How to Choose an Urn After Working with an Annapolis Funeral Home

By Deborah Naugle

If you've recently worked with an Annapolis-area funeral home to arrange cremation for a loved one, you've likely already checked off the hardest parts: authorization, the cremation itself, and receiving your loved one's remains. What comes next — choosing a permanent urn — is a decision many Anne Arundel County families make on their own timeline, often after the funeral home's role in the process is complete. Here's how to think through that choice.

What Your Funeral Home Likely Provided

Most Annapolis funeral homes and crematories, including those serving Edgewater, Arnold, Severna Park, and the surrounding communities, return cremated remains in a simple temporary container — often a plastic or cardboard box — along with a certificate of cremation. This container is functional, not meant to be a lasting memorial. Families are free to keep remains in it indefinitely, but most eventually choose a permanent urn that better reflects their loved one.

Why Many Families Shop for Urns Separately

Funeral homes typically offer a limited in-house urn selection, and pricing through a funeral home can run higher than shopping directly with an urn maker. Choosing an urn separately — after the funeral arrangements are settled — gives Anne Arundel County families more time, a wider range of styles and materials, and the ability to personalize an urn with custom engraving, photos, or fingerprints without the pressure of deciding everything in a single meeting.

Questions to Ask Before You Shop

• What size urn do you need? Urn capacity is measured in cubic inches, and a general rule of thumb is one cubic inch per pound of the person's body weight before passing. Your funeral home or crematory can usually confirm the weight of the remains if you're unsure.
• Where will the urn be kept? A columbarium niche has specific size restrictions, so check with the niche location before ordering if that's the plan. An urn kept at home has more flexibility in size and shape.
• Do you want to divide the remains? Some families choose one main urn plus several smaller keepsake urns to share among relatives.
• What material and style feels right? Wood, ceramic, bronze, and marble all carry a different feel, and many people choose a material that reflects the person's personality or interests.

Matching the Urn to How You'll Honor Your Loved One

How you plan to keep or place the urn often narrows the decision quickly:

• Displayed at home — photo urns, engraved wood urns, and decorative designs are popular choices for a mantel or shelf
• Placed in a columbarium niche — confirm size requirements with the cemetery or memorial garden first
• Partial scattering — a smaller portion can be set aside in a keepsake urn while the rest is scattered at a meaningful location
• Shared among family members — multiple keepsake urns let several relatives each keep a portion close

A Nod to the Chesapeake

Many Annapolis and Anne Arundel County families gravitate toward urns that reflect the region's waterfront character — nautical engravings, natural wood finishes, and coastal-inspired designs that feel connected to a life spent near the Bay. It's a small but meaningful way to tie the memorial to a place that mattered.

Custom Engraving and Personalization

One of the biggest advantages of ordering an urn separately from the funeral home is the depth of personalization available. Custom engraving can include a name, dates, a short epitaph, or even a photo laser-etched directly onto the urn's surface. Fingerprint and paw-print detailing are also popular for adding a truly individual touch.

Ordering Online After an Annapolis Funeral Home Visit

Once you've settled on a size, material, and style, ordering online is usually straightforward: select the urn, add any custom engraving details, and place the order. Most custom and engraved urns take one to two weeks to produce and ship, so if you're planning a memorial service or columbarium placement, it's worth ordering with that timeline in mind. There's no need to rush this decision immediately after your funeral home visit — cremated remains can be safely kept in the temporary container for as long as needed while you decide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to buy an urn from the funeral home I worked with?

No. Families are free to purchase an urn from any source, including online urn makers, regardless of which funeral home handled the cremation. Funeral homes are required to accept urns purchased elsewhere.

How do I know what size urn to order?

A common guideline is one cubic inch of urn capacity per pound of the person's body weight. Your funeral home or crematory can typically confirm the exact weight of the cremated remains if needed.

Can I get an urn engraved after I order it?

Most custom urn makers offer engraving as part of the ordering process, allowing you to add a name, dates, a short message, or a photo before the urn ships.

How long does it take to receive a custom urn?

Custom and engraved urns typically take one to two weeks to produce and ship, so it's worth ordering with any memorial service or placement date in mind.

Choosing an urn is one of the last, most personal decisions you'll make on behalf of a loved one. Browse our full collection of handcrafted and custom-engraved cremation urns to find an option that feels right for your family.