57 Things to Do With Cremation Ashes: Meaningful, Creative & Practical

There is a particular quiet that comes after cremation. The phone calls slow down. The urgent decisions are mostly made. And then, often sooner than you expect, you are handed a container and left with a question that feels both deeply emotional and surprisingly practical: what to do with ashes.

If you are feeling unsure, you are not behind. You are human. Today, cremation is a common choice in the United States, which means more families are navigating these “after” decisions than ever before. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate was projected to reach 61.9% in 2024. And the Cremation Association of North America tracks how that rate has risen over time, noting that as cremation passes 60%, growth continues while gradually slowing in percentage points.

What families do next tends to fall into a few gentle themes: keep, share, scatter, bury, transform, or do some combination over time. You might choose one primary memorial now and leave the rest of the planning for later. That is a valid form of funeral planning, too: choosing something safe and respectful while your heart catches up.

If you are starting from the very beginning, it can help to picture your “home base” first. Many families choose classic cremation urns as a steady presence, often from a curated collection like cremation urns for ashes. Others know they want something more compact, such as small cremation urns for a portion of remains, or keepsake urns so siblings and close friends can share in a way that feels loving rather than dividing.

And if the ashes belong to a beloved animal companion, the same tenderness applies. Many people find comfort in choosing pet urns that reflect personality and scale, such as pet urns for ashes, or a more visual memorial from pet cremation urns that look like “them” at first glance. For sharing, pet keepsake cremation urns can be a gentle way to keep a small portion close without pressure.

Below are 57 ideas you can consider. You do not need to choose all of them, and you do not need to choose quickly. Think of this as a menu of possibilities—some traditional, some modern, some quietly practical—so you can shape a tribute that fits your person, your pet, and your family.

57 meaningful options to consider

Place ashes in a full-size cremation urn as a home memorial.
Create a quiet shelf with a photo, candle, and cremation urns for ashes.
Choose small cremation urns for a discreet memorial in a smaller space.
Use keepsake urns so multiple loved ones can each hold a portion.
Pair a primary urn with two or three keepsakes for siblings or adult children.
Place ashes in a memorial box with letters, photos, and meaningful objects.
Use a photo urn that combines a frame with a secure compartment.
Keep ashes in a decorative urn that blends into everyday home decor.
Choose a biodegradable container for a later ceremony, then keep temporarily at home.
Create a memorial nook that can be moved if you relocate or downsize.
Split ashes between a home urn and a burial plan for a cemetery plot.
Place ashes in a columbarium niche at a cemetery or mausoleum.
Bury an urn in a cemetery plot with a marker for visiting and anniversaries.
Use a companion urn if you plan to keep two people together.
Inter ashes in a family grave with a cremation burial container if required.
Scatter ashes on private land with the owner’s permission.
Scatter ashes in a meaningful public place where rules allow and it is respectful.
Hold an ash-scattering ceremony with readings, music, and shared memories.
Scatter a small portion and keep the rest in keepsake urns.
Use a scattering tube to reduce wind issues and make the moment steadier.
Scatter at sea following U.S. federal guidance for human remains.
Choose water burial with a biodegradable urn designed to float briefly and dissolve.
Use a shore-based ceremony, then release a water-soluble urn from a boat.
Plan a lake or river farewell only where it is permitted and environmentally mindful.
Scatter in a national park only with required authorization or permits.
Scatter in a garden you tend—quiet, private, and ongoing.
Scatter at a favorite hiking overlook, choosing a low-traffic moment.
Scatter at a meaningful stadium or venue only with explicit permission.
Scatter at a hometown shoreline with careful attention to wind and guests.
Place ashes in a memorial reef option only if permitted and done responsibly.
Choose a tree-planting memorial using an eco-friendly urn kit designed for that purpose.
Add ashes to memorial glass art, such as a paperweight or ornament.
Commission a memorial painting that incorporates ashes into the medium.
Create ceramic art that includes ashes in a glaze (with an experienced artist).
Make a memorial tattoo ink infusion only through reputable providers and safety guidance.
Create a memorial diamond from ashes (or hair) through a specialized company.
Choose a memorial gemstone option if a diamond is not your style.
Place a small portion in a locket-style keepsake designed for ashes.
Wear cremation jewelry as a daily, portable memorial.
Choose cremation necklaces for a discreet remembrance close to the heart.
Select a bracelet or charm that holds a tiny portion securely.
Keep a small amount in a keychain keepsake if travel is part of your life.
Use a memorial ring designed to hold a very small portion.
Combine jewelry with a home urn so the memorial lives in more than one place.
Carry a tiny portion on important days, then return it to a home memorial afterward.
Share ashes among family members during a private, respectful transfer at home.
Create a “memory jar” of written stories to keep beside the urn (ashes stored separately).
Place ashes in a sealed keepsake for a child who wants closeness without fragility.
Keep ashes at home temporarily until travel, burial, or scattering is decided.
Create two memorials for two households after divorce or blended-family situations.
Send a portion to a distant relative in a properly sealed, legal shipping method.
Travel with ashes for a ceremony in another city using an X-ray-friendly container.
Bring ashes to a reunion or gathering where stories will be shared aloud.
Incorporate ashes into a memorial service display, then place them afterward.
Create a yearly ritual—light a candle, read letters, visit a place—without moving ashes at all.
Hold a private “release” moment where only a symbolic portion is scattered.
Choose a pet memorial urn for a companion animal and keep it near favorite toys.

