Elements that make up a funeral arrangement
Funeral arrangement means planning and carrying out every task from the moment of death until the mound of earth is raised over the grave. The most labour-intensive and least visible part of the process is the physical work: digging, shoring up the walls of the grave, carrying the coffin and lowering it. The family sees this work only through its result, yet it is what decides whether the ceremony goes smoothly.
Our service works on two levels: coordination, led by one responsible person, and work crews, who do the job at the cemetery, at home and in church. Specifically:
- sorting out the cemetery plot: allocation of a new plot or permission to open a family grave;
- digging a grave of standard size, shoring the walls, laying boards and preparing the straps for lowering;
- opening a concrete or stone family tomb, lifting the slab and sealing it again after the burial;
- a team of six pallbearers - from the home, in church and at the cemetery up to the graveside;
- setting up a tent, chairs and a carpet by the grave, so the panikhida (memorial service) is comfortable in rain or heat;
- lowering the coffin, filling in the grave, shaping the mound, placing the cross and laying out the wreaths;
- tidying the area and taking away the equipment once the family has left;
- aligning the times of the priest, the singers, the hearse and the bus so that everything fits into one schedule.
Crew by crew: who is responsible for what
Each crew has its own specific task and its own timing. The family coordinates nothing between them - that is the job of the coordinator, who stays with the family from morning till evening once the burial day comes.
| Crew | Members | Work and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinator | One responsible person | A plan on the day of your call, permits, a schedule for everyone involved, support throughout the ceremony |
| Gravediggers | Three to four workers | Digging the grave the day before or in the morning, shoring, lowering, filling in, the mound; the work takes three to five hours |
| Pallbearers | Six people in matching uniform | Carrying the coffin out of the home, into and out of the church, to the grave, and lowering it on straps |
| Stonework crew | Two craftsmen with lifting gear | Opening a concrete or granite family tomb, lifting the slab, sealing it tightly after the burial |
| Support crew | Two staff members | Tent, chairs, carpet, water for guests, transporting wreaths, tidying the area |
All the workers are our own permanent staff, not people picked up at the cemetery gate. They wear matching dark uniforms, know the etiquette of the ceremony and never ask the family for extra money - something that is, sadly, common at Tbilisi cemeteries.
Our working order, step by step from your first phone call to the funeral itself
- Call and plan: together with the family, the coordinator settles the burial date, the cemetery, the church and an hour-by-hour schedule for the day. In the same conversation we also ask about any existing family grave and its type: earth, concrete or stone.
- Securing the plot: for a new plot the coordinator goes to the cemetery administration; for a family grave he obtains permission to open it. This stage takes place without the family and usually takes one day.
- Preparing the grave: the gravediggers go out to the cemetery the day before or early in the morning. The grave is dug to standard size - 220 cm in length, 90 cm across and 180 cm deep - the walls are shored up and boards are laid over the top so that it is safe until the family arrives.
- Leaving the home or hall: the pallbearers arrive at the time the family chooses, carry the coffin gently out of the building or hall and place it in the hearse. There is always time for a short farewell in the courtyard.
- Church and procession: during the funeral service or panikhida, the pallbearers carry the coffin in and out, while the coordinator positions the bus and hearse so guests can board quickly and the procession moves together.
- Burial and completion: at the cemetery the coffin is carried to the grave and, after the panikhida, lowered evenly on straps; the gravediggers fill in the grave, shape the mound, place the cross and lay out the wreaths. Once the family has left, the area is tidied and a photo of the finished grave is sent over by the coordinator.
Prices for funeral coordination and work crews
The cost of the crews is fixed and does not depend on how many hours the ceremony lasts. Equipment, uniforms, transport to the cemetery and tools are included. The family receives the total in writing the same day they phone us, and after the funeral no worker asks for any extra tip.
| Service | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| New-plot grave digging | from 400 GEL | Gravedigging crew, shoring, boards, lowering, filling in, mound, placing the cross |
| Opening an earth family grave | from 350 GEL | Removing the old mound, digging beside the existing burial, all subsequent work |
| Opening a concrete or stone grave | from 600 GEL | Stonemasons with lifting gear raise the slab, then seal it and finish the joints after the burial |
| Six-person pallbearer team | from 300 GEL | Home, church, cemetery, lowering on straps, matching uniform |
| Coordinator for the whole day | 250 GEL | Plan, permits, schedule for everyone involved, support from morning to the very end |
| Tent, chairs and carpet at the grave | from 120 GEL | A tent for 20 people, 10 chairs, a carpet, water for guests |
| Winter supplement for frozen ground | 100 GEL | An extra worker and machinery when the ground is frozen deeper than 30 centimetres |
The final total depends on the type of grave, since lifting and resealing a stone slab calls for craftsmen and lifting gear; on the soil and season, because stony or frozen ground takes the crew twice as long; and on the location of the cemetery, as a crew travelling to the regions is charged by the kilometre. The cemetery administration's fee and the cost of the plot are paid separately against a receipt and sit outside our price.
