The Process of Cremation
Cremation is the act of burning the deceased to the point that all that remains is just ash. Since an extremely high temperature is needed in order to fully cremate a human body (usually around 1500F), only specialized furnaces are allowed to cremate a corpse. Once a crematorium has been selected by the family of the deceased, the process becomes fairly straightforward, there is sometimes a service, the actual cremation, the presentation of the urn, and the scattering of the ashes.
In the United States, only licensed crematoriums are allowed to operate commercially due to both the needs and wishes of the family, and to negate any negative environmental impact. Some funeral homes have crematoriums connected with their business, while some cemeteries also provide a cremation services. There are some independent crematoriums, but outside of large cities and areas without crematoriums attached to other businesses, they are rare. Selection of a crematorium is very important to a family if they wish to watch their loved one be cremated, as they would need to use a place that has window access to the furnace, and enough room for everyone present to stand comfortably.
Funeral services can take place either before or after a person is cremated, if it is done before, there may be a visitation and then an actual funeral, minus the burial. If it is done after cremation, the urn will be on display for the ceremony. Sometimes, due to the wishes of the family, the urn may be buried, in this case a nice wooden urn would be recommended due to its ability to decompose.
During the actual cremation of the body, the furnace technician is responsible for making sure the entire body is reduced to ashes, in many crematoriums, once the body is inserted, the door is automatically locked to make sure that the body cannot be accessed again until after it is turned to ash. This process can take anywhere between 1 to 4 hours depending on the deceased’s body weight, and allowing the furnace to cool down enough to open the doors to retrieve the ashes. Special care must be taken in order to prevent contamination of the ashes with other ashes, or other materials that may be around the furnace.
Once the family is given the urn, provided that they do not want to bury it, they may choose to either scatter the ashes of the loved one, or keep the urn stored in a home or somewhere else. Ashes are usually scattered somewhere that the deceased enjoyed being, or wished they could be. Oftentimes there will be a place stated in the will that specifically indicates where the ashes should be spread. When the ashes are kept in the urn, most of the time a child will choose to keep it in their house, usually on display for other people to see, next to a picture of the deceased person. However, there are times when an urn will be placed inside a wall at a memorial plaza or a cemetery, which makes it easier for the public, or the person’s family, to pay their respects.
More About Cremation Urns
With the rising costs of burying your loved ones, a better alternative is to use a cremation urn. A cremation urn is vase that is filled with the remains of a loved one. It can be made of steel, bronze, wood, or it can also be composed of ceramic materials.
Cremation Urns have been used for hundreds of years. Civilizations such as the ancient Greeks and Bavarians used cremation urns to honor their deceased loved ones. Wealthy Romans also placed urns in special tombs called a columbarium.
You can buy a cremation urn in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Even better, many urn crafters now offer customization services so you can design your own urn. You can also engrave a quote, saying or comment about a loved one directly onto a urn as well.
Wood urns are slowly becoming the most popular form of cremation urns. There are two main wood cremation urns. A box urn is normally composed of oak, cherry, or another high quality piece of wood. It is designed just as the name says it is: as a box. To personalize your box urn, you can generally choose between a finger joint or dovetail joint.
A segmented cremation urn is a more complex, unique urn. A segmented urn is composed of a large number of individual wood pieces that are hand turned to create a smooth finish. Segmented cremation urns are normally a much popular choice because they are handcrafted with extreme care. The care that is put into providing your loved one with the highest quality urn is second to none.
You can protect your loved ones ashes in two ways. In the first way you can include a keepsake tray that will be placed above the ashes. The keepsake tray can be used to place such items as a wedding ring, photo, or special item that represents something about your loved one. In the second way, you can just placed the ashes in the urn and enclose it with a lid.
Dealing with the death of a loved one is an extremely difficult and trying process. Nothing you can do can replace the loss of someone. Do not dwell on the fact that your loved one has passed away. Think about all the good memories you had and cherish the time you spent with them during their life.
A cremation urn isn’t going to bring back your loved one but it can give you the joy of knowing your loved one is with you every single day. Remember your loved one by purchasing a cremation urn. Better yet, customize it with a saying related to your loved one so that you can remember the loved you shared with each other throughout each other’s lives. Nothing is easy about death. However, the ultimate show of love is to honor a deceased loved one and to keep them with you in your heart every single day of your life. Show your love and keep your loved one with you in a cremation urn so you can be reminded of them every day.
High Quality Cremation Urns that are Customizable Directly on the Website
In response to the recent demand for customizable urns, Bryan Wood Urns in announcing their line of exceptionally high quality urns that can be customized to represent the personality and uniqueness of the loved one that they are honoring.
For people who have undergone the tragedy of losing a loved one, creating a meaningful keepsake is an important part of their convalescence. Whether it’s a piece of clothing, a cherished picture, or an urn above the fireplace, people appreciate the positive memories and good feelings that come with tangible representations of the departed.
