I view making elaborate and costly plans for your surviving loved ones to have to execute while their hearts are gut-wrenchingly turning inside-out as almost border-line cruel.
After we went thru my wife helping her Mom when their Dad (A Vietnam Vet of the Navy) passed away...
I told my wife do whatever is simplest and easiest and causes the least bit of hassle for those I leave behind. Life is hard enough as it is.
I just put down cremation, and throw'em in the Ocean, or pour 'em next to one of our fruit trees.
I get that these plans it's a very personal thing. And also heavily a cultural based thing. But with that cultural thing, one sick thing I also see is how folks also judge other folks based upon how "nice" / "tasteful" / "elaborate" the spread is for receiving the other folks who might come to show respects. And I dunno... something about that just really strikes me as all kindsa wrong.
Now... that having been said... I will say that my Father-in-Law having been given a 21-gun salute by the Navy, and all that todo about folding and retiring and giving to his widow the flag flown in his honor on that day was kinda cool though.