Where to Put the Urn After Cremation

After cremation, where does the urn go?

Many families choose to bury the urn. This is handled much like a traditional burial, but in a smaller space. The urn is placed into a protective vault, buried, and marked with a headstone.

Others choose to scatter the ashes. This can be a lovely gesture, sending your loved one’s remains “back to the earth” with a simple scattering ceremony.

But often families will keep the urn. If you are going to keep it, you may have questions:

• Where will it be placed?
• Will it be stored, or displayed?
• Are there options away from home?
• Where is it appropriate to store or display the urn at home?

Let’s explore these options.

At the Cemetery: Mausoleum, Columbarium, Niche

These three terms—mausoleum, columbarium, and niche—usually refer to the same thing: a compartment in which to store an urn.

A mausoleum is any building in which cremated remains are stored. Mausoleums are generally a part of a funeral home or cemetery.

A columbarium is a structure with small spaces for placement of urns or other approved containers. It may be outdoors, as its own building, or as a separate wing of a mausoleum.

A columbarium niche is exactly what it sounds like: a small compartment for holding a cremation urn, usually one of many on a wall in a columbarium. Sometimes a niche can have a glass door, so that the urn can be visibly displayed; more often, the niches are designed along the lines of a decorative safety deposit box with a metal door for permanent storage of the urn.

If you are placing the urn in a niche, be sure to find out the exact dimensions of the urn vault or niche before you purchase a cremation urn. Many of our urns here or at Urns Northwest will fit into standard columbarium urn niches, and some can be modified to fit.

At Home: Traditional & Creative Options

Urns can be stored or displayed at home; for storage in an out-of-the-way location such as a closet or drawer you can use the box provided from the crematorium, or choose a simple and affordable urn from our wide selection. We have many urns that don’t look like urns to help expand your display options.

As you consider how to create a memorial space in your home, be aware of the size restrictions for where you want to display the urn. Make sure to choose an urn with a fitting design that will honor the individual no matter where the urn is placed.

Here are some places to display or store the urn at home:

• Fireplace mantle
• Bookshelf
• Display cabinet
• Bedside table
• Dresser
• Dedicated memorial room
• Floating shelf
• Closet
• Cabinet
• Bay window*

*Note: Exposure to sunlight can warp or damage wooden urns, and may discolor other types of materials.

If your loved one’s final resting place is in a columbarium niche but you would still like to have something to display in honor of the memory of your loved one, we offer small keepsake urns to hold a tiny amount of remains. These are ideal for display in a wide variety of places, such as a fireplace mantle, a bookshelf, or end table, while remaining small and unobtrusive.

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