Personalization has long been part of human nature. Each of us is unique; throughout life, we strive to make and grow connections with one another—and one of the best connections is personalization. We wear jewelry and clothing and have personalized items within our home that can help us express our true, unique selves—and when it comes to end-of-life items, having customizable options for burial urns is essential.
Customizable options for burial urns are essential to memorialize a precious and unique loved one and for friends and family to assist them during grieving. Many families find great comfort when they find and create the perfect tribute to a loved one. Yet, finding suitable customizable options can be very daunting at first, given the delicate subject matter and emotions that often come with dealing with grief and end-of-life.
We hope today, by sharing a few of the customizable options for burial urns, we can assist you in finding the unique option perfect for your loved one.
Engraving
One of the most common personalization touches for burial urns is choosing what to have engraved on the urn. Urns can be personalized with names, dates, epitaphs, sayings, and images that add personal meaning and comfort.
Dates can be formatted in several ways outside the traditional, from the mm/dd/yyyy typical format to fully spelling out months. One minor but vital tip to remember with the date format to choose is the size or engravable space available on the urn. Larger urns tend to have larger areas to work with, where spelling out the entire month may not be an issue—while smaller urns, space is often limited, and abbreviations work best.
Along with names and dates, many burial urn engravings provide templates for different font styles. Some fonts look more substantial and readable on some urns than others, so offering different font styles allows for better readability and details but adds a customized touch to an enduring memorial.
If image options are provided, many reputable burial urn businesses will provide options such as pre-made templates such as a flag to honor a veteran, a religious symbol such as a cross or Christ himself, or flowers such as roses to symbolize love and loss—or you can often upload an exceptional and unique image to be engraved upon the urn.
Materials
We’ve briefly touched on the subject of Why Materials Matter for Urns, but for a quick recap:
- Granite is one of the best materials for a beautiful, sleek, timeless urn with exquisite details and longevity. Granite’s natural beauty and durability make it one of the most sought-after memorial materials, with good reason, as the stone can remain beautiful for centuries, and maintaining a granite urn is effortless.
While granite remains one of the most popular choices for urns, memorials, and monuments worldwide—choosing a material for an urn is also often what the family feels is suitable to represent their loved one, or the loved one leaves instructions with a different material choice for the urn. When that happens, there are still many customizable material options, such as:
- Ceramic urns. Ceramic urns are often chosen by a loved one or family member for ashes to be displayed within or in a place where there is little danger of the urn being knocked over or damaged.
- Plastic. Plastic urns are generally used to hold ashes at a funeral service or memorial service and are not frequently chosen as a permanent resting place for ashes as they are not as durable nor as environmentally friendly as other materials.
- Metal urns. Some may choose a metal urn to hold ashes. Metal is a beautiful material choice with a modern and sleek look that fits into any décor and is exceptionally durable if cared for properly. Metal urns can be used outside or inside, but take note that certain metals can rust and oxidize over time.
- Wooden Urns. Wooden urns can be made from 100% wood, wood particles, or MDF with wood veneers. Wood urns come in all shapes, sizes, grain patterns, and stains, making this a versatile choice. Natural wood is durable and robust, especially hardwood species, an excellent choice for the environmentally conscious or those who wish to display their loved ones in a material they may have loved best.
- Raku Ceramic. Traditional Japanese Raku processes are typically used to create one-of-a-kind glazing with mesmerizing random patterns, colors, and clean lines that are often calming and inspiring to look upon. Like typical ceramic urns, this is an excellent material choice for an urn that will be displayed within a safe space at home.
- Glass. Hand-blown glass urns stand out for both beauty and artistry, with bold or subdued colors and patterns and shapes that create memorial art. Glass is a very delicate material, however, and these urns work best in safe places that present little danger to them being knocked over.
- Biodegradable urns. Biodegradable urns are made from various natural materials and are meant to be easy to return ashes to the earth or water with materials that do not harm the environment. You can find biodegradable urns from paper, rock salt, sand and gelatin, recycled paper and clay, wood, and other plant fibers.
How Do You Customize Decorating with Urns for The Home?
Bringing your customized cremation urn home for the first time can be emotionally overwhelming, and for many, not knowing where to place it right away is something commonly experienced. As time passes, you may eventually wonder where the best place to display the urn is.
Many options are available to you, and you never need to choose or stick to one idea. You can change where you display an urn with the seasons or special occasions. Whatever you decide is deeply personal and meaningful to you, and what you choose should be what feels warm and comforting to you. Some of our experts recommend:
- Surround the urn with treasured photo keepsakes, either behind the urn on a wall or a group of mismatched photo sizes in different frames on a mantle or small memorial table.
- For a modern and contemporary look, display the urn and delicate glass décor, such as vases and blown-glass artworks.
- Place an urn beside unscented or scented candles. Placing a memorial beside a scented candle with the loved one’s favorite scent is a beautiful way to evoke senses and powerful memories. The sight of the candle burning itself is often considered a symbol of safety, refuge, and comfort during a dark time.
Honoring a loved one with customizable urn options is a caring and thoughtful choice, allowing their legacy and memory to live on. If you want unique personalized options for yourself or your loved one, please browse our site. It would be our pleasure to create a memorial burial urn for you.