Welcome to West Columbia

West Columbia, SC

When John McAlister founded McAlister Funeral Home in 1886, he and his family believed in providing personal and caring services before, during, and after a funeral, placing a particular emphasis on the importance of family. You can trust us to guide you through the arrangements necessary and ensure that your family has a proper, respectful, and meaningful ceremony celebrating the life of your loved one who has passed.

When a loved one passes on in our community, families sometimes find themselves uncertain about what to do next. They may be overcome with emotion and intense grief that paralyzes their ability to act. In these situations, outside support can be invaluable. A professional funeral home and cremation service in West Columbia, SC can be a compassionate and supportive guide to the family. They can ease the burden of aftercare by handling much of the behind the scenes planning and coordination that a funeral or memorial may require.

If you’re searching for professional funeral services and cremation care, how do you know who you can rely on? Every care provider will have their unique strengths, experience, and qualifications. How can you know who will best serve your family in your hour of need? There are a handful of things you can review when you need to hire a funeral home for support. Look into the following items to help you decide which firm will be ideal for you and your family.

Services: What a firm can offer its clients is specific to their expertise and know-how. Most firms are able to provide all general industry services, such as traditional funerals, embalming services, care of remains, event coordination, décor, etc. Some firms are also able to provide cremations at their facility. Others need to outsource this care to other providers. A select few firms will also handle pet cremation and attendant support. If you need a highly personalized funeral service for special tributes such as special Harley-Davidson or horse-drawn carriage amenities, you should inquire whether or not a firm can offer such support.

Pricing: The law requires all funeral care providers to publish their prices for public review. Prices are generally competitive in a given market, but they will vary depending on the firm’s competitive advantage and expertise in providing a given service. You can shop for services among area providers to evaluate pricing for the specific service style you want for your fallen loved one. Just be sure to account for value more than the actual price.

Experience: The experience of a funeral home and cremations provider in West Columbia, SC will differ depending on their years in practice, and the communities they serve. Some funeral home teams will have more experience with the death care practices of certain religious traditions, cultures, and sub-community groups. If you have any unique service priorities or needs that you wish to observe, be sure to inquire whether the funeral home you choose has the experience to conduct the care you want.

Location: If you will be holding a viewing or funeral at the funeral home you hire, be sure to evaluate the location. You want a location that is convenient to the community of local family and friends that will be attending. It’s helpful if the location is also nearby to the primary family contact that will be working with the funeral home team to prepare for services.

Venue: In addition to the location, the building facility itself should be reviewed. Is the building the right ambiance and décor for the type of funeral wanted? Is there enough seating to accommodate the likely attendee headcount? Is there a warming kitchen and dining area for a family luncheon, if needed? Is the venue able to provide live streaming technology to webcast the funeral or memorial to those who cannot attend in person?

Personalized Care: Funerals or memorials that are not personal in nature can cause families and friends to feel disillusioned by the services as if the person they knew and loved in life was forgotten amidst the formality of the ceremony. It’s important this does not happen. You can ask a potential funeral home director what their process is to help a family personalize the service to be held.

Agreeability: When you talk to a funeral director, you are interviewing them for services needed. Do you notice that you get along well? Do they listen to you and your needs? Are they caring and considerate of your family’s wishes? If you don’t find them to be agreeable to your needs, you may want to look elsewhere for the support you need.

Quality Funeral Home and Cremations Planning in West Columbia, SC

Your family and fallen loved one deserve our highest and best support. We promise to give it to you, in the way that you decide is best. Whether you want a traditional funeral with casket burial or an alternative celebration of life, our dedicated team of funeral care professionals will help you see it through. For premier funeral home and cremations care in West Columbia, SC, visit McAlister-Smith Funeral & Cremation , 200 State Street West Columbia, SC 26169. Call anytime to learn more about how we can serve you: (803)999-5015.