The meeting with the funeral director in which the family discusses their wishes for the funeral and the disposition of the body

Also called interment, earth burial at a cemetery is the traditional and most common method for final disposition of the body.

The literal definition of the word "casket" is "a chest for precious items." A casket provides the means for the appropriate and dignified handling of the body when there is to be a visitation, funeral and/or graveside service and burial.

An aboveground structure for final disposition of the cremated body. Many cemeteries have columbaria where individual or family niches may be purchased.

A brief graveside ceremony held with the casket or urn present before it is lowered into the ground. A committal service can also be held for the scattering of the cremated body.

Cremation reduces the body through intense heat to ashes. After cremation, the cremated body can be buried, entombed, scattered or retained by the family.

Embalming preserves the body for a number of days following the death, allowing for the family to view the body and hold the funeral service on a day that is convenient for out-of-town friends and relatives. However, embalming is not mandatory.

The fee typically paid to a clergy person for officiating the funeral ceremony.

A small building in a cemetery, a mausoleum is like a burial plot aboveground where the casket is placed.

A ceremony without the body present that honors the end of a person's life.

The short article in the newspaper that announces the death to the community, summarizes the person's life and invites readers to attend the funeral. Usually the funeral director will handle submitting the pertinent information to the newspaper. Some newspapers, however, allow families to write more personalized obituaries.

The people who carry the casket for the funeral service. Traditionally, the six pallbearers are male, it is also appropriate to honor women as pallbearers. If there are more friends than are needed (or friends who are unable to carry the heavy casket), make then honorary pallbearers

A container specially designed for holding the cremated body. Urns can be engraved or customized to reflect the personality of a loved one. Smaller urns, called keepsakes, have been created to hold only a portion of the cremated body. This allows several family members to retain the cremated body of loved ones.

A concrete or metal container into which the casket is placed before burial at a cemetery. Most cemeteries require vaults because they stabilize the gravesite, preventing the earth from settling above the casket.

Visitation is a scheduled time for family and friends to see the person who died, perhaps for the final time. Viewing the body often helps families acknowledge the reality of the death and grants them the privilege of saying goodbye.