Permits and documents for the burial
A burial is a legal procedure, and no cemetery will accept a body without a permit. Opening a family grave also requires proof that the family has a right to that plot. The coordinator obtains all these documents on your behalf; the family only needs to provide two IDs and a signature.
- the official record of death issued at the Public Service Hall (commonly known as the House of Justice), which is the basis for the cemetery permit;
- the cemetery administration's burial permit or the allocation card for a new plot, which the coordinator collects from the relevant Tbilisi City Hall office;
- a document for the family grave: the burial card, an old permit or an extract from the cemetery register confirming who is buried there;
- a proof of kinship for burial in a family grave, for example a marriage or birth certificate;
- for burial in another family's grave, written consent from the grave's owner, drawn up on our form;
- for exhumation and reburial, a permit from the public health service, which has its own procedure and timescales.
Tbilisi cemeteries: what a family should know
Mukhatgverdi and Vashlijvari
These are the city's largest cemeteries, where new plots are still allocated. The soil is clay and becomes heavy after rain, so the crew digs the grave the day before and covers it with boards. Every section can be reached by car, but for the upper sections the support crew carries the tent and chairs up on foot.
Northern and eastern city cemeteries
For residents of Gldani, Samgori and Varketili there are municipal cemeteries closer to home. Some sections have a stony layer that can stretch digging to five hours, so the gravediggers here always go out the day before. Parking at the entrance can be limited, and the coordinator arranges where the bus will stand in advance. We check which of these cemeteries currently has free plots on the day you call.
Old cemeteries: Vake, Kukia, Vera
These cemeteries accept practically no new burials; they take interments only in family graves that already exist there. Concrete and stone tombs, narrow paths and old trees are common here, which requires special care from the pallbearers. The stonework crew raises the slab manually or with a compact hoist so as not to damage the neighbouring graves.
Winter and bad weather
In January and February the ground sometimes freezes deeper than 30 centimetres. At such times a breaker drill and an extra worker join the crew, and the grave is always prepared the day before. In heavy rain a large tent is put up by the grave and wooden boards are laid along the path so that the family and guests are not standing in mud.
Reasons families rely on our crews
- On call 24/7: within an hour of your call the coordinator sends the family a plan, and if necessary the gravediggers go out to the cemetery at night so that everything is ready by morning.
- Local knowledge: our crews have prepared graves at every cemetery in Tbilisi and know exactly what soil each section has, where a vehicle can get through and where it cannot, and when each administration office is open.
- Transparency: each crew's price is known in advance and fixed in writing. The family will never have to slip anyone at the cemetery a "thank you", because the workers are paid by us.
- One responsible person: the coordinator is the only person the family deals with. He arranges the priest, the hearse, the bus, the restaurant and the workers, and remains next to the relatives for the whole of the burial.
- Respect and discipline: the workers wear matching uniforms, stand quietly to one side during the ceremony, do not smoke and do not talk on the phone. In a family's hardest moments, such small things mean a great deal.
Frequently asked questions
How many workers are needed at a funeral, and who are they?
Usually six pallbearers for the coffin and three or four gravediggers. All are our own trained staff in matching uniforms, so the family never has to find strangers at the cemetery and haggle with them over a price.
How many hours does digging a grave take?
In ordinary soil three to four hours; in stony or frozen ground up to five hours. That is why the gravediggers nearly always go out the day before, so the grave is covered and safe well before the family gets there.
Can we bury our relative in the family grave, and what does it take?
Yes, if the family has the burial card or another document confirming who is buried there and the kinship is proven. The coordinator obtains permission to open the grave from the cemetery administration, usually within one day.
Can relatives or friends carry the coffin themselves?
Of course - it is a common and respected tradition. In that case our pallbearers walk alongside, help on difficult stretches, stairs and narrow paths, and carry out the lowering on straps themselves, because physically that is the hardest part.
What if the cemetery we want no longer allocates new plots?
That same day the coordinator checks with the City Hall office which cemeteries have free sections and offers the family two or three options by distance and conditions. In the old cemeteries burial is possible only in a family grave.
Who pays the cemetery administration's fee?
The fee and the price of the plot are a municipal charge, which the family pays against a receipt. You will hear the exact sum from your coordinator in advance, and he collects the receipt for you, but this sum is never part of our price and we add no mark-up to it.
When the burial day comes, a family's place is beside the person they have lost, not negotiating with workers, administrators and drivers. That is our job. Our coordinators answer +995 568 33 03 18 every single night and weekend too: within an hour you will have a ready plan, and our crews will prepare everything so the ceremony runs without hitches or unexpected costs.