The Difference Between Cemetery and Funeral Arrangements.

It's common for consumers to blur the distinctions between cemetery and funeral
arrangements, so here's a quick explanation.

Cemetery Arrangements: in short, cemeteries support the burial, entombment, or memorialization of the body.

• Ground Burials – making cemetery arrangements for ground burials consist of buying a cemetery space (plot or gravesite) and four related items: casket, memorial (marker or tombstone), vault (enclosure for protecting the casket), and finally, the ground “opening-and-closing” service.
• Mausoleum Entombment – making cemetery arrangements for mausoleum entombment consist of buying a mausoleum “crypt”,a casket, and finally, the opening-and-closing service for the crypt.(Purchasing a memorial and vault is unnecessary with mausoleum entombment.)
• Cremation Memorialization – making cemetery arrangements for cremation memorialization consist of buying an urn (to hold deceased’s cremated remains), a mausoleum or columbarium “niche” or cemetery space (to memorialize the urn), and opening-and-closing service for either the cemetery space or mausoleum or columbarium niche. (Note: crematories, facilities that conduct cremations, may reside on the grounds of a cemetery or funeral home, or as a standalone facility.)

Once again and as detailed above, cemeteries support the burial, entombment, or memorialization of the body.

Learn more – request your FREE, no-obligation cemetery space information kit.

Funeral arrangements: In short, funeral homes support the visitation, funeral ceremony, and burial ceremony.

Making funeral arrangements involve all matters of handling the body of the deceased, from delivery of the body from the hospital to the funeral home, embalming and other services necessary in preserving and preparing the body for both the visitation ("viewing" or "wake") and funeral ceremony, transporting the body from the funeral home to ground burial site, mausoleum burial site, or crematory, and assisting with the actual burial ceremony. Funeral homes may also provide the burial casket and burial vault; however, many consumers may buy these items direct from the cemetery.

In short, funeral homes support the visitation, funeral ceremony, and burial ceremony.