How do you choose an urn for a loved one? It’s an inevitable junction when you opt for a cremation service in Dayton, WA. Most people are beginners when it comes to cremation urns, so it’s okay if you don’t know how to pick the right urn from the thousands of options available online.
But it doesn’t take much to figure out. Here is what you should consider when choosing an urn for your loved one.
How do you want to use it
There are different types of urns, and each one serves its purposes. Therefore, to pick out the one that fits your needs, you must first know what those needs are.
For most people, possible uses include:
Burial
If you’re burying the urn, you need a sturdy urn and an urn vault to go with it to protect the cemetery ground. These are usually ceramic, metal, marble, or wood urn—basically, any urn made from durable material.
That’s not to say you can’t bury a biodegradable urn. First, it depends on the cemetery, and second, you. If there’s a possibility that you may need to relocate the urn, it’s better to go with something built to last.
Scattering
Durability is not an essential factor if you’re scattering the ashes. What matters most is how you want to spread the ashes and what you intend to do with the urn after.
For instance, water burial is a form of scattering that involves leaving the urn in water to dissolve. For this, you will need a biodegradable urn, like a paper-pulp urn, salt, or sand urn.
A durable urn may be the better choice if you wish to keep the urn as a keepsake or aren’t ready to scatter the ashes.
Columbarium niche
A columbarium is an above-ground structure for holding a collection of urns. The niche is a small hole within the columbarium; size and durability are the most important consideration here.
Niche sizes vary, so contact the columbarium directly to know the right size for their niches.
Home Storage
For home storage, durability is the essential factor. Thankfully, most urns meet this criterion. Whether you want to keep the urn on display or in a secluded area away from traffic, there are plenty of options.
Picking the right one boils down to the personality and essence of the deceased person. A wooden urn is better for someone who loved nature and the outdoors, and a ceramic suits someone with a sensitive personality.
The size you need
When it comes to size, the focus is internal, i.e., the ashes should fit inside the urn. Urns are measured in cubic inches, and one cubic inch equals one pound of a person’s body weight.
Most adults weigh less than 200 pounds, and standard adult urns generally have 200 cubic inches. They work for nearly all adults.
However, if you intend to divide the ashes or save some, you may need keepsake urns. They come in smaller urn shapes or jewelry.
There are also companion urns if you want a larger urn to hold the ashes of two adults in one container.
Beyond these considerations, everything else is up to you. This includes personalization options like design and shape. The choice, as always, is yours, but we often encourage families to pick something that fits the person’s personality and character.
Contact us for additional questions. We’re also available for all your cremation service needs in Dayton, WA. Call us now to speak with our professional staff. We are here for you.
