Part of your funeral pre-planning process is to select the casket in which you wish to be interred. This takes the burden from your family of choosing and paying for the right casket for you. There are a number of ways to buy a casket and a variety of models and options from which to choose. Here are some of the options you have when you get to this part of your funeral planning.
Where to Buy Your Casket
You can now purchase a casket from a number or retailers. Casket showrooms, warehouse retailers, and even online companies will sell you a casket. In those cases you must know a lot about caskets yourself and hope you're getting what you expect. You'll also need to physically store the casket somewhere until needed.
A funeral home that sells caskets is a source of expertise and can direct you to models that best fit your needs. If you include the purchase of a casket in your pre-planning, it won't actually be bought until needed. If working with a funeral home that doesn't have their own showroom, the director will still work with you to find the best casket for your plan.
Casket Options
You have several choices of materials for your casket:
Wood - This is the traditional casket style. They can be made from a number of types of hardwoods including maple, elm, ash and cottonwood. The design can range from simple to elaborately-carved containers polished to a high gloss.
Metal - Copper, bronze and stainless steel are the popular metals used for metal casket construction. You can specify the thickness of the metal and the particular style, again from simple to elaborate.
Fiberglass - This is a light yet strong casket material that can be made to look like metal, wood or marble.
"Green" Caskets - Caskets can now be found that are made of sustainable materials such as bamboo, willow and seagrass. These are woven into basket-like casket shapes. Biodegradable paper is another material being used to make eco-friendly caskets.
Casket Fittings
Also called "casket furniture," this is all of the handles, plaques and decorations applied to the casket. These can range from simple decorations and trim to heavy hand holds used to move the casket. The interior materials of a casket are also part of the fittings and come in a variety of cloth materials, textures and colors. Some people purchase an ornamental cloth used to shroud the casket during the church and graveside services.
Casket "Extras"
You can purchase a casket with different levels of waterproofing. Some have little protection from water while others seal tightly to prevent any water from entering the casket. Note that this does not affect the contents of the casket, but a tighter seal will prevent the casket from rusting or breaking down sooner.
Burial Vault
Not all states require you to purchase a burial vault, but the cemetery where you'll be interred may require it. This is a concrete, metal or plastic container which is lowered into the ground prior to the casket. Once the casket is in place in the vault, a lid is lowered and attached. The purpose of the vault is to prevent settling of the casket into the ground with subsequent collapse of the earth above it into the void. This reduces the cemetery maintenance of your plot. If you are required to have a vault, include in your planning a vault that supports your choice of casket.
For more information, contact Hempstead Funeral Home or a similar location.
Share24 March 2015
When my father passed away a year ago, my mother didn't have any problems with the funeral or burial. My father planned his funeral in advance. He didn't want to burden my mom with any problems during her time of grieving. That hit me. I realized that I didn't have any plans for my own future, which would make it even harder on my wife and kids. So, I contacted a funeral home online and requested information about burial services. The funeral home provided me with many options that I could afford to pay over time or upfront. My wife also helped select burial plots for us because we didn't want to be separated — even after death. I encourage you to read through my blog. It offers great tips and advice on how to plan for your own future. Don't wait. You never know what life holds for you.