Choosing between cremation and burial comes down to family tradition, budget, cemetery plans, and how you want to gather for a service. Utah County families can hold a full funeral, viewing, or graveside ceremony with either option. Walker Sanderson Funeral Home & Crematory in Orem and Provo offers both, including cremation through its own on-site crematory.
Deciding between cremation and burial is one of the first big questions a family faces after a loss, and it can feel like there's no room for a wrong answer. There isn't. Both are meaningful, respected ways to honor a life, and the right choice is simply the one that fits your family.
This article walks through what actually separates the two options, so you can talk it over with clarity instead of pressure.
Walker Sanderson Funeral Home & Crematory has been part of Utah County since 1952, and our team is glad to walk through these decisions with you, whenever you're ready.
The Key Differences Between Cremation and Burial
Burial means the body, typically prepared and placed in a casket, is buried in a cemetery plot after a funeral or graveside service. It's the option most people picture when they think of a traditional funeral, and it usually includes a permanent, visitable resting place with a headstone or marker.
Cremation uses heat to reduce the body to cremated remains, which are returned to the family in an urn. From there, families can keep the urn at home, bury it in a cemetery plot or urn garden, place it in a columbarium niche, or scatter the cremated remains in a meaningful location. Cremation doesn't require a cemetery plot at all, though many families still choose one.
Neither option determines whether you have a service. A viewing, funeral, or graveside ceremony can happen with either burial or cremation; our cremation services
and burial services
both include full ceremony support at Walker Sanderson. Many area cemeteries offer options for both casket burial and cremated remains, so the cemetery choice doesn't have to limit which disposition you choose.
What Shapes the Cost of Each Option
Cost is one of the most common reasons families lean one direction or the other, but it depends less on "cremation vs. burial" and more on the specific choices within each. A cemetery plot, vault, headstone, and graveside opening and closing fees add to the cost of burial. Cremation removes those specific costs, but a full funeral service, viewing, or urn can add cost back in on the cremation side.
Federal law doesn't require a casket for cremation, and funeral homes must offer a simpler alternative container. That's one reason direct cremation is often the least expensive option, while a traditional funeral followed by burial tends to be the most involved.
Our cremation cost guide
walks through cremation costs in more detail, and our team is always glad to go over current costs by phone or in person whenever you're ready.
Ceremony Options Work With Either Choice
This is the part families are sometimes surprised by: cremation and burial are decisions about final disposition, not about whether you get to hold a service. Both options support a traditional funeral with viewing, a graveside service, a memorial service after the fact, or a celebration of life that focuses on stories and gathering rather than the body being present.
A traditional funeral usually includes a viewing or visitation, a service, and then burial or cremation afterward. Our guide to the memorial service
explains it in more depth, but in short, a memorial service is typically held without the body present, often after cremation has already taken place. A celebration of life leans even further into personalization, honoring a life through music, photos, and shared memories rather than following a fixed format.
Whatever you choose, personalization is possible. Veterans' honors, religious customs, and family traditions can all be woven into the service regardless of whether cremation or burial follows.
How Our On-Site Crematory Fits Into the Decision
For families leaning toward cremation, one detail matters more than people expect: who performs it, and where. Walker Sanderson owns and operates its own crematory at our Provo location, which means your loved one never leaves our care and is never transported to a third-party facility.
Our crematory includes a comfortable observation room, so families who want a private, personal farewell before cremation are able to have one. In our experience, this detail brings real peace of mind to families who are uneasy about the idea of cremation happening somewhere out of sight. Full chain of custody, from the moment your loved one is brought into our care through the return of cremated remains, stays with the same team throughout.
This is one reason some families who were leaning toward burial reconsider cremation once they understand exactly how it works here, and it's also why some families who already knew they wanted cremation choose Walker Sanderson specifically.
Questions to Ask as a Family
A few honest questions can make this decision easier to talk through together:
- Do we already own a cemetery plot, or would we need to choose one?
- Does our family have a religious or cultural expectation around cremation or burial?
- Do we want a public gathering, a private one, or both?
- How quickly do we need to make a decision, and who is traveling in from out of town?
- Would our loved one have had a preference, even if it wasn't written down?
If your family hasn't talked about this yet, our pre-planning form
is a low-pressure way to start the conversation before there's any urgency at all.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cremation and Burial in Utah County
Is cremation cheaper than burial in Utah?
Cremation is often less expensive than a traditional burial, mainly because it can remove the cost of a burial plot, vault, and graveside opening and closing fees. But the real difference depends on the service you choose, not just the disposition method. A full funeral with cremation can cost more than a simple burial. We keep pricing conversations for the phone or an in-person visit, where our team can answer your questions directly.
Can we still have a funeral service if we choose cremation?
Yes. Cremation and a full funeral service are not mutually exclusive. Many families choose a traditional viewing and funeral, then cremation afterward instead of burial. Others prefer a memorial service or celebration of life after cremation has taken place. The ceremony is entirely separate from the decision about final disposition, and we help design it around your family's wishes.
What happens to cremated remains if we don't own a cemetery plot?
You have several options. Families often keep cremated remains at home in an urn, place them in a columbarium niche, or choose interment in a cemetery's cremation garden or urn section. Scattering is also an option in most circumstances. There's no requirement to own a burial plot in order to choose cremation.
Does our religion allow cremation?
It depends on the faith and sometimes the individual family. Many religious traditions permit cremation, while some encourage or require burial. We work with families of all faiths and none, including deep familiarity with LDS customs common throughout Utah County, and we're glad to talk through how your beliefs or preferences shape the arrangements.
How long does cremation take in Utah?
Before cremation can move forward, Utah requires a signed cremation authorization from the person the law gives that right, a filed death certificate and a permit from the medical examiner. Our team handles that paperwork with you and can tell you what timing to expect.
Can we combine cremation and burial, like burying an urn?
Yes, this is a common choice. An urn can be buried in a standard cemetery plot, an urn garden, or a columbarium niche, giving families a permanent, visitable location without the cost of a full burial plot and vault. It's a middle path many Utah County families choose when they want both cremation and a lasting place to visit.
Whenever You're Ready, We're Here
There's no deadline on this decision, and there's no version of it you have to get through alone. Whether you're planning ahead or facing this right now, our team at Walker Sanderson is here to talk through cremation, burial, or anything in between, without pressure and without a sales pitch. Reach us in Orem at (801) 226-3500 or in Provo at (801) 373-6668, any time, day or night. We're available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we serve families throughout the Utah County funeral home
area.
