A natural funeral in Southern California means no embalming, no concrete vault, and a biodegradable casket or shroud, so the body returns to the earth the way it was meant to. Farrington Mortuary & Cremation is a family-owned funeral home founded by Lindsay Farrington, serving Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties with transparent pricing and arrangements you can start online in about five minutes. This article explains the five reasons local families keep choosing natural funerals, and what that choice looks like in practice.
The shift is real. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), as reported by Axios in February 2026, 71.5% of Californians who died in 2025 were cremated and 27.2% were buried; in 2020 the figures were 65.2% and 32.2%. Families are no longer defaulting to the traditional package. They are asking what else is possible, and natural burial is one of the most common answers.
1. The Cost Is Clearer and Often Lower
A traditional burial usually bundles a steel or hardwood casket, embalming, a concrete or steel vault, and a long list of add-ons. A natural funeral removes several of the largest line items by design.
At Farrington, natural burial packages start at $2,640. That price includes the funeral director's basic services, transportation to the burial site, a biodegradable casket or shroud, and coordination with the natural burial cemetery you choose. The cemetery bills its own charges separately, such as the plot, the opening and closing of the grave, and a marker where one is allowed.
The point is not that natural funerals are always the cheapest option. Direct cremation is lower. The point is that you can see what you are paying for. You can compare the full package details on our funeral packages and pricing page before you ever speak to anyone.
2. It Is Gentler on the Land
Conventional burial places a sealed casket inside a vault, often after the body has been embalmed with chemical preservatives. A natural burial skips all of that. There is no embalming fluid, no concrete liner, and no metal hardware to leave behind.
Southern California has a growing number of cemeteries that welcome this approach. Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica offers a natural burial area called Eternal Meadow, and Joshua Tree Memorial Park and Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery in San Diego County also accommodate natural burials. Many families like that the grave becomes part of a protected, living landscape instead of a manicured lawn.
Interest in this idea is not new. The NFDA's 2017 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey found that 53.8% of respondents were interested in exploring green funeral services.
3. The Ceremony Feels Personal, Not Scripted
Many people describe a traditional funeral as a schedule: viewing, chapel service, procession, graveside. A natural funeral gives you more room to shape the day around the person who died.
Families often choose a simple graveside gathering, a short reading, music played from a phone, or a quiet moment of everyone placing flowers or soil by hand. Because there is no embalming, timing matters, so a good funeral director helps you plan the service within a few days rather than a few weeks. That tighter window tends to keep the focus on remembering, not on logistics.
A pattern we see often: a family arrives expecting to choose from a catalog of caskets and is relieved to learn the decisions are fewer and calmer. They pick a shroud or a simple wooden casket, choose the cemetery, and spend their energy on who will speak.
4. It Fits Faith and Family Traditions
For many families, a natural funeral is not a trend. It is how their tradition has always done it. Jewish burial customs, for example, emphasize a simple shroud, prompt burial, and direct contact with the earth. Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles has a natural burial section called Gan Eden.
Other families come to natural burial through their values rather than a specific faith. They want a farewell that is modest, respectful, and honest. If your family follows Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or military traditions, Farrington also arranges services that honor those customs, and you can see the options on our natural burial page and related service pages.
5. Arrangements Are Simpler and Fully Transparent
Planning a funeral is hard enough without hidden fees or pressure. The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give you an itemized General Price List and to quote prices over the phone, and a trustworthy provider welcomes that scrutiny.
Farrington publishes its pricing and lets families begin arrangements online, then speaks with them by phone around the clock at (800) 674-3659. Because the service is built around fewer products, there are fewer decisions to second-guess. If you would rather decide ahead of time, our pre-arrangement options let you record your wishes and spare your family the guesswork later.
What a Natural Funeral Looks Like, Step by Step
Many families worry that a natural funeral is harder to arrange. In practice it is usually more straightforward, because there are fewer products to select and fewer appointments to schedule.
1. The First Call
You call (800) 674-3659 or start online. A funeral director takes care of bringing your loved one into care and explains the next steps in plain language. You do not need to have decisions made before you call.
2. Paperwork and Permits
The funeral home helps complete the death certificate and the burial permit required in California. This is routine for a licensed director, and it is one of the main reasons families work with a funeral home rather than handling everything alone.
3. Choosing the Shroud or Casket and the Cemetery
You choose a biodegradable shroud or casket and a natural burial cemetery that suits your family's location and wishes. The director coordinates with the cemetery on dates, grave preparation, and what the cemetery permits at the graveside.
4. The Service and Burial
The gathering is held at the cemetery or another place that matters to your family. Because there is no vault, the burial itself is often quieter and more hands-on, with family members sometimes helping to lower the casket or place the first soil where the cemetery allows it.
5. Remembering Afterward
Some natural burial cemeteries use native plantings or a simple flat marker instead of a headstone. Ask the cemetery what is allowed so your family knows where to visit and what to expect.
How to Tell If a Natural Funeral Is Right for You
You want a lower-impact burial with no embalming, no vault, and a biodegradable casket or shroud.
You prefer a simple graveside service over a long, formal one.
You are comfortable with a shorter timeline between death and burial.
You live in, or want burial in, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, or San Diego counties, where natural burial cemeteries are within reach.
You value knowing the full price before you commit.
If most of these describe you, a natural funeral is worth a conversation. If you are unsure, ask about cremation, burial at sea, or water cremation too. A good provider will explain every option without steering you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a natural funeral?
A natural funeral is a burial that avoids embalming chemicals, concrete vaults, and non-biodegradable materials. The body is placed in a shroud or biodegradable casket and buried in a cemetery that allows natural burial, so it can return to the soil.
Are natural funerals legal in California?
Yes. Natural burial is legal in California, and several Southern California cemeteries offer dedicated natural burial sections. California law also does not generally require embalming, and the FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to tell you so.
How much does a natural funeral cost in Southern California?
At Farrington, natural burial packages start at $2,640 for services, transportation, a biodegradable casket or shroud, and cemetery coordination. The cemetery charges separately for the plot, grave opening and closing, and any marker.
Can we still have a viewing or service?
Yes. Without embalming, families usually plan a service within a few days and may use refrigeration or a closed-casket gathering. Your funeral director can walk you through the timing and what is possible.
Is a natural funeral the same as a green funeral?
The terms overlap. A green funeral can include any environmentally conscious choice, such as cremation alternatives. A natural funeral specifically means burial without embalming or a vault, in a cemetery that supports it.
Key Takeaways
Southern Californians choose natural funerals because they cost less than a conventional burial package, avoid embalming chemicals and concrete vaults, allow a more personal ceremony, align with many faith and family traditions, and come with clear pricing. Farrington Mortuary & Cremation offers natural burial packages starting at $2,640 across Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, with cemetery costs billed separately.
Plan a Farewell That Feels Like Them
The best funerals are the ones that sound like the person they honor. If a natural funeral sounds right for your family, call Farrington Mortuary & Cremation at (800) 674-3659 any time, day or night, or learn more about how Farrington works before you decide.