How an individual spends eternity is a result of decisions they make on earth. Similarly, the disposition of their earthly remains also involves decisions including everything from where and how they will be buried to how elaborate their burial site will be and a host of other issues.
Funeral home directors said families should consider not only different options but also costs they may not have considered.
“You’re going to have to think about (everything) — from the moment death occurs, to the moment you walk away from the cemetery — what are the costs involved?” said Tracy Bonner of Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory in Anniston.
Several funeral home directors said the average funeral and burial costs between $6-7,000. The addition of a marker or monument at the gravesite can increase expenses anywhere from $800-1,000.
There are also expenses that can increase based on how much someone is willing to spend. Prices can also exceed the average, based on visitation, style of casket, type of monument, etc.
When it comes to funerals, decisions are not limited merely to the type of casket or monument. Cutting costs for funerals can involve anything from renting the casket to purchasing one on the Internet at half the price funeral homes charge.
John Deacy, vice president of Ridout’s Brown Service in Birmingham, said the cost of an average funeral and burial includes a service charge for handling the body, casket and vault. Bonner estimates that cost at $6,600, which he said includes services, a nice casket, vault and opening and closing of a grave.
Bonner said there are also other costs. Flowers atop a casket are usually provided by the family and cost from $200-400. Additionally, expenses may increase if an individual is buried in new clothing.
While most families prefer what Bonner characterizes as a “traditional burial,” the cost can be reduced by much as much as $2,500. He said “immediate burial” usually carries a price tag of about $3,500.
Bonner quotes a price of $1,880 for pick-up of the corpse, a basic casket and transportation to the cemetery. That figure is rounded out by a basic vault at a minimum of $695 and opening and closing of a grave that can run as much as $1,000.
But Bonner said “immediate burial” also eliminates services that aren’t normally regarded as frivilous, such as visitation and a funeral service. “It’s the basic of the basics.”
Excesses can also cause prices to escalate.
Keith Foshee, manager or Ridout’s Brown Service in Tuscaloosa, said the maximum cost of a casket in his showroom is $9,925, with the average ranging from $2-3,000. Bonner cites a similar price, listing a price of $2,495 for a traditional casket.
Foshee added there are even more expensive caskets that can be found elsewhere.
Caskets can vary in price depending on the material used, as well as how elaborate they are. Personal inscriptions both inside and outside can also increase the price. Finishing touches such as sunsets, sports emblems, state logos, etc., are other extras that carry a higher price tag.
Sam Spry, owner of Spry Funeral Home in Huntsville, said the length of visitation and having a service at a funeral home should be considered in determining costs, since the facility must be rented.
Deacy said the “traditional funeral service” includes embalming, visitation, burial and the service.
“It really depends on what the family wants,” Deacy said. “If they do not want a visitation, then they don’t need a visitation. If they don’t want to have a funeral service, then they don’t necessarily have to have a funeral service.”
Deacy said a funeral is a personal decision based on each family’s needs.
A decision must also be made on having the body embalmed. Bob Nolen, executive vice president of Ridout’s Brown Service in Birmingham, said embalming is only required if the body is shipped out of state.
“It is desired by most people if they have a viewing and visitation and public funeral, but it’s not required,” Nolen said.
Nolen said embalming is preferred because it helps make the body look its best for viewing.
Garland Brock, manager of Ridout’s Brown Service in Trussville, said a vault is required by most cemeteries, the cost of which may be less if purchased in advance.
Another decision that has to be made is whether the body will be buried in the ground or in a mausoleum or crypt.
Spry said some people prefer mausoleums, in which they are entombed in a large aboveground building with others, because they do not like the thought of being buried underground. But he added the individual space in a mausoleum is usually no larger than where an individual would lie underground anyway.
The cost of burial in a private crypt, in which an individual is entombed aboveground alone or with relatives, is greater than for ground burial or in a mausoleum, but the directors said — like other decisions — the final call has to be made by the family.
“The advantages or disadvantage — there’s not one,” Deacy said. “It is basically what that family has in mind. It’s as simple as that.”
Another decision involves tombstones versus ground markers. Deacy said the average monument costs $2,000, but graves with elaborate monuments ranging from crosses and benches to large obelisks can go as high as $20-$30,000.
“Whatever you want to spend,” Deacy said.
He said some cemeteries have nothing but ground markers, which start at around $1,100 and, like other items, increase in cost based on how elaborate they are. He said those cemeteries usually made a decision years ago against allowing monuments.
“You’ll see some cemeteries in Alabama that do not have monuments at all,” Deacy said. “But then you’ll see some that have a mix and some are all monuments.”
Deacy said cemeteries do have regulations on what they will allow.
“There are certain requirements each cemetery has for those monuments,” Deacy said. “They do that for the simple reason of keeping it aesthetically pleasing.”
Safety and consistency throughout the cemetery are other factors he cited behind some regulations.
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