Whether you are opting for burial or cremation services in Ottawa, a traditional funeral service begins with visitation and/or viewing before and possibly on the day of the funeral. Spending this time with your loved one allows you and your family the opportunity for a personal goodbye and starts the closure portion of the grief process.
Depending on your preferences, traditional burial or cremation services in Ottawa can be held at the funeral home, your church or other location of choice; keeping in mind the number of attendees. After the service, the casket will be brought to the crematorium or the cemetery. If desired, a reception is held at the funeral home’s reception facilities, or location of choice.
Choose a formal religious service or gather with family and friends to celebrate the life of your loved one. Ottawa burial services are generally held before the day of the memorial and if cremation service is chosen, the urn may be on display at the service if you wish. You may consider making up a display such as a memory board of photos or memorabilia that represent your loved one’s life and an open mic can also be arranged if you wish guests to share their memories. End the memorial service or gathering with a reception if desired. This type of service can be held at the funeral home, your church or location of choice depending on the expected number of guests.
This can either be a formal religious service or simply a gathering of family and friends. Burial usually precedes the service or gathering. This service is held in the funeral home, church or other location, depending on the family’s preference and taking into account the amount of people expected to attend. If cremation is chosen, the urn can either be present at the service or not at the service, depending on the family’s choice. Memorial boards incorporating family pictures may be displayed along with memorabilia and/or treasured items of the deceased. Family and friends socialize, reminisce and enjoy the pictures and memorabilia present and sometimes there is an open microphone to share stories with everyone. A reception may follow the service or gathering. Interment of the urn usually takes place at a later date. The Same Day Service- Celebration of Life is available at all First Memorial Funeral Services® locations.
Held at a mausoleum or cemetery of choice in the Ottawa area, your priest, minister or speaker of choice will conduct the service. Once the ceremony is over, a reception can be held so family and friends can gather to remember their loved one.
We offer affordable burial services in Ottawa without services or receptions that include having the deceased brought from the place of death to the funeral home, processing and procuring the documentation for death registration and securing the permit for burial, your loved one will be placed in the container of your choosing and transported to the crematorium for the cremation to take place.
With every Ottawa burial service package, loved ones have access to a complimentary 13 month subscription to our Compassion Helpline – a 24-hour service for those who need help navigating their journey through grief.
For more information on affordable burial services in Ottawa, contact us
Buffets help keep the costs down, while still affording attendees the opportunity to share a meal together and continue to process grief, encourage the family, and share memories. You can also incorporate a buffet into the decorating scheme by asking attendees to bring dishes in an ethnic or party theme.
A balloon release allows everyone to participate in the act of “letting go”, and at very little cost. Provide small cards or bits of colorful construction paper with a hole punched in the corner. Allow guests to write a message, such as a treasured memory or a note expressing love or grief, and attach message to the balloon and release them together for a beautiful finish to the memorial service.
If you are planning on scattering cremated remains, think about incorporating the scattering into the service itself. You can hold a memorial service at the location of scattering, or plan the service so that it leads into the scattering at a different location.
Organize a slideshow of photos from all stages of the individual’s life. Be sure to include captions to show what year, or where, photos were taken, as it will help the memorial service attendees to piece together aspects of the person’s life with which they may not be familiar.
Funeral flowers come in all colors, styles, and designs. You can choose a particular flower or color as part of an overall theme. This can include hobbies, organizations and associations, sports, and much more.
Decorate in a way that expresses your loved one’s heritage, favorite sports teams, hobbies, military or charitable service, religion, or other interests. For someone of Irish heritage, think about throwing a traditional Irish Wake. For a hunting enthusiast, cover the walls with camouflage, leaves, and mounted trophies. Use Dallas Cowboys colors or Star Wars decor. Have photos of the inner city kids they mentored, or Habitat for Humanity projects, or volleyball teams they coached.
Dove Releases have become a popular way to end a funeral or life celebration. The release is a symbolic yet tactile way to help family members in the grieving process by a literal act of “letting go.” This adds a poignant sense of hope and beauty to the memorial service.
Chinese lanterns Floating lanterns, have been a traditional part of many culture’s celebrations and holidays for generations. Lighting a candle for the deceased is a common memorial tradition, so it is fitting (and beautiful) to combine these traditions by lighting sky lanterns during or after the memorial service.
A cairn is a man-made pile of rocks, often used as a landmark. If you will be scattering remains, or even just conducting the memorial service in the great outdoors, having those present help in building a cairn in honor of your loved one will allow everyone to contribute during the service, and will also leave a landmark in memory of the departed which can be revisited by all.
In my families time of need First Memorial made the tough part a little easier. I cannot thank Stefanie and her team enough for their dedication and professionalism and desire to go above and beyond.
08/17/2017
The care, compassion, knowledge, and professionalism that they extend to grieving families is second to none, and I would not hesitate to use their services again, or refer their services to others.
08/17/2017
Debbie was truly professional. She had empathy for my special needs suggesting what would be best for my circumstances never being pushy or overhearing friendly, compassionate and very caring. Thank you debbie for making a good experience at this sad time
01/08/2018
From funeral arrangements cremation, our private viewing, urn, all was done by caring and respectfully. The journey was difficult but the burden was lifted by first memorial.
01/09/2018
The compassion and professionalism of the staff was incredible throughout the whole process. Thank you
01/10/2018
Excellent service, very accommodating, welcoming kind very compassionate thank you!
01/10/2018
In this very hard times of loosing a loved one, the respect and compassion. Was outstanding and i appreciated the attention to details.
01/11/2018
The entire team was exceptional
01/02/2019
Professionalism and knowledge- exceptional- ... Very good knowledge/ response on funeral arrangements.
01/02/2019
Thanks to all the staff and especially Mark at First Memorial Funeral services for their stellar service, compassion and help for my family in these hard times. I highly recommend this funeral home. More than reasonable rates, excellent service, they'll go above and beyond your expectations and needs.
01/26/2019
