About This Q&A
Ask a question and receive knowledgeable answers from topic experts
Answer:
You can reuse a cremation urn that is fully intact, but some people may find it inappropriate or disrespectful to reuse an urn that has previously held someone's ashes. If you do choose to reuse a cremation urn, make sure that it is clean and empty of past cremated remains. If cost is an issue for your family, we offer free cremation urns at In the Light Urns that have visual imperfections but are structurally sound.
Answer:
A cremation urn is a type of container used to hold the cremated remains of a person. Urns for ashes can hold some or all of a person's remains, and can be made from several different materials including metal, wood, stone, and paper. Traditional urns are shaped like vases or jars, but urns can also be shaped like boxes or take contemporary designs, like the 3D-printed urns available at In the Light Urns. Urns can be customized with different designs, themes, or engravings to honor a person's memory and memorialize them.
Educational Resources > Collecting Ashes After a Cremation, Educational Resources > Filling a Cremation Urn with Ease
Answer:
Anyone can fill a cremation urn with ashes or other sentimental items, and there are no special qualifications or training needed. However, if you are uncomfortable with handling your loved one's cremated remains, you can ask your funeral home or cremation provider to fill the urn for you.
Educational Resources > Collecting Ashes After a Cremation, Educational Resources > Filling a Cremation Urn with Ease
Answer:
Anyone can fill a cremation urn with ashes or other sentimental items, and there are no special qualifications or training needed. However, if you are uncomfortable with handling your loved one's cremated remains, you can ask your funeral home or cremation provider to fill the urn for you.
Answer:
The opportunity for a final goodbye before cremation can occur at a funeral or memorial service held prior to the cremation. A memorial service before cremation allows family and friends a time to grieve and say their final goodbyes to their loved one. If the deceased is laid to rest in an open casket during the service, this viewing can also give mourners closure to see their loved one a last time before cremation. Some cremation providers also offer a witnessed cremation, where a small number of family members are allowed to join the cremation operator and watch their loved one be placed into the cremation chamber. A witnessed cremation allows grieving family to be the last people to see their loved one before cremation occurs.
Answer:
Unlike a traditional burial, when cremated remains are buried, they do not decompose further in the ground, because they have already been reduced to bone through cremation. Some families may choose an eco-friendly or "green" burial by burying their loved one's ashes within a biodegradable urn that breaks down in the soil over months or years, eventually allowing the ashes to mix with the earth. More commonly, ashes will be buried within a permanently lasting cremation urn encased by a durable urn vault. This urn vault can be buried underground at a cemetery plot, designated memorial garden, or other chosen location. Burying cremated remains allows family and friends to give their loved one a final resting place in a memorial location that they can revisit.
Should cremated ashes be divided?
Educational Resources > Choosing the Perfect Cremation Urn, Educational Resources > Collecting Ashes After a Cremation
Answer:
A loved one's cremated remains may either be divided among family or kept together within one urn. Some families find comfort in sharing ashes amongst themselves so that family members can keep their lost one close, while other families feel it's more respectful to keep the ashes intact so that their loved one can remain whole. Deciding whether to divide cremated ashes is a personal choice that varies by family, and both options are respectable ways to honor a loved one's memory. Ultimately, the decision should honor the wishes of the deceased and provide peace to those left behind.
Should cremated ashes be divided?
Educational Resources > Choosing the Perfect Cremation Urn, Educational Resources > Collecting Ashes After a Cremation
Answer:
A loved one's cremated remains may either be divided among family or kept together within one urn. Some families find comfort in sharing ashes amongst themselves so that family members can keep their lost one close, while other families feel it's more respectful to keep the ashes intact so that their loved one can remain whole. Deciding whether to divide cremated ashes is a personal choice that varies by family, and both options are respectable ways to honor a loved one's memory. Ultimately, the decision should honor the wishes of the deceased and provide peace to those left behind.
Answer:
You can bury your loved one's ashes in a cemetery. To bury cremated remains within a cemetery, you will need to purchase one of the cemetery's burial plots. Burial plots for urns will typically cost less than burial plots for caskets because they take up a smaller area of land. Some cemeteries will have designated areas for urn burial, such as urn gardens, that are separated from the area for casket burial. If you are burying your loved one's urn within a cemetery, you may also wish to purchase a headstone to mark your loved one's resting place.
How to choose a cremation urn?
Educational Resources > Choosing the Perfect Cremation Urn, Educational Resources > Choosing a Cremation Jewelry Urn
Answer:
- To choose a cremation urn, you should consider how much volume you will need, along with how the urn will be used. If the urn will be used to hold an adult's complete amount of ashes, you will likely want a standard-sized urn, which is designed to accommodate most adults.
- Our urn size calculator can help you estimate the volume of your loved one's cremated remains and determine what size urn may be appropriate.
- Once you have an urn size in mind, you can select an urn material based on the urn's intended use, such as whether it will be displayed, buried, or used for scattering.
- For every urn size and urn material, there are beautiful urn options to choose from, and you can pick a design that speaks to you or that fittingly memorializes your loved one.
How to choose a cremation urn?
Educational Resources > Choosing the Perfect Cremation Urn, Educational Resources > Choosing a Cremation Jewelry Urn
Answer:
- To choose a cremation urn, you should consider how much volume you will need, along with how the urn will be used. If the urn will be used to hold an adult's complete amount of ashes, you will likely want a standard-sized urn, which is designed to accommodate most adults.
- Our urn size calculator can help you estimate the volume of your loved one's cremated remains and determine what size urn may be appropriate.
- Once you have an urn size in mind, you can select an urn material based on the urn's intended use, such as whether it will be displayed, buried, or used for scattering.
- For every urn size and urn material, there are beautiful urn options to choose from, and you can pick a design that speaks to you or that fittingly memorializes your loved one.
