2. How to Pre-Plan Your Memorial Product Needs

Pre-planning for your own or a loved one’s memorial can be one of the most thoughtful and empowering decisions you make. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, taking the time to consider your memorial product needs in advance can offer peace of mind, reduce stress for your family, and ensure your final wishes are respectfully fulfilled.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key steps in planning your memorial product needs — from understanding the different options available to organizing your choices and communicating them clearly.

Why Pre-Planning Matters

1. Reduces Emotional Stress for Loved Ones

In the wake of loss, decision-making can be overwhelming. By having your memorial products selected and arrangements made, your family is spared the burden of making choices during a time of grief.

2. Ensures Your Personal Wishes Are Honored

Whether you want a specific style of cremation urn, a biodegradable option, or a custom-engraved memorial keepsake, pre-planning guarantees your preferences are followed.

3. Offers Cost Control and Budgeting

Planning ahead gives you the opportunity to compare products, find the best value, and avoid the inflated costs that sometimes come with urgent decisions.

4. Promotes Meaningful Reflection

Thinking through your legacy and the way you want to be remembered allows you to craft a memorial that truly reflects your personality, values, and beliefs.

Step 1: Understand Your Memorial Options

The first step in pre-planning is learning about the different types of memorial products available. These typically fall into a few categories:

Cremation Urns

Urns come in many forms, including:

• Traditional Display Urns: Often ceramic, wood, or metal and designed for display in the home.
• Biodegradable Urns: Designed for eco-friendly water or ground burial.
• Scattering Urns: Lightweight and easy to transport for scattering ashes in a meaningful place.
• Companion Urns: Larger urns meant to hold the ashes of two people, often used for couples.

Keepsake Urns and Jewelry

For families who want to divide the ashes among loved ones or keep a symbolic portion:

• Mini Keepsake Urns: Small urns suitable for a bedside table or shelf.
• Cremation Jewelry: Pendants, bracelets, and rings with discreet compartments for holding ashes.

Memorial Plaques and Headstones

For those who choose interment or wish to have a physical memorial:

• Engraved Memorial Plaques: Can be placed in a garden or other personal space.
• Gravestones and Markers: Used in cemeteries to mark the resting place.

Alternative Memorials

Consider more contemporary or personalized options:

• Tree Pod Burial Systems: Eco-friendly pods that use ashes to nourish a tree.
• Memorial Art and Glass: Ashes infused into decorative glass or canvas.
• Tattoo Ink Memorials: A growing trend where ashes are infused into tattoo ink.

Step 2: Reflect on Your Preferences

Once you’re aware of the available options, take time to think about what feels most meaningful to you or aligns with your loved one’s values.

Ask yourself:

• Do I prefer cremation or burial?
• Would I like my ashes kept, scattered, or buried?
• Am I drawn to traditional or eco-friendly options?
• Do I want my family to have keepsakes or memorial jewelry?
• Is there a special location I want to be memorialized in?

Write down your answers and review them with a trusted family member, or keep them with your other important end-of-life documents.

Step 3: Involve Your Family

Memorials are not just for the deceased — they are for those who continue to remember. Having open conversations with your family helps align your wishes with their emotional needs.

Some topics to discuss:

• Whether they would appreciate having keepsake urns or jewelry.
• If they’re comfortable with scattering ashes or prefer a place to visit.
• Their thoughts on incorporating cultural, religious, or spiritual traditions.

By having this conversation early, you can ensure your plans provide comfort and clarity to your loved ones.

Step 4: Research and Compare Products

With your preferences outlined, it’s time to explore product options and suppliers. Look for:

• Quality Materials: Solid wood, ceramic, brass, stainless steel, or biodegradable materials.
• Customization: Can you add engraving, photos, or symbols?
• Reviews and Ratings: Look at what other customers say about the quality and service.
• Return Policy: Ensure you can return or exchange the product if needed.
• Shipping Time and Costs: Especially important if you're pre-ordering or buying for immediate use.

Many online retailers, including those that specialize in memorial products, offer detailed filters so you can search by material, size, design, or purpose.

Step 5: Budget and Purchase (or Record)

You don’t necessarily have to buy everything now. There are two main approaches:

1. Purchase in Advance

• Buy your preferred urn or jewelry and store it safely.
• Some families keep pre-purchased urns in a designated place at home.
• Be sure to tell at least one person where these items are located.

2. Record Your Selections

• Use a checklist or planning document to list your chosen items.
• Include photos or links to specific products and vendors.
• Add notes about engraving, messages, or how ashes should be divided.

You might also want to include your choices in your will, personal journal, or with your estate planning attorney.

Step 6: Store Information Securely

Your plan is only useful if people can find it. Keep your memorial product preferences alongside other important documents, such as:

• Your will
• Funeral instructions
• Power of attorney
• Insurance details

Use clearly labeled folders — physical or digital — and share access with your executor or next of kin.

Step 7: Review and Update As Needed

As your life changes, your preferences might too. Perhaps you move to a new city, join a spiritual community, or simply find something new that speaks to you. It’s completely okay to revise your plan.

Make a habit of reviewing your memorial arrangements every few years or whenever there’s a major life event.

Final Thoughts

Pre-planning your memorial product needs is a profoundly caring act. It tells your loved ones, “I’ve thought about this — and I want to make it easier for you.” It also gives you the chance to shape your legacy, reflect your personality, and ensure you’re remembered in the way you desire.

Whether you decide to purchase a minimalist urn, create matching keepsakes for family, or specify a biodegradable option that aligns with your environmental values, the act of planning empowers you to take control of the story you leave behind.

Ready to Begin?

Start your journey by exploring our collection of urns, keepsake jewelry, and eco-conscious memorial options. Our guides and customer support team are here to help you make thoughtful decisions that last a lifetime — and beyond.