Tim Bryan, who created Bryan Wood Urns out of his own experience with loss, comments: “Using my own experience of personnel loss, I have developed a number of cremation urns that allow you the opportunity to express your own feelings.”
Bryan Wood Urns are each individually created with the departed in mind. When clients first come to the website they can choose from a wide variety of urn shapes and styles. There are two major categories of urn shapes including “Box Urns” (which employ a square shape) and “Segmented Earns” (which resemble a large vase and use over 200 individual pieces of wood). Within these two categories are sub categories which represent the actual dimensions of the urn. Customers can choose from a variety of shapes and sizes, each urn with its own design name such as “integrity,” “benevolence,” “Serenity” and “Sincerity.”
Each urn also comes with a “keepsake tray” which holds personal mementos of the departed. The tray is skillfully built in to the actual urn, and can be removed or included in the urn during its display.
Once a client chooses his or her urn they can go to the “Design Studio” and customize it even further. This is where Bryan Wood Urns really separate themselves from other urn companies as they allow for multiple customization options including writing, and perhaps most impressively, picture etching directly onto the wood itself.
The latter gives the bereaved the opportunity to upload a picture of their loved one and have it etched directly onto the urns surface. Clients all attest that the technology is an amazingly accurate representation of the original picture they provided, and of course, Bryan Wood Urns sends them a proof of what their urn will look like before they move forward with the actual creation of it.
According to past clients, this is perhaps the most distinguishable quality of Bryan Wood Urns. They pride themselves on customer service and they keep their clients in the loop during every step of the creation process. No decision is made without the client’s approval, and the cremation urn isn’t made until the client actually orders it.
It’s with this commitment to customer service that Bryan Wood Urns have separated themselves from other urn companies. According to past customers Pete & Julie Dowley, “…This is one purchase we never envisioned in our lifetime; however they alleviated the difficult process by taking time to answer questions and offer guidance during the proofing phase and even with the follow up phone call to ensure delivery and satisfaction. Thank you so much.”
To learn more about Bryan Wood Urns, or to see their huge selection of customizable urns, please visit: http://www.bryanwoodurns.com
How BryanWoodUrns Started
When I tell friends and family that I design and make urns, it always cracks me up when I see how they act.
Sometimes they will get suddenly solemn or they show complete surprise and feel uncomfortable, and as quickly as they can they find a way to change the subject or bolt for nearest door. An example of this was when I had Two friends of mine from an automotive shop I used to work at, come over to my house for beers, they wanted to know what I’ve been up to lately, when I showed them the urns I designed, they both turned white and slammed down the rest of their beers and told me they had to get up early for work. I hadn’t heard from them since. I find it very interesting how we all deal with death don‘t you?
Every once in awhile someone will ask “why? Why urns?” I could have designed furniture, cabinets, just about anything out of wood, but I chose urns. My wife and I are foster care parents to three medically fragile children, the ones we take care of, I was told, don’t usually live that long and are usually buried in the cemetery in the south of town where People that have no one to claim them are buried. I asked the state if I could make their urns and keep them with us. After some paperwork, we were given permission.
I set out to develop an urn. As I started putting together designs, I wanted something very personnel to each child. Something that would show how much they meant to my wife and I. Since we have three foster children presently , and most likely we will have more, I knew I had to develop , four basic models that can also be personalized to each child. I started out with wood turned urns, because of the smooth lines and unique features of each urn.
My mom and dad were raised during the great depression, and taught me, waste not, want not. And that is why I settled on segmented turning, very little wood is wasted in the construction. Once I decided on those two things, I incorporated an added feature that I had not seen with any other urn, and that was a keepsake cup. Keepsake cups can be used for small items such as a lock of hair, or a wedding band, anything that would further personalized the urn.
I choose four woods that and four different types of lids, giving us sixty four different combinations to choose from. I then wanted to add more personalization options for each individual. I wanted to be able to see the face of the child on every urn along with a poem, a story, a quote from their favorite movie, or book. Anything that I could look upon and remember them.
John Lennon once said “life is what happens while your busy making other plans”. While developing
these urns, a number of my family and friends died, which made developing the urns take on a whole new meaning. As I made each urn from then on, I thought of each person and how they effected my life and how honored I was to make each and every urn. My mother and father were two of the urns I made. In fact, before my Mother passed away, she came up with the idea of naming the urns after four virtues that I thought best described them. Through the process, some how, I got the idea that maybe other people might like to buy these urns, so I decided to offer these urns to everyone on the internet.
What is a Keepsake Cup?
When a loved one dies there are many ways to cope with the loss. Some people will have a memorial created on a headstone, or have a cremation urn to keep in their house. Most people consider just these two options, but there are so many more ways to go. Did you know that you can get a keepsake to keep part of that person with you? Usually people will keep some type of personal belonging from their deceased loved one with them. Many people do not realize that there are specific products made for this exact purpose.
