Cremation urns are an increasingly popular way to honor a loved one after death. But once you have a cremation urn, what do you do with it? Here are some suggestions for what to do with a cremation urn for your beloved family member or friend.
Display The Cremation Urn In Your Home
Displaying an urn in your home is a great way to remember and honor the deceased. It can be placed in a prominent place, like a mantelpiece or a bookshelf, or you can create a special display area for the urn. Consider adding a special photo or other mementos to the display to make it more meaningful.
According to interior design experts who incorporate urns into their planning, here are a few ideas for displaying an urn in your home:
- Find a meaningful location. Consider where you’d like to display the urn in your home. The spot you choose should be meaningful to you and your family. You may want to consider placing the urn in a place of prominence, such as a mantel or a table.
- Get an urn stand. An urn stand is a great way to elevate the urn and make it more of a focal point. There are many different types of urn stands available, from elegant and ornate to simple and modern.
- Personalize the urn. You may want to customize the urn with a personalized plaque or engraving. This is a great way to make the urn even more special and meaningful.
- Add photos and other mementos. You may want to display photos of your loved one around the urn, as well as other mementos. This is a great way to create a memorial to your loved one.
- Install a memorial wall. If you’d like to display multiple photos and mementos, you may want to consider installing a memorial wall or collage. This is a great way to honor your loved one’s memory in a more permanent way.
Bury The Cremation Urn
Many families opt to bury the urn in a cemetery or memorial garden. If you choose this option, you may want to purchase a special burial urn that is designed to be buried. You can also combine the cremation urn with other burial items, such as an engraved plaque or a memorial stone.
You really want to check the local, state, and federal laws before you bury an urn. If you place an urn in a restricted area, it could be dug up by authorities and disposed of in another way. This would not be very honorable to your loved one.
You can also find a cemetery that offers an ash-scattering garden.
These special places are set aside in many cemeteries where you can scatter the ashes in nature. Unfortunately, the ashes may not always be in a place of their own. They are often in a communal area where other ashes from other families have been spread.
Scatter The Ashes
For those who wish to have their loved ones remains scattered in a special place, an urn is an ideal vessel. You can have a special scattering ceremony in a place that was meaningful to the deceased, or you can simply scatter the ashes in a place that you find inspiring.
Scattering ashes yourself can be a simple, private experience or you can enlist a professional company like Eternal Alaska or Legacy Ashes to scatter the ashes for you. You can also accompany Eternal Alaska on an Ash Scattering Memorial in some of the world's most amazing places.
There is a scene in Elton John's video, Tiny Dancer, where what is assumed to be a daughter takes her mother's ashes to the wilderness outside of Los Angeles to scatter the cremated ashes.
Create a Keepsake For Your Cremation Urn
You can turn the cremation urn into a keepsake item, such as a jewelry box, a wind chime, a birdhouse, or a paperweight. This is a great way to keep a part of your loved one close to you.
Eternal Alaska Urns has several keepsake urns that match a full-side urn. Parts of the cremated ashes can be placed in the keepsake urns so that separate memorials are created for family members or friends.
These keepsake urns come in a variety of styles. Some could match the personality of the deceased perfectly.
Other Alternatives
You can also donate the cremation urn to a museum or other organization that collects and displays cremation urns. This is a great way to honor the memory of your loved one while also helping to preserve history.
Some churches have a columbarium where the ashes of deceased members are stored in urns. This arrangement is between the church and the member much as it would be to have a plot in the church cemetery. Some churches offer this as a service to their members. Others charge for the service.
You can have the cremation urn professionally stored in a secure, climate-controlled facility. This is a great option for those who are not ready to make a decision about what to do with the urn, or for those who want to ensure that the urn is kept safe and secure for generations to come.
It is important to remember that it is a special item that is meant to honor the memory of your loved one.
