Increasingly, people are choosing to create custom cremation urns as a way to honor and celebrate the deceased. What exactly are custom cremation urns? Why are they becoming more popular? And what should you consider when designing one for a loved one?
What Are Custom Cremation Urns?
Custom cremation urns are display urns for cremation ashes that have been customized in some way. These urns come in practically unlimited shapes and sizes, with some people choosing a form that’s emblematic of the deceased’s interests, passions, or hobbies in life. It’s also common to customize these display urns with the person’s name, birth and death dates, meaningful quotes, descriptions of life, or other significant messages. You can even include an inlaid photograph or etch a custom design into them.
So why are these custom cremation urns becoming more popular?
The Popularity of Cremation
Cremation itself is becoming more popular in the U.S., so it’s only natural to see a rising trend of popularity in downstream practices, like customizing cremation urns. But why is cremation itself becoming more popular?
These are just some of the reasons:
• Reduced availability of space. Burial requires space, and as the United States grows more heavily populated, available space is becoming sparser and more expensive. There are certainly plenty of graveyards remaining for now, but available space is only going to shrink in the future.
• Perceived environmental friendliness. Cremation isn’t perfect; it does release some greenhouse gasses and may introduce certain pollutants into the atmosphere. However, it’s generally regarded as more environmentally friendly than burial, and for a variety of reasons.
• Options available. People also appreciate cremation because of how many options it provides to the people choosing it. Even if you’re cremating, you can have a viewing. When the ashes are ready, you can scatter them, store them in a custom urn, or even turn them into a piece of jewelry that you wear on a daily basis.
• Deviation from religious practices. Burial was more popular than cremation for thousands of years in part because many religious practices historically either explicitly forbade or discouraged cremation. However, most mainstream religions have softened their views on cremation, and many people in the United States are becoming more secular, ignoring religious dictates entirely.
• Lower expenses. People also gravitate toward cremation because it’s less expensive than burial. Unfortunately, cost is an important consideration that families need to make when memorializing someone who has deceased. Choosing cremation over burial can often save thousands of dollars – on top of all the other advantages.
The Value of Display Urns
There are many options for storing or distributing the ashes of a loved one, but display urns are associated with many advantages, including:
• A portable resting place. A display urn is a somewhat portable resting place. You can lay your loved one to rest in a housing vessel that can come with you, even if you move to another state or another country.
• A permanent memento. Urns are designed to be permanent mementos. If you display this work of art in a prominent location, you’ll be reminded of your loved one on a daily basis. It’s the perfect way to keep their memory alive.
• A beautiful piece of art. On top of that, many urns stand on their own as beautiful pieces of art. If you choose the right design, you’ll be able to enjoy the urn as a unique aesthetic element in its own right.
Customizing Display Urns
There are also benefits in being able to customize a display urn. Instead of choosing something off the shelf, you can design a permanent memento of your loved one from scratch. You can make it represent something they genuinely loved or were passionate about, and you can write a message of love that shows your fondness and dedication for this person.
Getting involved with the urn customization process can also be both touching and cathartic. This is an opportunity to think about all the things that made this person special and come up with a perfect photo, a perfect quote, or a design that captures all your thoughts and feelings. In a way, choosing a custom cremation urn is an act of creative expression – and one that can help you process your grief in a healthy way.
Even better, customizing an urn doesn’t cost much more than purchasing a standard model. In fact, sometimes it won’t cost you anything.
Customizing a cremation urn isn’t the right fit for every family or every individual. But there’s a reason it’s becoming so popular. Cremation itself is only going to become more popular with time, and there are few better ways to effectively store and display the ashes of your loved ones.
