Funeral Cremation Urns: How to Make the Right Choice of Funeral Cremation Urns

Funeral cremation urns are a specific type of urn. They are designed for use at funeral ceremonies. As such, they are generally large enough to hold all of the cremated remains of the departed and are often more finely crafted and/or elaborately decorated than other cremation urns that are designed for burial or scattering of ashes. They will also be made from materials that do not readily decompose or break.

The most used materials for funeral cremation urns are metals, fine hardwoods, ceramic, cloisonne and glass. When choosing your urns for ashes, you need to keep several things in mind:

• Aesthetics: Is the urn aesthetically pleasing? Does its beauty reflect your respect and love for the deceased? This is the most important consideration. Even if the cost of a quality urn is higher than cheaper one, its cost will be forgotten while its beauty will always be remembered
• Symbolism: Urns for ashes should somehow be symbolic of the deceased or your memory of them. There are masculine and feminine designs, for instance as well as designs for infants, children and pets. Other designs may be even more specifically symbolic. Examples of these include religious or military symbols
• Durability: Bear in mind that funeral cremation urns are meant to be with their owners for at least the rest of their lives. More breakable containers, such as ceramic pieces will require careful preservation, while metallic vessels are virtually indestructible. Wood cremation urns will last for generations with a proper care
• Timelessness: Choose a design that you will be pleased with through every change in fashion and decor. Generally, funeral cremation urns are made by designers who keep this in mind and avoid faddish designs
• Function: There are special function funeral cremation urns that are made from dissolving and biodegradable materials such as sand and paper. Urns that will be housed in columbariums are made to specific size requirements for their niche.
• Size: Usually, full-sized urns are made big enough to hold all of the cremains of an individual of up to 200 lbs in weight. To be on the safe side, look at the interior capacity of the urn to be sure. For example, a vase shaped cloisonne urn may stand 10" tall by 8 3/4" wide at its widest point. Usually, the interior volume will be listed as well. In this case, it has a volume of 225 cubic inches. As a rule of thumb, 1 cubic inch per pound is more than sufficient

Of course, you may have other personal considerations to bear in mind. Also, you may want to purchase what is known as a companion urn. These large urns are for holding the cremated remains of two individuals.

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Several family members may want to share the cremains. In this case, you have several options. There is no reason why a full-size urn must be completely filled, for instance. On the other hand, you may want to save a small portion of the ashes for placement in keepsake cremation urns. Cremation jewellery is probably the most popular type of keepsake urn and comes in an enormous variety of styles to suit any taste.

Some people want to hold a traditional funeral in every sense of the word, but prefer cremation over burial. Many funeral cremation urns are available in the classic funeral casket styles and can be used in the funeral ceremony exactly as a full-sized casket would be. They can be driven from the church or funeral home to the cemetery, buried and marked with a traditional headstone. Many cemeteries have beautiful cremation gardens where urns for ashes and burial are marked with small headstones or brass plaques.

Part of the attraction of cremation is that it gives you many options that are not available with traditional burials. There are no laws or restrictions about what you do with the cremains. You can keep them in your possession and even hand them down to others after your own demise. This freedom of choice also requires a long term approach to your decision making. When choosing between the many types of cremation funeral urns, make the choice based on what your heart tells you is right and you will make the right choice.