When we think about being buried in a cemetery, we often picture what we refer to as a grave, usually marked by a type of headstone or a flush marker that tells the story of our loved one laid to rest there. When you decide on burial as your final disposition, you have numerous choices for where to have your final resting place. There are burial options for both above- and below-ground burials.
Above- and Below-Ground Burial Options in Cemeteries
Burial plot
When we think of in-ground burials, we typically think of a burial plot. Burial plots are often referred to as graves, and they are dug into the ground where loved ones are laid to rest. The most common type of burial plots are single plots, where one person is buried there in a casket. However, there are also other options when you choose a burial plot.
If you’d like to be laid to rest with someone you love, you might choose a double depth grave, a common choice for married couples. A double depth grave is one singular plot in which two caskets can be buried on top of each other.
Burial plots are also available for entire families, these sections are called Family Estates. These are graves grouped in 2 or 4 separated by bushes, usually with a family bench. We strive to keep loved ones together by allowing for cremated remains, encased in urns, to be buried in burial plots on top of the caskets of the people they loved in life.
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an above-ground structure where people are laid to rest. These buildings contain spaces called crypts, where people are buried in caskets, within a liner. There are two primary types of mausoleums. Community or public mausoleums contain the remains of unrelated people in the community, whereas private or family mausoleums are dedicated to being the resting place for entire families or even just one individual.
Columbarium
Columbariums, like mausoleums, are above-ground structures in a cemetery, but they function slightly differently. Instead of crypts where people are laid to rest in caskets, columbariums have niches where someone’s cremated remains are held in an urn. Like mausoleums, there can be both community or public columbariums, as well as family or private columbariums.