Seven Tips For Selecting A Cremation Urn

Purchasing a cremation urn for yourself or a loved one is a meaningful experience that allows those who remain to honor and celebrate the life of the one who has departed.

Whether you are purchasing an urn for yourself, a loved one, or a beloved pet, there are many factors to consider when choosing the final resting place for your or your loved ones ashes.

The options for purchasing a cremation urn have greatly expanded and have become much less complicated with the growing online marketplace. Family and friends who live miles apart can now take part in the process of selecting the urn and price comparisons can be easily and quickly accomplished online.

To ease the process of choosing your or your loved ones final resting vessel, here are seven tips to assist in cremation urn selection.

1. Determine your price range: Urns are available in a variety of styles and materials, which allows for options to fit any budget. Cremation urns range in price from affordable, attractive urns that cost less than $100 all the way to exquisite, elaborately crafted urns that cost thousands of dollars. Determine the price range that is comfortable for you before you begin searching for the perfect urn.

2. Determine who should be included in the process: If you are purchasing an urn for a loved one, consider other family members or close friends who perhaps should be included in the decision-making process. Also, this is a good time to determine if the ashes will be divided into more than one vessel and distributed to others.

3. Find a reputable retailer: Whether you will be purchasing the cremation urn in-person or online, find a retailer that offers a good return policy, an appropriate delivery time frame and good customer service.

4. Consider the final resting place: Will the urn ultimately be buried and, if so, will it be in an urn vault? Will it be placed in a climate-controlled display case? Displayed in your home? If the urn will be buried without a vault, then a marble or steel urn is the best option for durability, or alternatively, a biodegradable urn would be the most eco-friendly option; however, if the urn is to be displayed in a home, glass, wood, ceramic or brass urns are also options.

5. Consider requests from your loved one: If your loved one made specific requests regarding their cremation urn, keep these requests in mind during the selection process so that you can, hopefully, find an urn that will fit your needs and budget, as well as fulfill their request.

6. Make it personal: Did your loved one have a favorite color? Is there a particular design that reminds you of a fond memory? Selecting an urn that reminds you of your loved one will honor his or her memory in a unique, personal way.

7. Consider keepsakes: If your loved ones ashes will be interned, buried at sea or scattered, you may want to consider keepsakes that will hold a small amount of your loved ones ashes. This is also an excellent way to distribute the ashes to multiple family members or friends. Keepsakes can include small replicas of the burial urn, jewelry or other small vessel designs.