Planning Funeral Services: Choosing a Casket or an Urn

There are many things that need to be taken into account when planning for a funeral for yourself or a loved one, including what products and services will be used. In this article, we will discuss the differences between different types of caskets and urns – two of the most commonly-purchased items when preparing for a funeral – and what option will best suit your family’s specific needs.

Choosing a Casket or Cremation Urn: What You Need to Know

If you are planning a traditional funeral service, one of the most expensive items you will purchase is a casket. Whether you prefer metal caskets, wood, fiberglass, plastic or fiberboard, there is a vast array of options to suit your family’s budget, preference and needs, depending on the how the remains will be laid to rest. If you are opting for a burial in a cemetery, tomb or mausoleum, you may choose to buy a higher-quality coffin, especially if there will be an open casket ceremony prior to the graveside funeral. When you are ready to purchase a casket for a funeral, it’s not necessary to go to your local funeral home or casket distributor in person – there are many online servicesthat will allow you to browse caskets from the convenience of your own home.

However, if your family opts for cremation, it may be a more cost-effective and practical solution to rent a casket from your funeral agent, eliminating the cost of a coffin. For those who prefer direct cremation without a viewing, the funeral provider can furnish an inexpensive unfinished wooden casket or alternative coffin (made from other materials such as cardboard, canvas or pressboard) that is cremated along with the corpse – ask your funeral director about all of your options.

Just as there are a variety of different casket styles available, there are also a number of cremation urns to choose from – from traditional bronze and copper urns to stainless steel and hardwood models, you may wish to explore the many options accessible to you online when making funeral arrangements. Since the remains may be disposed of in a number of ways – including ash scattering, or entombed within a cemetery, mausoleum, or columbarium (a vault with niches to store the cremated remains, usually found within a cemetery) – it is important to choose an urn that is most appropriately suited to the final resting place of the deceased.