After cremation, many families describe a strange quiet: the logistics are “done,” but the heart still wants somewhere for love to go. If you’re searching for things to do with cremation ashes or quietly asking yourself what to do with ashes, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to decide everything at once.
Cremation is now a common choice in the U.S. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025. The Cremation Association of North America reports a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% in 2024.
Preferences vary, too. NFDA notes that among people who would prefer cremation, 37.1% would prefer their remains kept in an urn at home, 33.5% would prefer scattering in a sentimental place, and 37.8% would prefer burial or interment in a cemetery. If your family is pulled in different directions, that’s normal.
Before You Choose: A Gentle “Right Now” Plan
If you feel pressured to “pick the perfect thing,” start smaller. Many families do best with a two-step approach: keep ashes safely now, then choose a long-term memorial later. This is still funeral planning, just at a humane pace. Funeral.com’s guide to keeping ashes at home can help you set up calm storage, reduce stress, and decide when to move from temporary to permanent.
Budget also shapes what feels possible. NFDA reports a national median cost of $6,280 for a funeral with cremation (including viewing and service) in 2023, compared with $8,300 for a comparable funeral with burial. If you’re trying to estimate how much does cremation cost for your situation, start here: How Much Does Cremation Cost? (2025 Guide).
Below are 57 ideas you can mix and match—some use cremation urns and cremation urns for ashes, some are practical urn alternatives, and many combine sharing, ceremony, and place.
Ideas That Keep Ashes Close at Home
If “home” is the destination (or the first step), start with cremation urns for ashes. If you only need a portion or want a smaller footprint, browse small cremation urns and keepsake urns.
- 1) Choose one full-size urn as the “home base” memorial.
- 2) Create a small remembrance shelf with the urn, a photo, and a candle.
- 3) Place the urn somewhere stable, away from heat, humidity, and pets.
- 4) Add an engravable plate or base for a simple, readable tribute.
- 5) Keep a private keepsake urn in a nightstand or drawer for quiet comfort.
- 6) Pair the urn with a memory box for letters, cards, and small mementos.
- 7) Keep a second small urn as a “travel keepsake” for meaningful trips.
- 8) Choose a small urn for each household when family lives in different places.
- 9) Create a yearly home ritual (light a candle, read a memory, play one song).
- 10) Keep the ashes where the paperwork is stored, so nothing gets separated.
- 11) Choose a display that feels natural—bookcase, mantel, or a dedicated table.
- 12) Plan for “later”: keep a portion at home even if you expect cemetery placement.
Ideas for Sharing, Portability, and Private Remembrance
When multiple people want a tangible connection—or when you want something private—smaller formats can be deeply healing. For the practical basics (how it’s filled, how it seals, what it holds), start with cremation jewelry 101, then browse cremation jewelry and cremation necklaces.
- 13) Create a “main urn plus keepsakes” plan so everyone feels included.
- 14) Divide ashes between siblings using matching keepsake urns.
- 15) Use small urns when each household wants a meaningful share, not a token.
- 16) Choose one cremation necklace for daily wear and one keepsake for home.
- 17) Choose a bracelet, charm, or pendant if a necklace doesn’t feel like “you.”
- 18) Keep a travel-ready keepsake for weddings, graduations, reunions, or holidays.
- 19) Create two portions: one for scattering later, one for keeping now.
- 20) Give a tiny portion to one “chosen family” member with a handwritten note.
- 21) Keep a portion with medals or heirlooms in a protected shadow box display.
- 22) If family dynamics are complicated, write down the plan while it’s calm.
- 23) Keep a sealed backup portion in case an urn is ever damaged or lost.
- 24) Choose reversible options first if you’re not ready for a permanent decision.
Ideas for Scattering, Nature, and Meaningful Places
Scattering is often less about “letting go” and more about returning someone to a place that already holds their story. Because rules depend on location, start with Is It Legal to Scatter Ashes?
