The death of a loved one is arguably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through in life. Even though we all face many challenges, losing a loved one is probably the most difficult, so memorialising them is a critical step in coping with the loss.
Perhaps you have lost someone dear. You have come through the initial shock of the death, navigated the various details of arranging the funeral ceremony, and traversed the rituals of farewell.
Now you decide to rest a while. You are still grieving (will it ever end?), but some of the heaviness has lifted. You are learning to live with the lingering ache. Though your loved one is gone, you still feel their presence. You are reminded of things they did, what they would have said at dinner, or how they would have sat on their favourite chair. There is a lot that reminds you of them, including their cremation ashes.
Knowing what to do with your person’s ashes isn’t always a decision that comes easily. Sometimes they’re left in the closet or under the bed for months, even years, until you feel ready to memorialise them in a way that feels right.
There is no right or wrong, however one way to memorialise your person’s ashes is with a cremation urn that will evoke a sense of who they were, what they loved, and how they fitted in the home and in your life. A cremation urn is used to keep the ash that is collected after a body is cremated. The resulting ash, also called cremation ash or cremains, is what is returned to relatives or pet owners.
Crematoriums usually perform the cremation. When they are done, they return the ashes in a temporary container or bag. And that is where urns for cremation ashes come in. Cremation urns are vessels that are used to keep the ashes collected after a cremation has taken place. The urn could be displayed in the home, used to scatter or bury the ashes, or kept in a columbarium niche. Columbarium niches are vaults in a wall or structure, designed specifically to keep and display cremation urns as a final disposition and memorial.
The type of memorial chosen will largely determine what type of urn to get. For example, an urn meant for display, such as our best selling Hope Urn, Wonder Urn and Joy Urn will usually be more sophisticated than the one used to scatter ashes, unless the scatter urn is one of The Urn Collective x Cass Deller designed Scatter Urns, which have been created as a practical yet stylish option.
It also matters where the scattering takes place. Some urns are designed to be soluble in water with the capability to control floatation and the speed of dissolving and subsequent scattering of the ashes, such as The Living Water Urn. These soluble and fully biodegradable urns are made from recycled plant materials and are therefore friendly to the environment.
Some urns are also biodegradable in soil and are designed to carry cremation ashes and a tree on top, such as The Living Tree Urn and Bios Urn. The urn is buried in soil and the tree grows into the ash and to the soil as the urn gradually disintegrates. The tree then becomes a living memorial for the dead.
From dissolving urns to Planturns, your options are many and diverse. You may want something more traditional, or you might just need a break from the mould, a piece of art, or an eco urn. Find one to suit your aesthetic and capture some of the essences of your departed loved one.
The benefits of using an urn or keepsake jewellery are countless. Urns hold many different associations. For some, they are memorials, which serve to remember a life well lived by the departed. Urns also provide assurance, ensuring that a loved one has an appropriate eternal resting place. Having loved ones memorialised in urns somehow keeps them close even though they are no longer present in person.
You may also want to keep some of the ashes in keepsake jewellery. These stunning jewellery pieces secure little amounts of ash or locks of hair from your departed loved one, and you can wear them anywhere, any time.
People who have used keepsake jewellery report finding solace in knowing that a part of their loved one is still with them. They can look at a pendant or bracelet any time they long for their departed loved one. Therefore, having a part of their loved one with them eases the healing process. And with time, sadness can gradually transition to gratitude and gladness for the gift that they were when they lived and the legacy they left behind. And that is inspiring!
The diversity of urns and the growing use of keepsake jewellery reflect the increasing popularity of cremation in Australia. And there are compelling reasons to choose cremation over a traditional burial.
What does a Cremation Funeral Service Cost?
Cremation is usually more affordable than a traditional burial. The cremation cost is usually about 50% less than traditional, is logistically much less demanding than burials. Traditional burials, on the other hand, may require services like embalming the body, purchasing plots and headstones, organising a funeral service, transporting the body, purchasing coffins, and paying for cemetery maintenance. Most of these services are optional for cremation.
The burial process also involves a lot of paid transportation. The body must be transported from the place of death to the mortuary, from the mortuary to one or more funeral services, and then to the burial site. However, with cremation, transportation to the memorial site is much cheaper because urns are very portable.
Some people opt to be cremated when they die so that their families and friends don’t have to incur the extra costs of a burial. The bereaved can more easily honour this wish because the cost is often not a deterrent. And in the economy of emotions and energy, cremation is a winner. It means less time making and executing plans, and more time coping with the loss.
What does a Cremation Funeral Cost?
There are a few things to keep in mind when budgeting for a funeral or memorial service. There are funeral directors and funeral celebrants across Australia who will be able to help you decide what you will require such as a natural burial, cremation or burial, whether you will be planning a memorial service program, a traditional coffin or a cardboard coffin (and there are some beautiful cardboard coffin designs available), the funeral celebrant cost and funeral wake venues.
