When a loved one is cremated, there are many options available for honoring the individual in the storage or disposition of the remains. These options can be distilled down to three basic choices:
- Burial
- Scattering
- Storage
We will devote a post to each of these options. Let’s begin with the first choice, burial of a cremation urn.
How to Bury an Urn: Choose an Appropriate Urn
When you receive the cremains (“cremated remains”) from the crematorium, they will usually be in a plastic bag which is inside a plastic or cardboard box, known as a temporary urn.
This cardboard or plastic temporary urn is perfectly suitable for ground burial, but you will want to be sure to honor your loved one in a fitting way, depending on the individual’s the the family’s wishes. Many people prefer the simplicity and affordability of simply burying the temporary urn, while others prefer to honor the life of a loved one with a beautiful cremation urn preserved in a burial vault, or with an eco-friendly biodegradable urn for an organic burial.
If you are planning on burying the urn in a funeral home plot, contact the curator before selecting an urn as they may have restrictions on which types of urns they allow, or if a burial vault is required.
How to Bury an Urn: Choose Location for Burial
Your decision on where to bury your loved one will take into consideration the individual’s or the family’s wishes, cost and availability, and not least of all the departed one’s personality and individual style.
If you have decided to bury your loved one in a formal setting such as a funeral home cemetery, the funeral home director or curator will provide you with all information needed for burial and will most likely make all the arrangements for you, leaving you with a few simple options and minimal stress.
Other options include burying an urn at your own residence, for example in your backyard or on a relative’s ranch, or out in the wilderness somewhere. Laws vary from state to state, and even from one county to the next, so contact the local authorities before proceeding. Many areas allow for scattering of remains but not burial, so please be sure to confirm with the city or county authorities.
How to Bury an Urn: Perform the Burial
Be sure to dig at least three feet deep for burying the urn. If you are burying the urn in a place where you are confident it will never be disturbed, a wood cremation urn is appropriate.
If you are burying an urn out in the wilderness somewhere, we would recommend a biodegradable urn.
Conduct a service appropriate for the memory of your loved one, then deposit the urn and cover it by re-filling the hole.
A closing suggestion: You would well-serve yourself and your family to make a record of the burial, as with the passage of time many details may become blurred in your memory. Be sure to include these details:
- Where the urn was buried
- When (day and time – either exact time or “sunset”)
- Why you chose the location and/or time
- Who was there
- Any other pertinent details, such as Bible verses or poems read, who spoke or prayed, etc.
