Funeral Homes Winnipeg

The cost of cremation or burial can be high in Winnipeg. But I’m here to tell you that the amount of money you spend on final arrangements is not a reflection of how much you loved someone. 

This doesn’t mean that I don’t think funeral rituals and memorial services are important. Even families that are opting for a direct cremation should consider having some type of event to mark their loved ones death. 

Here are some reasons why:

1. Memorials validate and legitimize the griever’s feelings of loss and help facilitate social acceptance and support for their emotional reaction to the death. 

2. Memorials provide an environment where people generally feel safer to express their emotions in a social setting. 

3. Memorials rekindle memories of the deceased; Stories are told and memories are shared, causing mourners to revisit their involvement with them.

I bet you just think I told you one thing and then another. I promise you that this is going somewhere. 

What exactly is a memorial service?

This is where it gets interesting. For so long we have been dictated to, conditioned to believe that a funeral or memorial service looks like this: 

A casket or urn sits at the front of solemn mourners arranged on pews or chairs in the dimly lit chapel. The family enters, followed by the clergy. After the service, guests may be invited for coffee served with cocktail sandwiches and dainties.  

Is that you? If you’re anything like me, you found yourself excited about the prospect of cocktails, but disappointed by the reality of sandwiches. Why do we do this? Probably because we think it’s the thing to do. Maybe we haven’t been given permission enough to take back control over how we honor our dead. Well I’m giving you just that; the funeral green light.

It is okay not to have a formal service in a chapel
It is okay not to have fancy sandwiches (but also ok to have them – I know there are lots of you that love them)
It is okay not to spend an exuberant amount on a casket or urn.

Well what does that leave me to do, if I’m not doing all of those things? Is what you must be wondering. I have good news for you:

A picnic in the park can be a memorial service
A toast in their honor with their favorite whiskey can be a memorial service
A group of friends spending the day on the lake fishing can be a memorial service

Let’s use the last one, with the friends out fishing and remembering their friend as an example; Does it check all three boxes?

• Memorials validate and legitimize the griever’s feelings of loss and help facilitate social acceptance and support for their emotional reaction to the death.
• Memorials provide an environment where people generally feel safer to express their emotions in a social setting. 
• Memorials rekindle memories of the deceased; Stories are told and memories are shared, causing mourners to revisit their involvement with them.

Yes it does! 

Spending more doesn’t mean you loved them more. It is okay to not have a lavish and expensive funeral. You have the right to say goodbye in whatever way is right for you. It’s not a case of what the estate or yourself can afford. Instead of the funeral, consider investing in creating a lasting legacy for your loved one, such as helping the grandkids with college or making a donation in their honour.

It is okay to do things your way. While we are a licensed Winnipeg funeral home under the Manitoba Funeral Board, Alterna Cremation is not what most people would consider a funeral home in the traditional sense. We don’t have a large funeral home with a chapel and a fleet of cars. That’s how we’re able to stay so affordable. 

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