Urns for Ashes: How to Select the Right Cremation Urn

Urns for ashes are often thought of as dreary, solemn objects. But this is only a stereotype; cremation urns can be as whimsical, elegant or one-of-a-kind as one can imagine. Selecting the right cremation urn can be a thoughtful, rich process-one that in fact pays tribute to the vibrant life of your loved one. Following are some questions to consider as you search for the right cremation urn.

What do you want to do with the remains?

As cremation increasingly becomes a common end-of-life choice, people have a variety of options when it comes to handling the cremated remains. These options may help you narrow the type of cremation urn best suited to the situation. Urns can be stored in a special memorial building called a columbarium, or kept in the home of family or friends. Biodegradable urns can be buried or placed in the sea or a river, in which case the urns dissolve over time. Another urn option is a keepsake urn in the form of pendant or jewelry, which allows you to keep a portion of the remains close to your heart. Companion urns allow two people to be together side-by-side or together in the same vessel.

What style of urn is best suited to your loved one?

When it comes to selecting an urn for ashes, the options are as wide and varied as your imagination. Urn materials may include glass, ceramic, stone, wood, clay, leather, a variety of metals and much more. There are urns in every color. The shapes and styles range from the traditionally shaped vessel, to a handsome wood box, to a piece of keepsake urn jewelry, to a blown glass globe and more. Urns for ashes can be as classic and elegant or as wild and outrageous as your imagination permits. They can be artfully creative or eco-friendly. Perhaps they loved tending a garden, so you could seek out an urn that includes natural elements like bits of leaves and flowers. Or perhaps they were committed to lowering their carbon footprint, so you might select a biodegradable urn.

Selecting a cremation urn is an important decision. Take care to explore all of your options. The most important thing in selecting the right cremation urn is to think about what style, material and purpose would most meaningfully reflect the life of your loved one-because after all, you want to celebrate the life they lived and the memories they created.

Melody Jamali is the Founder and President of ( Une Belle Vie ), a Colorado company dedicated to bringing choice of cremation to public light. Their company offers the widest selection in decorative urns for cremation and includes a wide collection of resources designed to help families and friends in their time of need. From tool for the grieving to informative articles about planning, support and other uplifting thoughts, Une Belle Vie is a company dedicated to helping your celebrate the life of the one you love – on your terms.