Cremations

Most popular funerals

Cremations are now the most popular form of funeral. Most people will want a ceremony at the crematorium – using their onsite chapel – but you can also hold the service in a church or other venue of your choice prior to the cremation. 

It is entirely up to you if you want the service to be religious or non-religious. A religious service will be conducted by an ordained minister or clergy from a specific faith or religion whereas a non-religious ceremony can have a civil celebrant or officiant from the humanist society or even a family member or a friend. Doves Funeral Directors can help make arrangements for whichever type of service you would like.

 

 

What happens at a cremation service?

On the day of the funeral the cortege will travel to the crematorium. Depending on your preference, mourners may assemble outside awaiting the arrival of the hearse, or may take a seat in the chapel before the coffin is brought in either by pall bearers, selected family and friends or a mixture of both. Alternatively, the coffin can be taken to the venue prior to the mourners arriving.

A cremation funeral service varies but usually lasts between 30 to 45 minutes. Dependant on your local crematorium, you can request extra time for your service. The service can include a number of hymns or non-religious songs that mean something to you and the deceased, eulogies, readings and prayers. Mourners will be invited to go up to place flowers or say their individual goodbyes. At the end of the service the coffin is usually obscured from view with a curtain, this is called the committal, so that mourners can pay their final respects before the cremation.

Most crematoriums are able to return a loved one’s ashes one working day after the cremation, and sometimes even the same day. We can collect these for you and keep them or deliver them to an address of your choosing. At this stage you can think about what you would like to do with the ashes, some inspirational ideas you might like to consider are available here.

Doves Funeral Directors can assist you in every step of the funeral and cremation arrangements so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.

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Ashes, Caskets, Urns and KeepsakesCoffin Range

We have a wide range of urns and caskets for this purpose in a variety of styles and materials such as wood, marble and stone.

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Our pricing

Funeral prices vary depending on the type of ceremony you would like for your loved one. There are many options to choose from to make it unique and special.

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Planning ahead?

It is now really easy to plan ahead, making a huge difference by easing the burden on your family when the time comes, so they can focus on the arrangements.

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Need advice?

Doves Funeral Directors can assist you in every step of the funeral so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.

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Latest Reviews

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Great service from start to finish. Rose is very caring. Bill was patient and kind. Celebrant Sacha was perfect and went above and beyond to tell Wayne's story. Excellent so glad Wayne chose this Funeral Directors.…

Sam Noronha

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Doves funeral went above and beyond and done a fantastic service for my mum . Jennie from the larkfield branch was of great help in putting everything together for us and making mums day memorable The white horses and carriage was amazing Thank you to…

Jason Pratt

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So glad we acted upon the recommendation to use Doves to organise our Mums funeral. At such a distressing time they provided an effortless, efficient and professional service. A big thank you to Rose for her compassion, advice and kindness throughout the whole process, and…

Wayne Masters

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Doves at Maidstone have been so very supportive throughout the funeral organisation, for our Mum, Dorothy Doreen. Mum was our world and Doves made the process so very special. Jackie in the office and Chris, the funeral director guided us through a very emotional time.…

Ann Gibb

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A massive thank you to Karen at Doves in Orpington. At a time that no one expects to happen, Karen was there from day one. The whole process was made easier knowing she was there when needed. From beginning to the very end Karen made…

Ian Boorman

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Jackie in the Maidstone branch went above and beyond to accommodate our requests for a truly personalised funeral. From the beginning, Jackie welcomed us with kindness and compassion, explaining and advising on every step of the process so we could organise a memorable day for…

Gina Hopkins

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Thank you to Rose at Doves, for supporting us through a very difficult time in providing a wonderful send off for our Mum.

Victoria W

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During such a difficult time for our family, your team provided not only professional service but also genuine compassion and care. Every detail was handled with sensitivity and respect, which brought us great comfort. We were especially grateful for Jackie Barlow, who was incredibly supportive…

Maria Skinner

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Karen was very friendly and made us feel at ease with excellent information and suggestions, Bill and his team were very professional and waited after the funeral patiently. The coffin we chose was presented lovely and the Pastor Jill Hardy pretend a lovely service. Doves…

William Johns

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Thank you to Doves and Rose our funeral arranger and Doves staff at the Crematorium on the day of my mother's funeral . I would also like to thank Rose , in particular, for her support up to the day assisting me through the process…

Roger weale

Thinking about a Funeral Plan?

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