With more families choosing cremation, your funeral home needs to cater to their needs.

Not convinced? NFDA’s 2018 Cremation and Burial Report says it all. The report predicts the 2018 national cremation rate will be 53.5% — and about 80% by 2035.

Cremation clearly isn’t just a fad. So how can your funeral home find ways to create personalized funeral experiences when families choose cremation?

One way to create a more personalized experience is to create an ash scattering garden. You can even partner up with a local cemetery on the project. Not only does it make a beautiful addition to your community, it has many other benefits as well.

Giving Families a Place to Visit

An ash scattering garden gives families a dedicated place to honor their loved one. They can enjoy the beauty of nature while they visit their loved one. It’s a great place for families to gather for a picnic.

You can choose to create a system for scattering the ashes or you can bury them in the garden. Either way, families have a place to gather together to honor their loved one. If you do choose to bury the ashes, you can label them with personalized memorial stones. The family could even decorate the memorial stone themselves.

Along with memorial stones, some other garden décor that you can include are statues, benches, picnic tables, fountains, wind chimes, and birdhouses. These elements can help bring together all the trees, flowers, and plants as a beautiful memorial garden.

Avoiding Worry About Accidental Illegal Ash Scattering

Having a dedicated spot for ashes also eliminates a family’s worry of accidentally scattering them illegally. This way, they can focus on grieving and honoring their loved one.

As you know, it’s not as legal as families may think to scatter ashes wherever they wish. Depending on the location, they need to obtain permission, a permit, or it might not be allowed at all.

Providing a Comforting Place to Grieve

Being in nature is a comforting place to reflect and grieve. Studies have found that nature helps improve our overall mood and stress level. Fresh air helps regulate levels of serotonin in the brain that helps stabilize our happiness and mood. This makes the memorial garden the perfect place to walk through or sit to think about your loved one.

Helping Your Funeral Home Gain Community Awareness

Teaming up to create a community garden also brings more awareness to your funeral home. Families will tell their loved ones about the garden, they’ll tell more loved ones, and so on. This way, you’re reaching more families who may not have otherwise known about your funeral home.

The garden is a unique feature that will draw more people to your funeral home — especially those who are considering cremation. It gives their family a personalized way to honor and remember their loved one for generations to come.

Does your funeral home have an ash scattering garden? Share your thoughts in the comments!