How Do I Select an Urn?

Selecting an Urn

When you’re grieving, making important decisions can be a difficult endeavor. Selecting the right urn for your lost friend or loved one is one of those tough choices.

There are many choices and different types of urns to choose from, which can be both helpful and overwhelming at the same time. We came up with a handful of tips to help you select an urn, making one of the toughest decisions a little easier.

4 Tips on Selecting the Right Urn

It’s important to understand that there are so many choices because there are so many different types of people and tastes.

1. Decide Where the Urn Will Reside

You know your choice must be practical first, which means you need it to do the job of storing cremated remains before you need it to do the job of looking nice. So ask yourself how you plan to use the urn?

Are you going to display it, like on a mantle or shelf? If so, you’ll want a permanent urn made out of ceramic, glass, marble, metal or even stone.

Is this urn going inside a niche at a columbarium, next to other urns in other niches? If so, then you need to figure out the size and space of the niche before purchasing an urn.

Do you plan to scatter the ashes, which would need a less expensive vessel, since it’s not permanent, or do you plan on burying the urn? These are all questions you should answer first.

2. What Kind of Style Fits Your Loved One?

Your two main goals when choosing an urn is to find something to store a loved one’s ashes and to honor them with a respectful urn. There are thousands of urn designs, but what fits the deceased’s wishes or personality best? If they didn’t choose an urn or give you directions, then what are they passionate about, or what kind of special interests do you think might help with your selection?

Think about some of these styles and what they might represent to your friend: artistic, handmade, patriotic, religious, themed, whimsical, etc. You can also choose to get it engraved, too.

3. What Material Should the Urn Be Made From?

There are different materials you can choose from if you are looking for a more traditional urn that’s not necessarily stylized. Here are some urn material options:

• Ceramic
• Glass
• Wood
• Metal
• Biodegradable

Also, remember that you can choose to get a “keepsake,” which is a smaller versions of an urn that can stay in a home after the urn is stored at someone else’s house.

4. Decide On an Urn Price Point

Urns actually come in all different price ranges, so you should decide how much you’d like to spend on an urn. From a modest price ($50-$100) up to over $1,000 – you can find something you’d like in nearly every price range. The higher priced ones might just have much better craftsmanship, but you’ll be able to find something you like in every price point.

Many funeral homes, including The Gardens of Boca Raton Cemetery & Funeral Services, will have an assortment of popular and elegant urns to choose from if you don’t find one elsewhere. You can call us at (561) 989-9190, or visit our offices at 4103 N. Military Trail, in Boca Raton, just north of NW 40^th Street, and west of I-95. Whether you’re helping with a funeral in South Florida or somewhere else, we’d be glad to help you select an urn.