Archive for the ‘After Death’ Category

Whether you are pre-planning a funeral or making decisions for a loved one who recently passed away, one of the items you’ll come across on your funeral planning checklist is a burial vault or grave liner. These items are typically offered by the cemetery (as opposed to the funeral home), and help to ensure that your loved one’s remains are protected against early decay and to keep the cemetery grounds level and well-kept.

What Does a Burial Vault Do?

Also known as a “ burial container,” burial vaults are large box-like structures that hold the casket underground. They can be made of everything from steel or copper to concrete, and are designed to keep moisture and flooding out of the casket for as long as possible through a strong airtight seal. This not only slows down the decay process, but also to increase the overall aesthetics of the cemetery. That’s because many cemeteries find that caskets buried directly in the ground tend to show “ sinkage” over time, as the dirt around the casket becomes flooded and weighted down.

Burial liners are very similar to burial vaults, but instead of encasing the entire casket, they cover only the top and sides and don’t have a hermetic seal.

Burial vaults add a touch of elegance to burial arrangements, as a coffin dropped into a vault is often a very touching and beautiful sight that accompanies the graveside ceremonies. These vaults also allow you to further personalize the funeral, since you can choose materials and designs based on your loved one’s wishes.
(more…)

The average cost of a funeral in the United States is an estimated $7,500, not including costs associated with the cemetery and the actual burial or disposal of the remains. While this number seems high to anyone seeing it for the first time, funeral costs have been on a steady incline for decades, raising at a higher rate than the economy, but a much lower rate than the average cost of a wedding (which sits at an overwhelming $28,000).

And just like weddings, the actual amount you will pay depends on what type of ceremony and burial arrangements you choose. Things like advance funeral planning and funeral insurance can also help defray costs, especially if you’ve had years in which to begin the planning process.

If you’re facing funeral planning, and you’d like to know where the money goes, you might want to consider all the steps involved:
(more…)