A final resting place is a deeply personal decision. It’s the place where you’ll spend forever.
But how do you know if you’re choosing a grave that’s right for you? These questions can help guide you toward making the best decision for you and your loved ones.
What to Consider When Choosing a Grave
Have you decided on an in-ground burial?
When we refer to graves, we typically mean “burial plots,” which are the most common type of in-ground burials. However, it’s essential to understand that if you want to be buried in a cemetery, you have more options than you might know.
In addition to in-ground burials, there are also above-ground burials. You can choose to be buried in a mausoleum, a beautiful building inside cemeteries, providing your loved ones with a warm shelter when they come to visit and added protection for you from the elements.
Would you like to be buried with someone?
If you were to choose a burial plot, you can decide to be buried alone or with the people you love. While single plots for just one person are the most common type of burial plots in cemeteries, there are also companion plots, which come in multiple forms and allow you to be buried with someone you love.
Some cemeteries also have plots that are designed for whole families. If you decide on a mausoleum burial, you can also choose whether or not to be buried on your own or with the people you love.
Would you like to be cremated before you’re buried?
Being buried in a cemetery doesn’t preclude you from being cremated. After cremation, urns with cremated remains can be housed in a niche in a columbariums, which are similar to mausoleums in that they’re above-ground. Many cemeteries also allow urns to be buried in the ground, either in their own burial plots or a plot shared with a loved one.
What type of gravestone would you like?
Once you decide on a grave, you may also want to choose a grave marker. There are many different types of ways to memorialize someone in a cemetery, including upright headstones, vertical monuments that sit on the head of a burial plot; and flush grave markers, a gravestone that’s placed horizontally and is flush with the ground.
Where Should You Start?
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a grave, and it can be challenging to know what type of grave is right for you. Before you decide on a grave, meet with one of our professional Family Service Advisors at the cemetery you’d like to be buried to discuss all your options. They are there to offer support and guidance to ensure you have all the information you need to decide on a final resting place that’s perfect for you and provides comfort to your loved ones when they come to visit.