Funeral Guide What Is a Direct Burial?

No matter what the circumstances, funerals will always be tough to plan and carry out. Whether you’re pre-planning your own funeral in advance, or making arrangements for a loved one, you need all the information you can get.

 

One thing to think about when planning funerals is direct burial. The main reason that you’d want to consider direct burial is that it can considerably reduce your funeral costs. The average funeral plus burial costs is well over $6,000 to $7,000… which may not be the way your departed loved one would want you to spend your hard earned money (or indeed your own). 

 

So what is involved in a direct burial? Not much…. hence the savings. In a direct burial, the deceased is taken to the cemetery in a simple burial box made of plain light wood. There will be no ornate casket or wooden coffin. Directly burying the body eliminates the need for elaborate funeral rites or embalming services. It also eliminates visitations costs.

 

When planning funerals, it’s important to look at all the costs involved. Even with a direct burial, you’ll probably pay about $500 for the plot and another $400 or so for the actual burial service. You’ll also have to pay the funeral home to prepare the deceased for burial and transportation to the cemetery, which will cost $200-$300 more on average. But with instant savings of around $5000 with this one simple step, it might be something you want to consider in future.

 

Instead of funerals, many families who go with direct burial have graveside memorial services after the body has been buried. There is no open casket, but these funerals can still be just as moving and cathartic for friends and family members. Sometimes a nice picture of your loved one alive is a better memory-maker than an embalmed body, which many people (particularly children) may find disturbing or upsetting to see.

If you aren’t prepared to spend several thousand dollars on your funeral or the funerals of your loved ones, you can save a great deal of money with a direct burial. These types of funerals are becoming more common as people seek to bury loved ones with dignity without paying a fortune to do it.

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