Arranging a cremation

Following the death of a loved one, most people ask a funeral director to arrange the funeral. Local funeral directors will be able to advise you on the services offered at Aberdeen Crematorium.

We offer:

Cremation with a chapel service (includes use of chapel, use of organ and music facilities).
Cremation without a chapel service.

View images of Aberdeen Crematorium or watch a video.

You can choose to make your own arrangements for your loved one’s funeral. Please contact us for help with this or see the Arranging a funeral page on mygov.scot for more information.

Chapel services

There are two chapels available at Aberdeen Crematorium:

East Chapel has seating for 96 people.
West Chapel has seating for 270 people.

The standard time for a service is 25 minutes, although you can book extra time if required.

In the East Chapel we there is 60 minutes between service times and in the West Chapel, there is 90 minutes between service times. This is to allow mourners enough time to enter and leave the chapels before and after the service. Before a service, mourners will usually gather in the waiting area or close to the entrance of the chapel.

You can choose for the coffin to enter the crematorium though the front entrance or via a private entrance at the side of the building.

If the coffin enters through the front entrance, it can be brought in by the funeral director or by family bearers. The coffin will be placed on the catafalque and mourners will be asked to take their seats, then the service will begin. If the coffin is brought in through the private entrance, it will be placed on the catafalque before mourners enter the chapel.

When the committal of the body takes place, the lights around the catafalque may be dimmed. If you would prefer the coffin to be covered at this point, please let us know.

At the end of the service, mourners will leave the chapel and can take time to look at any floral tributes if they wish.

After the service, the coffin is removed from the catafalque and taken away for cremation. You can make a request via your funeral director to be present when this happens.

Music and visual tributes

You can choose to personalise the service with music and/or visual tributes (photograph, slideshow or video) which can be displayed on two large screens in the chapels. There is an additional charge for displaying visual tributes, please download the document below and see the Burial, cremation and memorial charges page for more information.

Guidance Notes for Supplementary Forms77.31 KB

Floral tributes

During a funeral service family floral tributes will be displayed, as far as possible, on top of the coffin. If there are a large number of tributes we may have to leave some in the floral display areas at the rear of the chapels.

After the service, we will put floral tributes in the display area, where they’ll stay for at least 5 days. After this, we will dispose of them unless you have told us otherwise. These floral tributes can be placed where the ashes or cremated remains have been scattered, however we will remove them once they become withered.

We can’t take responsibility for floral tributes left at the crematorium following a funeral service or placed in the Garden of Remembrance.

Ashes

After cremation the remains are placed in a suitable container ready for scattering or collection.

Ashes may be scattered in the Garden of Remembrance at Aberdeen Crematorium or in the Garden of Remembrance by the Hall of Remembrance on Kaimhill Road. This can be done by crematorium staff, with or without family present, or by the family.

If you and other relatives would like to be present when ashes are scattered, please phone the Crematorium Office on 01224 070122 to arrange a suitable time.

If no family are attending, ashes will be scattered with all due reverence approximately 7 days after the cremation.

Ashes can be collected from the Crematorium Office from 24 hours after the cremation takes place. You will need to provide identification when you are collecting ashes.

You may take ashes away to scatter elsewhere (remember to consult the owner of the land). Ashes may also be interred in a grave at a cemetery. For more information about purchasing a grave, see the Cemeteries and burial grounds web page or contact us.