When a loved one passes, it’s never easy. You may be dealing with complex emotions and thinking about the best way to honor them and how to pay for a funeral. Today, more people are choosing cremation and exploring modern and eco-friendly options for traditional funerals.
How you honor your loved one is a highly personal decision, so we’ll explain what is generally included in each option, along with cost estimates for the different types of funeral services in Las Vegas, NV.
Traditional Funerals
When you think about funeral services in Las Vegas, you probably think first about a traditional funeral. These services typically involve a formal ceremony, embalming, viewing, and burial, often with a casket and a full-service funeral home.
Traditional funerals are the most expensive option but offer the opportunity for a formal, community-focused service.
Typically included are:
- Full Embalming: Required for a public viewing.
- Casket: Typically, a large casket for burial.
- Funeral Ceremony: Held at a funeral home, church, or other location.
- Burial Plot: Includes the purchase of a cemetery plot and headstone.
- Transportation: Hearse, limousines, and transportation for the family.
- Service Coordination: Funeral director’s services, including paperwork, permits, and other logistics.
Green Funerals
Green funerals are becoming more popular. These represent an eco-friendly way to reduce the environmental impact of a burial. In Las Vegas, green funeral options offer natural burial methods, biodegradable caskets, and simpler services with minimal carbon footprints.
Green funerals generally include:
- Natural Burial: No embalming or chemical preservatives, and the body is buried in a biodegradable casket or shroud.
- Green Burial Plot: A designated eco-friendly cemetery, often without headstones or concrete vaults.
- Biodegradable Casket or Shroud: Made from natural materials like wicker, bamboo, or cotton, designed to decompose.
- Simplified Service: Typically, smaller memorials held at homes or local venues with less emphasis on ornate, costly displays.
- No Preservatives: The body is not embalmed, making it a more environmentally conscious choice.
Modern Funerals
Modern funerals offer flexibility and simplicity, focusing on creating personalized memorial services that are often more affordable than traditional funerals. This provides an alternative and allows you to tailor your memorial to fit your budget and remember the loved ones in a special way.
Modern funerals typically include:
- Direct Cremation: The body is cremated shortly after death, typically without viewing or a ceremony at a funeral home.
- Memorial Service: The family may hold a memorial service at a later time, often at a lower-cost venue like a community hall or even online.
- Online Memorials: Virtual services and memorial websites allow family and friends to participate remotely.
- Customizable Options: More flexibility in terms of timing, location, and ceremony style.
Comparing Traditional, Green, and Modern Funeral Services in Las Vegas.
Here is a breakdown of what is included in each and the typical costs.
| SERVICE TYPE | TRADITIONAL | GREEN | MODERN |
| EMBALMING | Required for viewing | No | No, if cremation chosen |
| CASKET | $2,000 – $5,000+ | $100 – $1,200 | No |
| BURIAL PLOT | $2,000 – $3,000+ | $500 – $2,000 | No, if cremation chosen |
| FUNERAL CEREMONY | $3,000 – $5,000 | $500 – $1,500 | $0 – $1,500 |
| TRANSPORTATION | $300 – $1,000 | Minimal | No |
| CREMATION | Optional | Not an option | $800 – $2,000 |
| AVERAGE COST | $7,000 to $12,000+ | $2,000 – $5,000 | $800 – $3,500 |
A No-Cost Option for Cremation
For families looking to reduce costs and provide a lasting legacy for their loved ones, they may want to consider donating a body to science.
Body donations help medical researchers and scientists develop new drug therapies, explore new treatments, and test medical devices. Medical students get hands-on experience with human anatomy while surgeons can practice cutting-edge techniques. Past body donations have led to significant breakthroughs in the treatment of various types of cancers, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, heart disease, and more.
When you donate a body to science with United Tissue Network, UTN pays 100% of the cost associated with transportation of the deceased, placement with a reputable research or medical facility, and cremation once the research is concluded. If requested, UTN will also ensure family members can get the cremated remains returned to them.
Families can choose to hold memorial ceremonies or funeral services in Las Vegas, NV. Many choose to hold a gathering at their home at the time of passing and a second, more intimate ceremony to scatter the remains in a place meaningful to the departed.
If you are interested in learning more about donating a body to science in Las Vegas, contact one of the caring donor specialists at United Tissue Network at (877) 738-6111. UTN is a 501(3) nonprofit organization and is accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB).