If you’re planning water burial or burial at sea, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes cremated remains may be buried at sea as long as the burial takes place at least three nautical miles from land. Funeral.com’s guide to water burial explains what that distance means in real-world planning.
If you want an eco-focused container designed for earth or water return—including plantable memorial tree urn styles and water-soluble options—browse biodegradable & eco-friendly urns for ashes.
- 25) Scatter on private property with permission from the landowner.
- 26) Scatter in a sentimental place with one short story each person shares.
- 27) Use a scattering tube to make the release calmer in wind.
- 28) Choose a two-location plan: part scattered, part kept in keepsakes.
- 29) Scatter in a cemetery scattering garden if you want a visitable public place.
- 30) Inter a portion in a cemetery plot and keep a portion at home.
- 31) Place ashes in a columbarium niche for a permanent, visitable memorial.
- 32) Bury a biodegradable urn in a family garden where it can rest undisturbed.
- 33) Plant a memorial tree urn as a living tribute (check local rules first).
- 34) Hold the ceremony at the location even if you don’t release ashes there.
- 35) Arrange a burial-at-sea ceremony that follows the three-nautical-mile rule.
- 36) Use a water-soluble urn for a water ceremony designed to dissolve gently.
- 37) Save a small portion for future family members who may want a keepsake later.
Ideas That Transform Ashes Into Art or a Tangible Keepsake
Some families don’t want a container at all—they want a transformation. These options usually require only a small portion, and they range from budget-friendly to premium.
- 38) Create ashes to glass art (paperweight, orb, or pendant) from a small portion.
- 39) Commission ashes to diamond memorial jewelry through a specialty provider.
- 40) Incorporate a small portion into ceramic or blown-glass artwork for display.
- 41) Create a memorial garden stone that includes a sealed ashes compartment.
- 42) Place a portion into a sealed time capsule with letters from family and friends.
- 43) Create a memorial reef placement project (typically concrete-based and ocean-sited).
- 44) Frame a “story map” of meaningful places, with a keepsake stored behind it.
- 45) Build a shadow box with a keepsake urn, photos, and one handwritten message.
- 46) Save a portion for a future “family reunion release” when travel is possible.
- 47) Choose a transformation that uses only a portion and keep the rest in an urn or niche.
Ideas for Pets, Family Rituals, and Multi-Loss Memorials
Grief isn’t always neatly separated into “human” and “pet.” If you’re choosing pet urns, pet urns for ashes, or other pet cremation urns, Funeral.com’s guide to pet urns for ashes covers sizing, materials, and personalization in a steady, practical way.
For shopping, start with pet cremation urns for ashes, then narrow to pet figurine cremation urns or shareable pet keepsake cremation urns.
- 48) Create a combined memorial shelf for a loved one and a beloved pet.
- 49) Choose pet urns that match the style of the family’s main urn.
- 50) Use a figurine pet urn that reflects breed, posture, or personality.
- 51) Keep a pet keepsake urn at home and scatter the rest in a favorite place.
- 52) Create a “shared remembrance” set: one human keepsake, one pet keepsake, one photo.
- 53) Invite children to write a letter and place it beside a keepsake urn.
- 54) Hold a simple backyard ceremony with one consistent phrase each person says.
- 55) Choose a plantable or biodegradable urn when nature was part of the story.
- 56) If multiple losses have occurred, choose one calendar day for remembrance each year.
- 57) If you feel stuck, choose a safe temporary plan and revisit in three months.
Choosing Without Second-Guessing Yourself
If this list made you feel both comforted and overwhelmed, that’s normal. The goal is not to find the “best” idea. The goal is to choose the option that fits your family’s real life: relationships, budget, and what feels emotionally sustainable.
A steady rule helps: start with what can be changed later. keepsake urns, a small cremation urn, or cremation jewelry can be a first step while you decide on scattering, cemetery placement, or a long-term home memorial. If you want a calm overview of urn types, materials, and scenarios, read Cremation Urns 101.
