What Are Outdoor Cremation Urns?

You aren’t limited to displaying or housing your loved ones remains in an indoor urn after a cremation service in Trenton, NJ. In fact, there are hundreds of options when it comes to body disposition, display or housing post cremation. From scattering and water burials, to inurnment in a columbarium and more, you can get as creative as you want for your loved ones post-cremation final resting place.

Some uncommon options are burial, inurnment or display outdoors. You can easily house your loved ones cremated remains in an urn above or below ground outside. If you decide to go this route, however, you do need to choose an urn that specifically made for outdoor use. These outdoor urns are designed to remain intact and even beautiful even after long years of outdoor exposure to dirt, dust, rain, snow and more.

When shopping for an outdoor urn, you first need to decide if the urn will stay above ground, or be buried below ground, as there are both above and below ground urns.

Many cemeteries have a columbarium. Columbarium are spaces, rooms or buildings designed to hold and display cremation urns. They have numerous individual niches carved into the walls for this purpose. Columbarium house cremated remains outdoors, but above ground.

When choosing an above ground outdoor urn, a metal urn is best. Bronze, brass, pewter, and stainless steel are great choices, although almost any urn designed for human remains will most likely work. However, it’s important to keep in mind that unless the outer wall of the columbarium is made of glass, you probably won’t be able see the urn once it’s been placed. Therefore you don’t have to worry about decoration too much. You can choose ceramic or glass, but these urns are not ideal for outdoor use as they are more vulnerable to cracking.

You can also choose to bury your loved one’s cremated remains. Like traditional full body burial, burying cremated remains allows you to have a defined place where family and friends can go to remember the lost loved one. In some cases, many families already own a burial plot, and want to use this land even if the deceased is cremated. Most cemeteries require an urn vault when burying cremated remains. The vault is typically sealed to keep out moisture and other elements of nature. Since the vault will bear the brunt of the natural exposure, any kind of urn will do.

If you don’t have to have an urn vault, you need to choose an urn that is durable. Strong urns from metal, composites or resins are ideal. A cremation urn made from wood, ceramic, or glass would most likely to lose its integrity over time, leaving the deceased’s remains exposed.

J. Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel specializes in Trenton, NJ cremation services, and would love to give you more information. Please visit us at 41 W Trenton Ave Morrisville, PA 19067, or give us a call at (215) 295-7725 to learn more about what we can do for you in your time of loss.