Planning a funeral can add up so it’s best to work out what you really want and need before making your decisions.
There are many prepaid funeral plans also that help keep costs down for when the time is needed.
Cremation needs less or no land for a memorial
Cremation ashes usually occupy a small fraction of the space a buried body would take. Whether a cremation urn is buried, kept in the house, or preserved in a columbarium niche, it would still take up little space. A burial, on the other hand, needs a portion of land for the ceremony to be performed. Besides being costly, burial places a demand on an already stretched and overcrowded commodity: land.
Cremation solves some people’s aversion to burial
The body of the deceased eventually decomposes. For some people, the idea of rotting away in a casket is unfathomable. These people would opt for a quicker way of being laid to rest and their ashes stored in urns. That way, their remains keep the same state indefinitely.
Having seen the major benefits of cremation, let us turn to urns and keepsake jewellery as cremation memorials. Why might they be good for you?
Urns are super portable
With cremation urns and jewellery, you can keep your person with you wherever you go. That way, there is no need for endless trips to visit a burial site. First, the cost can be prohibitive. And second, how often can you do that? Once a body is buried, it is stationary for the most part, unless the grave is dug up, which is not common. Cremation urns will wipe away the aches of having to leave a loved one’s memorial behind.
Urns come in wide varieties
Urns come in every size, colour, and shape. For example, the urns we offer have been specially curated from around the world to bring you art and beauty to suit your aesthetic leanings and evoke pleasant memories of your departed. The urns can be kept on display anywhere in the house, and the keepsake jewellery can be worn at the time of your choosing.
Urns allow family members to each have a memorial
The cremated ashes can be divided among people who have had a personal relationship with the deceased. These multiple urns for family and friends allow each to have their separate memorial for the departed.
Urns easily accommodate multiple memorials in family plots
Some people cherish the idea of being buried near family. This desire may not be met when confronted with burial in overcrowded family plots. But with cremation, people can bury urns for ashes alongside family in traditional burial plots. These plots allow many cremation urns to be preserved in one place.
Cremains can be scattered in any number of places
Upon cremation, the ashes can be stored in an urn until the family or friends choose a final resting place, or places. Unlike a body which is buried in one place, cremation ashes can be scattered in multiple locations. One’s ashes could be laid in a little lot, peppered across the planet, or even get spewed into space!
The bereaved can take comfort in this flexibility of resting places. They would probably know that the scattering of ashes on forests, mountains, or rivers, is what the deceased would have wanted. Without last wishes, though, they may not know this for sure. But at least they will be at peace.
Some people prefer non traditional funeral services such as a direct cremation, instead of a cremation with funeral service which may consist of a direct cremation followed by a memorial service for example.
Loved ones feel close to the departed
Memorial keepsake jewellery such as cremation rings and urn pendants are easy to wear and carry around. Their closeness can inspire fond memories for the bereaved. Cremation jewellery can also be passed on to future generations as a family heirloom. This strengthens family bonds and allows the departed to live on through the living.
Rituals to farewell the departed
Human beings have always honoured their dead by performing elaborate rituals and ceremonies that celebrate a life well lived and mourn the loss of a loved one. Although cremation is growing in popularity, some cultures have long practised cremation as a necessary part of their farewell ceremonies.
In Hinduism, for example, cremation is the only disposition method allowed for the dead. The body is believed to be presented as an offering to Agni, the god of fire, accompanied by a prayer to help the dead on their journey to a better life as purified beings.
On the other end, religions such as Islam forbid the cremation of the dead. It is considered haram, a violation of the human body. This prohibition can cause tension if an individual would like to be cremated but the rest of the family is opposed to the wish. A desire to have remains scattered in certain places would probably not be met. This is a very delicate issue that needs mutual understanding among family members and the departed before their death.
As mentioned above, ceremonies and rituals following death in the form of a memorial are part of human practice to honour the dead.
With an urn or a piece of cremation jewellery, it can be said that the memorial is a constant process because the ashes are always with the bereaved. But for burial, a loved one may need to visit the grave regularly to maintain a form of connection with the deceased, which can be very draining both mentally and physically. An urn and a piece of remembrance jewellery helps to mitigate this problem because all the travelling is easily precluded. This is financially and emotionally advantageous to the bereaved friends and family.
Urns and keepsake jewellery for cremation ashes offer strength when and where it is needed. It is not just about the objects themselves, but also what they carry and represent. And slowly, gratitude for the life that once was nudges away the sadness as smiles of remembrance replace tears.
If you are planning a funeral service or life celebration funeral service and are arranging a cremation, why not incorporate a scattering ashes ceremony? There are many incredible funeral directors and funeral celebrants across Sydney, Melbourne and the rest of Australia that will be able to assist you in creating this.
