Glossary
Funeral and cremation terms, in plain language
45 words you’ll meet on a price list, at the first meeting with a funeral home, or in the paperwork afterward. Each one is defined plainly, with Utah prices and customs where they matter.
Definitions last reviewed September 26, 2026. Prices come from Salt Lake County price lists we collected in 2026.Watch for these
18 terms mean different things at different funeral homes. Their pages show each meaning, with real examples, and the question to ask.
A
Alternative containerVaries by providerEvery cremation needs a container. A simple cardboard or fiberboard one is used instead of a casket, and funeral homes must offer one for direct cremation.
AquamationCremation using water, heat, and an alkaline solution instead of flame. Also called alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation.
B
Basic services feeVaries by providerThe one fee every arrangement includes on a funeral home's price list. It covers staff, planning, permits, and overhead.
Burial plotThe right to be buried in a specific space in a cemetery. You usually buy the right to use it, not the land.
Burial vaultVaries by providerA concrete or sealed container that holds the casket in the ground. Required by most cemeteries, not by law.
C
Cash advance itemsCharges the funeral home pays to other parties on your behalf, like death certificates, permits, and newspaper obituaries. Other parties set the prices.
Celebration of lifeVaries by providerA gathering focused on the person's life, usually less formal than a funeral and often held after cremation.
Cremation permitVaries by providerUtahState permission to cremate. In Utah the cremation-related charge is currently $157 in total.
Cremation with a serviceVaries by providerCremation plus a gathering, held before cremation with the body present or after it with the urn.
D
DD-214The discharge document that proves military service. Needed for VA burial benefits and military honors.
Death certificateUtahThe official record of a death. Currently $35 in Utah for the first certified copy and $10 for each additional copy; fees can change.
Dedicatory prayerUtahA prayer at the grave, offered by an authorized Melchizedek Priesthood holder, dedicating it as a resting place.
Direct burialBurial soon after death with no viewing or ceremony. Also called immediate burial.
Direct cremationVaries by providerCremation with no viewing or ceremony first. The ashes are returned to the family.
Double-depth plotOne plot dug deep enough for two caskets, one above the other.
E
EmbalmingVaries by providerUtahA process that temporarily preserves a body, most often so the family can hold a viewing days later.
F
Family prayerUtahA private prayer for the family after the viewing and before the funeral, often as the casket is closed.
Final expense insuranceA small life insurance policy meant to pay for a funeral. It pays a beneficiary and doesn't lock in prices.
FTC Funeral RuleThe federal rule that sets what every funeral home must tell you and must let you do.
Full-service funeral homeVaries by providerA funeral home that handles every part of a funeral itself, as opposed to a cremation-only provider.
Funeral luncheonUtahA meal for the family, usually after the funeral service. It may be held at a church or, if it offers the space, the funeral home. In Latter-day Saint congregations, ward members often prepare it.
G
General Price ListVaries by providerThe itemized price list every funeral home must give you, to keep, when you ask about arrangements in person.
Graveside serviceA short service held at the grave instead of in a chapel. It can follow a funeral or stand on its own.
Green burialUtahBurial without embalming or a vault, in a biodegradable casket or shroud. Often costs more in Utah, not less.
H
Headstone and grave markerA headstone stands upright. A flat marker lies level with the grass. Cemeteries limit which kinds are allowed.
M
Memorial serviceVaries by providerA service to remember the person, held without the body present, often with the urn or a photo.
MortuaryUtahAnother name for a funeral home. Many established Utah funeral homes use it in their names.
O
Opening and closing feeThe cemetery's charge to dig and then close the grave. Billed separately from the plot, often $500 to $2,500 in Utah.
P
Package priceVaries by providerA bundled price for a set of services. The discount usually depends on buying the casket from that home.
Perpetual careVaries by providerUtahA fee paid into a fund for maintaining the cemetery. Also called endowment care.
PreneedArranging, and often paying for, a funeral before death. The opposite is at-need, arranged after a death.
Price guaranteeVaries by providerA promise in a prepaid plan that certain prices won't rise. Some lock an exact item, others only a grade.
ProbateUtahThe court process for settling an estate. The personal representative, or executor, handles it. An attorney can say whether a given estate needs it.
R
RefrigerationVaries by providerUtahKeeping the body cold while plans are made. In Utah it's the alternative to embalming after 24 hours.
Rental casketUtahA casket used for the viewing and funeral, followed by cremation in a simple container.
Right to control dispositionUtahThe legal right to decide what happens to a person's body. Utah law sets the order of who holds it.
S
Small estate affidavitUtahA Utah form for collecting property without probate when the estate is under $100,000 and has no real estate.
T
Temple clothingUtahThe white ceremonial clothing endowed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are buried or cremated in.
Traditional funeralVaries by providerUtahA viewing, a funeral service, and burial, usually with embalming and a casket.
Transfer of remainsVaries by providerBringing the person from the place of death into the provider's care, usually within a set service area. $200 to $799 on Utah lists, or included.
V
VA burial allowanceA VA payment toward burial costs for eligible veterans. The family usually pays first and applies to be repaid, though some surviving spouses are paid automatically. The amounts change every October 1.
ViewingVaries by providerUtahTime for family and friends to say goodbye before the funeral or cremation. The casket doesn't have to be open.
W
Witness cremationAn option that lets family be present at the crematory when the cremation begins.
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