While the primary function of a cremation urn is to house the cremated remains of a loved one, determining its subsequent use depends on various factors. To assist in making informed decisions, explore the following options for utilizing an urn:

• Home Display: Placing an urn prominently within your home serves as a gesture of reverence and remembrance. It provides a tangible means of cherishing the memory of the departed, offering solace through their physical presence. Urns for home display come in diverse materials such as metal, wood, composite resin, or stone.
• Ashes Scattering: Urns designed for scattering ashes feature a top opening for easy dispersion. Following scattering, family members can place mementos or flowers inside the urn as tributes to their loved ones.
• Water or Natural Burial: Biodegradable urns crafted from organic and recyclable materials are intended to decompose naturally in water or soil. Those for water burials dissolve swiftly upon immersion, while others are suitable for terrestrial burial, home placement, or placement in a columbarium niche.
• Columbarium Niches: Choosing an urn for a columbarium niche necessitates consideration of size compatibility with the niche dimensions (height, width, and depth). Additionally, adhering to material guidelines set by mausoleums and cemeteries is crucial.
• Ground Burial: Urns and burial containers are engineered to support soil integrity around the burial site. Containers, typically made of steel, polymer, or polystyrene, serve as protective outer layers for cremation urns. Ensuring the urn's interior size aligns with the container's capacity is essential.
• Shared Remains: Families may opt to distribute a loved one's ashes among multiple memorial urns or cremation jewelry, allowing several members to hold onto their memory.

Each option offers a distinct way to honor and remember the departed, catering to diverse preferences and circumstances.

Transferring Ashes into an Urn

How do I go about transferring ashes into an urn?
Upon receiving the urn from the crematory, your loved one's ashes will be contained in a plastic bag inside the urn. This bag serves to safeguard the ashes from potential hazards such as spills or moisture, and it also facilitates the transfer process between urns. It's important to keep the ashes within the plastic bag and avoid directly pouring or emptying them into the urn. If you're hesitant to handle the transfer yourself, local funeral homes or crematories can assist, as they are accustomed to such requests and are willing to help.

Can I Place a Temporary Cremation Urn Inside Another Urn?

We often receive inquiries regarding the possibility of placing a temporary cremation urn inside our urns. However, most urns lack the necessary opening or interior space to accommodate another urn and temporary urns aren't designed for such usage. Instead, we recommend transferring the plastic bag containing the ashes from the temporary urn to the new urn. If you're unsure about performing this transfer independently, you can bring both the temporary urn and the new urn to your local crematory or funeral home for professional assistance.

Is This Cremation Urn Too Large?

The primary concern remains to ensure that the urn you select is adequately sized to contain your loved one's ashes. Aside from this consideration, unless you intend to place the urn in a columbarium niche or another confined space, there's typically no such thing as an urn being "too large." Ultimately, the size of the urn is a matter of personal preference, with no inherent drawbacks beyond practical considerations.