How to choose the option that feels right

Even with many ideas on the table, most families narrow the decision by asking three simple questions: Where will the memorial live? How permanent do we want it to be right now? And do we want one shared memorial, or several smaller ones?

If your answer is “we want a steady place at home,” you are already thinking about keeping ashes at home in a practical, loving way. A secure, well-made urn can feel like an anchor—especially in the weeks when grief makes time feel slippery. Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally walks through placement, safety, and the everyday etiquette questions families often hesitate to ask.

If you are torn between “keep” and “scatter,” it may help to remember you can do both. A common plan is a primary urn (the home base), plus keepsake urns for close family, and then a ceremony where a symbolic portion is released. That approach protects the emotional reality that not everyone grieves the same way. It also reduces pressure on a single “final” choice, which can be a lot to carry when everything still feels raw.

When the choice is more about the container itself—what type, what size, what material—start with clarity rather than aesthetics. Funeral.com’s Choosing the Right Cremation Urn guide is designed for families who want calm, plain-language help without feeling rushed. If you already know your plan involves portions, compare small cremation urns and keepsake urns side by side so you can see what “small” really means in practice.

Planning notes that can save you stress later

Permissions matter more than people expect

Many families assume scattering is automatically allowed everywhere. In reality, the rules that matter most are usually about land management and respectful use. If you are considering national parks, for example, some parks require a permit or letter of authorization and set conditions about where scattering can happen. A concrete example is Yosemite’s guidance on scattering human cremated remains with authorization and specific conditions, shared by the U.S. National Park Service.

Water burial has clear federal boundaries in the U.S.

If you are planning water burial or scattering at sea in U.S. ocean waters, it helps to know the baseline federal framework. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains the general permit requirements for burial at sea, including the “three nautical miles from shore” rule for human remains and the important restriction that non-human remains, including pets, are not covered under that permit. If water feels like the right goodbye, Funeral.com’s practical guide Biodegradable Ocean & Water Burial Urns can help you picture how biodegradable urns are designed to behave in the moment—so the ceremony feels intentional, not chaotic.

Traveling with ashes requires the right container

If your family will fly with cremated remains, plan for screening. The TSA’s guidance emphasizes that containers must be able to pass through X-ray screening and that officers will not open the container. The TSA’s one-page document on Traveling With Crematory Remains is worth reading before you choose a travel setup. Many families keep the ashes in a temporary, X-ray-friendly container for the trip, then transfer them into a permanent urn at home afterward.

Where urns, keepsakes, and jewelry fit into modern memorial choices

Some families worry that choosing an urn or jewelry means they are “doing something modern” instead of “doing something proper.” But memorials have always evolved with the way families live. When people are spread across states, when siblings are in different households, when grief needs both privacy and ritual, flexible options become an act of care.

If you want a traditional centerpiece memorial, start with cremation urns for ashes. If you want to share, keepsake urns can make the family conversation gentler. And if you want something portable—something that meets you in real life, not only on anniversaries—cremation jewelry can be a quiet companion. You can browse cremation jewelry broadly, then narrow into cremation necklaces if a necklace feels like the right daily form. For practical guidance on filling and sealing, Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry 101 walks through the details that help people feel confident and safe.

For pet loss, the same logic applies, with even more emphasis on scale and closeness. Many families begin with pet urns for ashes, then choose a second small keepsake for a child, a co-parent, or the person who handled most of the daily care. If you want a deeper, compassionate guide, Funeral.com’s Journal post Pet Urns for Ashes: A Complete Guide is written for exactly that tender in-between moment when you want both comfort and clarity.

Cost questions are part of care, not something to feel guilty about

In real life, memorial choices sit beside budget realities. If you find yourself asking how much does cremation cost, you are not being cold—you are trying to protect your family from financial shock while still honoring someone well. Pricing varies by location and by the type of cremation and services you choose, which is why clear explanations matter. Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? breaks down common fees and explains how items like cremation urns, pet urns, and cremation jewelry fit into the overall picture—so you can plan with steadier footing.

A gentle way to decide, if you feel stuck

If you are overwhelmed, choose the next safe step rather than the final step. That might mean selecting a secure urn for now, creating a small memorial corner, and giving your family time. It might mean choosing small cremation urns or keepsake urns so the responsibility is shared, not carried by one person. Or it might mean planning a ceremony months from now, when everyone can be present and the goodbye can feel more like intention than reaction.

No matter which path you choose, the goal is the same: to treat the remains with respect, and to treat the living with gentleness. The “right” option is the one that fits your family’s love, your family’s beliefs, and your family’s real life—one steady decision at a time.