After your loved one has died, you may have decided to have them cremated. That means that you will end up with their cremains, and you will need to decide what to do with them. You can talk to the cremation service that did the job to see what options they offer, but there are also other options that you can choose from. So, what are some options you can do with your loved one's cremains? 

Decorative Urn

One thing that you can do is purchase a decorative urn or memorial container. Many funeral homes or cremation services will offer urns and containers for sale. If you get one through one of those sources, the cremains will return to you in that container. You can place the container in your home, so your loved one is always with you. If you purchase more than one container so that the ashes can be split with other family members, you can talk to the service doing the cremation to see if they can put some cremains in all of the urns or memorial containers that you have purchased. That may be something that you have to do once you have everything in your possession.  

Columbarium

A columbarium is a memorial wall that has niches for cremated remains. These are generally at cemeteries. You must buy or lease the niche where your loved one will be placed. Then the cavity will be sealed over, and a plaque will be placed with your loved one's name and information so that everyone will know where to go when they want to pay their respects. That can be convenient for everyone involved because you may not want to have their cremains in your home, but you may still want to have a place to go to pay your respects or to spend some time with your loved one. The crematorium you use may be associated with a cemetery with a columbarium, making it easy to get your loved one's cremains placed in the columbarium. 

The death of a loved one can be devastating. You have many things to deal with after their death, including whether you want to have a traditional burial or a cremation. If you choose to go with cremation, the cremation service you decide to work with can help you through the process and give you options for what to do with your loved one's cremains.