You have many options around burying an urn in a cemetery.
Columbarium – Niche
The columbarium (the wall) and niche (mailbox) in the “wall”. Each columbarium has a number of niches each to be purchased separately. Typically, there is room for two urns in each niche and often the cost of opening, closing, (open two times and closed two times). The marker often comes with the cost of the niche as well.
Each cemetery can make a niches different sizes so you need to check to ensure there is room for two urns and you need to know the dimensions before you select an urn.
Most cemeteries require you to have a non-biodegradable engraved urn to place into the niche for legal reasons.
Your funeral pre planner can assist you with selection of urn and provide specifics around the niche options in your area. Funeral directors will help at time of need.
Cemetery niches are considered property and deeds and receipts will be provided by the cemetery.
Cremation plot.
Cemeteries will at times have cremation plot. These are smaller then the casket plot and normally have room for two urns.
Traditional Plot
These are the ones from the movies where you bury a casket. Cemeteries allow people to bury urn along with the casket. The general rule is room for four, four urns, or one casket and three urns. You may need to gather permission from other families to be buried with a family member.
What about a headstone if I am buried in a family member plot with them?
If you are going to have your urn buried with a predeceased family member you have many options around headstones. You might add a flat marker onto the ground. You may choose to have your information engraved into the back of the headstone at is already there, you may choose to add a slab and lift the original marker and put your name under it. As city plot costs increase this may become much more common.
Headstones and Preplanning
You have two options to either go out and purchase a headstone ahead of time or you might just put some money aside for that expense and leave it to your loved ones to do when the time arises.
Purchasing ahead means you must have a plot and you’ll get to make the decisions. It also means that you’ll have a stone with your name on it with just and end date to figure out. If this doesn’t appeal you do have other options.
You can figure out the marker ahead of time and have the memorization company create the design and provide a mock up. Doing this will provide you both a plan for what to do and a budget. The funds can go into your Canada Purple Shield plan and be held until the time that it is needed.
You can put a budget in place and set the money aside and let people make the decision at the time it is needed. Putting some money aside means that you can set the budget. Sometimes in grief people don’t make the best decisions on budget. By putting some funds aside you can give them a guide of what you find acceptable and allow them to decide in that budget with no guilt.
A great option for a couple who what to prefund a headstone is a joint policy. Ask me and I’d be happy to explain how this can work very well for you.