The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Burial

Whether you're planning a funeral for a loved one or looking ahead to your wishes, burial often comes with more questions than people expect. Some questions about burial are practical, others are based on local customs, several stem from burial myths, and a few are things most of us feel too uncomfortable to ask out loud. Our list of FAQs on burial has clear, compassionate answers so you can feel confident in your choices for yourself or someone you love.

What’s the Difference Between a Cemetery and a Graveyard?  

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a historical distinction:

Graveyards are typically older and located on church grounds. They’re often smaller and were initially intended for the church's parishioners.

Cemeteries are larger, stand-alone burial grounds not attached to a church. They became more common as cities grew and space near churches became limited.

Today, most modern burial grounds are technically cemeteries, but some people still use “graveyard” as a general term. If you’re making arrangements or visiting a loved one’s final resting place, the term may not matter much, but the location and type of care offered can.

What Is a Cemetery Sexton?

A sexton is the person responsible for managing a cemetery. They may maintain burial records, prepare gravesites, schedule services, and oversee maintenance. If you work directly with a cemetery, you’ll likely interact with the sexton or someone in a similar role.

Burial, Interment, Inurnment, Entombment: What’s the Difference?

These terms are often used together, but they have slightly different meanings:

• Interment is the broadest of the terms. It means placing human remains in their final resting place, whether in the ground, a mausoleum, a cremation niche, or even an urn garden. It’s the term you’ll see most often in legal documents and cemetery records.
• Burial refers specifically to placing remains underground, usually in a casket and often with a vault.
• Entombment is the placement of a casket in an above-ground structure, such as a crypt or mausoleum. It's still considered a form of interment, just not underground.
• Inurnment refers specifically to placing cremated remains into an urn and then placing that urn in a final resting place, such as a columbarium niche or urn garden. Some people use inurnment to describe cremation placement and interment for traditional burial, though both are forms of final disposition.

So, when should you use interred instead of buried? Use buried if the person was placed in the ground. Use interred if you're speaking more formally or if the resting place wasn’t a traditional gravesite.

What Is a ‘Green’ Burial?

Green burial is an eco-friendly option that avoids embalming, metal caskets, and concrete vaults. The body is placed in a biodegradable container and returned to the earth naturally. Families often choose green burial for its simplicity, lower environmental impact, and connection to nature. Some cemeteries have special sections dedicated to this form of burial.

What Does It Mean That an Interment Will Be Private?

A private interment means the burial is not open to the public. Only close family members or invited guests will attend. This gives loved ones space to grieve without a larger audience, often after a public memorial or celebration of life.

Why Do Some Cemeteries or Graveyards Have a Bell?

Bells in cemeteries or graveyards have both historical and symbolic significance. In older burial grounds, a bell was sometimes used as a safety measure — attached to a string inside the coffin in case someone was mistakenly buried alive, a fear more common in past centuries. This is where the phrase “saved by the bell” may have originated.

More often, cemetery bells served a ceremonial or spiritual purpose:

• To mark the beginning or end of a funeral
• To honor the deceased at the moment of interment
• To signal a time of prayer or remembrance

In modern cemeteries, you may still see a bell as a symbol of tradition and reverence.

What Is a Burial Vault, and Do You Need One?

A burial vault is a lined and sealed outer container surrounding a casket. It helps prevent the grave from collapsing over time and protects the casket from soil and water. Most cemeteries require burial vaults, which are mostly made from:

• Concrete (the most common)
• Metal (like stainless steel or bronze)
• Plastic or polymer (lightweight, sometimes used for cremated remains)

What Is a Family Plot — and Who Can Be Buried in It?

A family plot is a designated section of a cemetery purchased for multiple family members. It often includes space for several caskets or urns, a shared headstone, or individual markers. While typically intended for close relatives, deciding who can be buried there depends on the family's wishes and the cemetery's rules.

What Is an Above-Ground Grave Called?  

A mausoleum is one of the most recognizable types of above-ground grave, but it’s not the only one. There are six popular types of above-ground burials that vary by preference, region, and beliefs. Common choices include:

• Mausoleums – indoor or outdoor structures for caskets
• Crypts – sealed spaces for caskets within a mausoleum
• Columbaria – structures with niches for cremation urns
• Private Family Mausoleums – custom-built for one family
• Sarcophagi – stone tombs sometimes placed outdoors
• Lawn Crypts – underground but built with vault-like protections and often stacked

Who Gets Buried Standing Up?  

It’s rare, but some individuals request to be buried upright for personal, religious, or symbolic reasons. Some military personnel or cultural groups have chosen this practice in the past. Most cemeteries require traditional horizontal burial due to space and safety regulations.

Is Burial Always More Expensive Than Cremation?

It’s a common misconception that burial is always more expensive than cremation. While that can be true in some cases, you can keep costs manageable by:

• Choosing a simple but high-quality casket  
• Selecting a public cemetery, which tends to be more affordable than private cemeteries 
• Exploring direct burial options without a viewing or formal service (these don’t require the expense of embalming)
• Hosting a DIY memorial or celebration of life separate from the burial  

Many families are surprised to learn how flexible burial options can be, allowing for a personal, respectful farewell without excessive expense.

Visit a Cemetery Near You to Learn More

Every cemetery has its own rules, traditions, and layout. Whether you are planning your funeral arrangements or supporting someone who is, visiting a cemetery in your area is a good way to understand your options.

Afterall is a collection of local funeral providers, including cemeteries, working together to help families. Our funeral professionals can walk you through choices like burial plots, vaults, mausoleums, and personalized memorials. Click here to search for a cemetery near you. 

Other helpful articles might interest you, including Guide to Funeral Etiquette: 12 Essentials, A Cemetery Road Trip to Pay Tribute to Modern American Heroes, and Meaningful Mementos: Affordable Keepsakes to Remember Your Loved One. 

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