Losing someone close to you is one of the most difficult parts of life. Planning a funeral service is also challenging. If you’re looking into cremation, you’ll need to purchase an urn to preserve or carry their ashes. If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, here is a guide to picking the right urn for properly paying homage to your lost loved one.

3 Steps to Selecting a Cremation Urn

1. Determine the Final Resting Place

The first step to purchasing an urn is ensuring you’ll be using it in accordance with how your loved one desired their cremation to take place. Ashes can be buried, scattered on land or at sea, or held permanently in a decorative urn on display. Urns that serve different functions are made differently — for example, urns that are designed specifically for water burials are built with biodegradable materials. If the urn will be kept outdoors at a burial ground, for instance, you may want to consider a protective material like granite or marble.

2. Consider the Design     

If you know you’ll be using the urn to store your loved one’s remains, its design and visual appeal will be especially important. You can select an option that best reflects your loved one’s personality, or one that matches the environment in which you’ll place it. Some feature ornately carved lids or vivid colors, while others focus on sleek silhouettes, neutral tones, or simple symbols like crosses or hearts. You may also have the vessel engraved with your loved one’s name, a meaningful quote, or even their image.

3. Select the Size 

Size is another primary factor in choosing an urn. The dimensions of your urn may be limited by the capacity of the columbarium or cemetery where the remains will be kept. There is also an option to purchase a tiny keepsake urn for if you plan to keep only a small amount of ashes in remembrance of your loved one, as opposed to the full amount. 

If you’re looking to honor a lost loved one, visit Herman-Taylor Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, for all your funeral planning and burial needs. They’ve provided compassionate and thoughtfully done cremation and burial services for the departed since 1953. Visit their website to learn more about their services or give them a call at (715) 423-5460 to get in touch with a funeral director.