11 Meaningful Things to Do With a Loved One’s Ashes

Nowadays, there are many unique and creative things to do with ashes to remember your loved ones, as well as several alternative urn ideas. We have put together a list of ideas for your loved one’s ashes that will truly commemorate their life, personality, and interests in a meaningful way.

1. Keep Them in a Modern or Keepsake Urn

A keepsake urn is a novel idea if you’ve got a large family who would all like to keep the ashes. These urns are a lot smaller than standard cremation urns and only hold a small portion of the ashes. As cremation grows in popularity, it is common for the ashes to be divided among family members and loved ones and kept in a special keepsake urn.

Keepsake urns also make good options for pet urns.

2. Plant Them as a Tree

There are a few ideas for ashes in the garden; green funerals are growing in popularity. If your loved one enjoyed nature and the outdoors, you could transform their ashes into a tree. Planting a biodegradable urn is a great idea for cremation remains and is the perfect way to say goodbye to a loved one and help the earth simultaneously.

3. Take Them on a Journey Around the World

If your loved one was passionate about traveling, you can take their ashes on a voyage around the world and scatter them in each country you visit. Maybe your loved one wanted to visit a specific place before they passed but didn’t make it there. Now you can travel there to lay their ashes to rest.

4. Turn Them Into Jewelry

Did you know that you can turn ashes into jewelry? A beautiful diamond can be created from your loved one’s ashes. It’s more on the pricey side as far as memorials go, but it definitely is one of the most impressive. A more affordable option is keepsake jewelry, where you’ll need a tiny amount of your loved one’s ashes.

5. Jump Out of a Plane With Them

If your loved one was an adrenalin junkie, you could celebrate their life in an extraordinary way by scattering their ashes during a skydiving experience. You can take any volume of ashes with you and release them from special ash releasing pods once you’ve jumped out of the plane.

6. Turn Them Into Music

A unique way to memorialize your loved one is by turning their ashes into vinyl. There are specialized companies that offer you the chance to have your loved one’s ashes pressed into a playable vinyl record which can be pressed with a voice recording or tailor-made with their favorite music tracks. The record’s cover can also be personalized in a meaningful and symbolic way.

7. Let Them Breathe New Life Under the Sea

An organization called Solace Reef will help you incorporate the ashes from your loved one into an artificial memorial reef. This reef is located off the coast of Weymouth in the UK. The ashes will be placed in a “solace stone,” which will be laid to rest on the sea bed. The solace stones are part of a global drive to create new reefs to help sea life thrive. This would be a wonderful idea if your loved one enjoyed the ocean.

8. Turn Them Into a Work of Art

This memorial ash idea is perfect if you love art. Creating artwork with paints made from the ashes of a loved one has become increasingly popular, especially for portraits.

9. Turn Them Into a Cherished Ornament

A wonderful memorial ash idea is to turn your loved one’s cremated remains into a beautiful piece of china or a decorative ornament. The ashes can be incorporated into ceramic vessels or glass décor pieces for you to remember your loved one by. Touching the cremated ashes every day will help you feel close to them.

10. Put Them Inside an Hourglass

This makes a wonderful keepsake memorial piece, and what better way to symbolize time, memory, and mortality? Adding some of the ashes to an hourglass is a great way to keep your loved one close throughout your day-to-day life.

11. Let Them Light Up the Sky

Why not send your loved one off in a memorial firework for a truly unique send-off? There are a few specialist companies around that can help you create breathtaking firework displays made from your loved one’s ashes for an amazingly unique departure.

In Summary

There are so many unique, unforgettable ways to memorialize your loved one’s ashes, so you just need to find the one that resonates with you and your family the most. The great thing about keepsake ashes ideas is that each family member can do something personal and meaningful with the ashes and honor their loved one’s life in the way they want to.

However, there's nothing wrong with keeping a loved one's ashes in an urn inside your home. To help you do so, read Choosing the Right Urn to Honor Your Late Mother.