Burial

Traditional Funeral Services

Complete Funeral Service

Traditionally, burial and full funeral services include the deceased being embalmed. Embalming is the process of temporarily preserving a body for a public or private viewing in a casket. Following the viewing, some form of service, religious or otherwise, in honor of the deceased takes place. This typically occurs in a religious facility, the funeral home, or a combination of both. The final aspect of the traditional funeral service is the ceremony of in ground burial or above ground entombment of the casketed remains. Entombment refers to a burial structure, such as a crypt or mausoleum. These three elements of a traditional service may take place all on the same day, or over the course of several days, depending on the availability of the locations the events of the service are taking place and the needs of the family planning the service. The cost of a casket can vary from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on the type of material used to construct the casket. Caskets can be categorized into two basic material types—metal and wood. Some metal materials used include Bronze, Copper, Stainless Steel, and Steel, and include the option available to be locked and sealed or left unsealed. In addition, caskets may be crafted out of wood materials including Mahogany, Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Pine, and Poplar. Wooden caskets lock but don’t seal.

Most cemeteries require that an outer burial container be used to house the casket when in ground burial is preferred. The most cost-effective option being a minimum grave liner. The grave liner which doesn’t seal, is constructed of basic concrete, and is designed to support the weight of the earth, maintaining the cemetery property. A sealed burial vault may be used as well. A sealed burial vault is also constructed of concrete but is steel reinforced and sealed with an industrial sealer. They are also designed to not only protect the gravesite but can be manufactured with inner plastic and metal liners that not only restrict the entrance of graveside elements (water and earth) but increase the strength of the vault.

Graveside Service

A graveside service is a funeral service held at the gravesite at a cemetery. A graveside service can follow a traditional funeral or can be a stand-alone event. It’s a type of service that can be held for either burial or interment of cremated remains.

Immediate Burial

An Immediate burial has no service or ceremony at the funeral home or religious institution. The deceased is casketed, with embalming being optional, and taken to the cemetery where the burial would take place. A graveside ceremony is also an option with an immediate burial.