How to Choose the Right Urn

The primary purpose of a cremation urn is to hold the cremated remains of the deceased. But what will you do with the urn once it is filled with your loved one’s ashes? The answer to that question and a few others will help to determine the type of urn you will need and help you make the right decision. Consider the following as a helpful guide in making a selection.

 

1. Selecting the correct size
Consider the dimensions and capacity. The dimensions of the urn are the height, width and diameter. If using a niche in a church or columbarium, call ahead to find out the niche size before choosing your urn. Some columbariums have compact niches and other columbariums have family niches much like family cemetery plots with room for larger urns or multiple urns. The typical urn size needed is an adult cremation urn. Adult size will hold the ashes of anyone who was up to 220 pounds or less prior to cremation. Medium urns are needed when dividing one person’s ashes among several people or for children. Keepsake urns are for small amounts of ashes to be kept in remembrance. Extra large urns are available for very tall or larger framed individuals — over 6 feet tall.

As a general rule for an adult urn, you’ll need an urn with at least one cubic inch of space for every pound of body weight prior to cremation. For example, if the deceased had a weight of 150 pounds before cremation, you will need an urn that is at least 150 cubic inches or larger. If purchasing an urn for an infant, child or pet, call for assistance.

 

2. Consider the final resting place
Families may want to consider the final resting place of a loved one’s cremation urn before looking at styles. Will the ashes be scattered or buried or placed at home or in a niche? If scattering the ashes, you may want to look at the choices in scattering urns or tubes, water burial urns or less expensive urns as the urn itself is only temporary. If you plan to have a permanent memorial in a cemetery and bury the urn, there are many options. Almost any urn can be placed in an urn vault and then buried.

 

3. Choosing the Urn Style and Material
There are a variety of urns to choose from. These range from brass, to wood to glass to ceramic to marble. Most people choose an urn based on a style or look they like and the end use. If the urn will serve as a decorative piece, one may choose a more unique and artistic material. If permanence is most important, marble is ideal for burial as it can be permanently marked with the loved one’s information via engraving. If traveling with the urn, one may choose a material that may be x-rayed such as wood, paper or cultured marble.

 

4. Personalizing the Urn
Many urns may be personalized with engraving of a name or artwork. Personalization may remind you of a loved one and bring comfort. You may choose a color or an urn that may include a photo. Some more artistic urns may have a theme or shape of something a loved one cherished such as a beach house, flowers, a pet, etc.

 

Apart from the most practical concerns, making sure the urn is large enough to hold your loved one’s remains and making sure the urn will fit if space is restricted, most of the choices that follow are more a matter of personal preference. Call the Lifesong team with any questions and personal assistance with choosing a cremation urn for your loved one’s ashes.

Can Families Be Present During Cremation?

Many people today are opting for cremation over traditional burial due to its numerous benefits. The simplicity and dignity of cremation, environmental concerns, and the flexibility cremation affords in ceremony planning and final disposition all add to its increasing popularity.

Witnessing a cremation can be for anyone for any number of reasons. It is often an overlooked opportunity in being part of the final journey of a loved one. The benefits of witnessing are largely personal. For many people, being present during the cremation is an important part of their faith and traditions. For others, it’s a respectful way to say a final goodbye. Some have the need to be reassured they have the ashes of their beloved. For others, it may demystify a process they weren’t able to be part of in the past.

Some families craft their loved one’s cremation like a memorial service or graveside service including a faith leader, celebrant or officiant offering a few words, scripture or prayer prior to cremation.

Lifesong, is often asked to call family or friends just before the cremation process begins so they may be there in spirit.

Because Lifesong’s crematory is located on-site, family and friends may view the Crematory, and are welcome to rest in the lobby during the process, enjoying the dignified space in comfort.

Once the loved one is cremated, there are many options for their remains. Remains can be buried in a cemetery lot or cremation garden, inurned in a columbarium, kept at home, or scattered.

Although an urn is not required by law, it may be desired if there is to be a memorial service or the remains are to beinterred in a cemetery. If an urn is not purchased, or provided by the family, the cremated remains will be returned in a temporary container.

Lifesong often is requested to commingle ashes of parents or an individual and their beloved pet. Most full size urns are designed to hold the ashes of just one person, however, it is now common for most urn companies to offer dual capacity urns holding the ashes of two persons.

If you would like to speak to Lifesong directly to explore witnessing and cremation options, please request an appointment with one of our advisors at (850) 627-1111.

Going ‘Green’ for your Funeral?

More recently, Americans are exploring the direction of “green” burials. Contact LifeSong to explore the options that best fit your needs.

 

 

 

 

 

There are many ways to embark on the journey to the great beyond. For most of American history, there have been a few staples we’ve come to expect of funerals: a coffin of choice, subdued flower arrangements, a grave-site burial and the traditional granite headstone.

However, these staples aren’t necessarily needed in honoring our loved ones.

More recently, Americans are exploring the direction of “green” burials.

The rising trend of “green” funerals has to do with a growing effort to “green-ify” the burial process. Green burials do away with both the embalming chemicals and the extraneous cement, steel or other non-biodegradable materials conventional burials put into the earth and lack the carbon footprint of cremation.

Consider this: Typical American funerals are responsible each year for over 30 million board feet of casket wood, 90,000 tons of steel, 1.6 million tons of concrete for burial vaults and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid. Cremation can be an environmental shocker of it’s own with the incineration process emitting dioxin, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.

“Green cremation” processes including liquid cremation (or alkaline hydrolysis) claims to be one of the least damaging methods for the environment and ‘possibly the most peaceful way to be put to rest’ (However, this process is legal in only 14 states, and at this point is quite costly.).

Forgoing a funeral or memorial service is often seen as the easiest and most cost effective alternative. However, the least expensive choice is not always the best one. Grief experts universally agree that having a ceremony for your departed is a significant part of the healing process.

If cremation is the right option, there are limitless eco-friendly options that can be used in honoring the dead. From bio-degradable urns for water burials to eco-friendly urns for earth burials (often made from hemp, cardboard, or bark), green burial products are easily obtainable.

Reasons for choosing one type of burial over another are as varied as you can imagine, but for many people it can come down to cost, environmental impact and legacy. Each option has its pros and cons, and it is important to consider the individual’s situation and honor their beliefs. Cremation, for example would still be a better choice than using a green cemetery miles and miles away if your carbon footprint is a concern.

In the end, the impact you leave on the environment after you die is far less important than the footprint you leave while you’re still alive. Contact Lifesong to explore the options that best fit your needs.