A Keepsake Cup can be made from many materials, from stone to wood. They are typically a small container that have a small opening to hold something to remind you of your loved one. Sometimes families will buy one large urn to stay with the spouse of the departed, and several smaller keepsake urns to give each child of the departed a small portion of the ashes. Other uses for keepsake urns include keeping anything from a lock of hair, to jewelry, to favorite items (such as rosary beads). Some urns even have the keepsake cups built in, making the cup look just like a normal lid.
If you are looking to keep some of your loved one’s possessions with their ashes after they have passed on or would like to share a loved one’s ashes amongst several family members, consider purchasing a keepsake cup or a keepsake urn.
Thank you for your consideration and we offer our deepest condolences for your loss.
Controlling Funeral Costs with a custom wood urn
Death is not a subject that most people want to address until you are faced with it. According to JD Power and Associates, only 60% of individuals have a life insurance policy much less a will to address final disposition of their remains leaving their loved ones in a state of a confusion and overwhelmed with grief and not to mention the expense that comes with losing a loved one.
It seems that the economic down turn has impacted every aspect of American life, unemployment, education, health care, and retirement. The states are having to slash their budgets just to continue Operating . Most Americans are struggling just to meet their own needs, and because there income margins are running so narrow, any unexpected expense such as a car breaking down, or a child getting hurt can force any struggling family into bankruptcy. Such is the case with an unexpected death. In fact this expense Has led to a direct effect that most municipalities didn’t count on, and that is the number of bodies piled up At the city morgues, due to families unable to bare the burden the overwhelming cost of the loss of a loved one, such is the case from a report conducted by CNNMoney dated October 1, 2009. Cities Such as Detroit and Los Angeles are reporting and increasing number of unclaimed bodies stacking up at Their morgues, and with the economic outlook looking dim, there is no reason to believe that the situation is going to get better anytime soon.
According to AARP, most funerals can start at $10,000.00 and Cremation can start at $800.00. Either One of these scenarios can put a tremendous burden on any family struggling to make ends meet. Barring the religious requirements of death , it’s quite obvious that cremation would be the most cost effective alternative, but even with this there are ways to keep the cost within reason and still give their loved one a respectable send-off.
Upon the death of a loved one, many questions and concerns arise leaving one to wonder “What next?”. First take a breath and find your support, whether it be from a family member, friends, or a non-profit hospice organization. Decisions do not have to be rushed at this point. There may or may not need to be an inquiry into the cause of death, but after that, you will be asked about what you would like done with body. In most cities There will be a number of crematoriums available. Have someone call for prices. Once a cremation facility has been decided upon, ask the funeral director the estimated time for delivery of ashes. In most cases ten business days is normal. The ashes will be delivered to you in a temporary container for final disposition. At this point, cost is your discretion, From cost of urns to services being held. Obituaries, depending on where you are from, can cost as much as the cremation itself and can be circumvented with the use of network organization through friends and family.
For the memorial, cost can be contained in the following ways. Services, depending on your religious background, can be held in a private residence where loved ones can reflect upon the life of the person. At this point many friends and family feel it necessary to provide refreshments to those grieving. Through active coordination a pot-luck scenario would best serve the occasion.
In dealing with a death of a loved one, many decisions have to be made but not one has to be rushed. Cost does not have to hinder the celebration of a person’s life. At this point one must decide the disposition of the ashes, whether scattering, burying, or keeping close to home. This is where careful thought can be put into purchasing an urn.
Urns come in many shapes and sizes and can be used in many ways, and at varying cost.
But again, take your time, pick out one that best suits your needs and best reflects those
you love. In looking for an urn, we hope that you will consider Bryan Wood Urns, which
allow you to develop and personalize an urn that best reflects your loved one. We use the finest woods and offer personalized laser engraving for every urn. We also include a free keepsake cup with every order.
Please consider visiting Http://www.bryanwoodurns.com for more information.
Cremation Urns
Bryan Wood Urns offers one of a kind wood urns that can be customized with laser engraving for that personal epitaph for those who mean so much to you. Whether it be with segmented round urns or box urns, all of our urns come with a free keepsake cup or keepsake tray to hold the personal items that meant so much to them. All of our urns are made with solid hardwoods that are chosen by hand to ensure maximum quality and satisfaction. Even if your having difficulty expressing exactly how you feel, we have an urn design team will be more that happy to help in the process of designing your urn.
Even if you are planning on scattering the ashes Bryan Wood Urns will always allow you to keep
the memory of your loved one close to home with an urn that reflects their personality for all to see.
It’s never easy to let go of a loved one, but with Bryan wood urns it is our hope that by creating that long lasting one of a kind urn we will help you remember them always.
