.
+ Natural ("green") Burial Grounds
- Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve, Newfield, NY
- Steelmantown Cemetery, Steelmantown, NJ
- Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