The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

What Size Urn Do I Need? Urn Size Guide, Cubic Inches, and Keepsake vs Adult Urns - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Size Urn Do I Need? Urn Size Guide, Cubic Inches, and Keepsake vs Adult Urns

After a cremation, there’s often a quiet second wave of overwhelm: the service is over, the paperwork is moving, and now a very tangible question is sitting on the table—what...

How to Put Ashes Into an Urn: Step-by-Step Filling, Closing, and Sealing Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Put Ashes Into an Urn: Step-by-Step Filling, Closing, and Sealing Tips

The day the cremated remains come home is often quieter than people expect. There may be no ceremony in that moment—just a phone call, a careful handoff, and a temporary container...

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Packaged and How to Transfer Them - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Packaged and How to Transfer Them

If you are wondering are ashes loose in an urn, you are asking one of the most common first-time cremation questions. Many people picture the remains arriving already in a...

Is It Illegal to Open an Urn? Common US Considerations, Cemetery Rules, and Safe Steps - Funeral.com, Inc.

Is It Illegal to Open an Urn? Common US Considerations, Cemetery Rules, and Safe Steps

It’s a surprisingly common moment. The urn is on the table. The temporary container is nearby. Someone in the family says, “We need to move the ashes into a different...

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Typical Volume, Weight, and Urn Capacity - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Typical Volume, Weight, and Urn Capacity

If you’re asking how much ashes after cremation or how much ash is left, you’re usually trying to picture two things at once: what you will physically receive, and what...

Are Urns Sealed After Cremation? Closure Types, How to Reseal, and Tamper Concerns - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Urns Sealed After Cremation? Closure Types, How to Reseal, and Tamper Concerns

Families often ask are urns sealed for the same reason they ask any practical cremation question: they want to be sure the remains are safe, contained, and handled respectfully. The...

What to Do With a Loved One’s Ashes: Scatter, Bury, Keep at Home, or Create a Memorial - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Do With a Loved One’s Ashes: Scatter, Bury, Keep at Home, or Create a Memorial

There is a moment that catches many families off guard. The phone calls have been made, the paperwork has been signed, the cremation has taken place, and then—often in a...

Who Gets Custody of Cremated Remains? Next-of-Kin Rules, Disputes, and What to Do - Funeral.com, Inc.

Who Gets Custody of Cremated Remains? Next-of-Kin Rules, Disputes, and What to Do

When a family is grieving, legal questions can feel almost offensive at first. And yet they arrive quickly: who owns cremation ashes, who gets custody of cremated remains, and what...

How Much Do Cremation Ashes Weigh? Typical Amounts, Volume, and Urn Sizing Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Do Cremation Ashes Weigh? Typical Amounts, Volume, and Urn Sizing Tips

When someone asks how much do cremation ashes weigh, they’re usually trying to picture what they will receive and what they should buy next. Will it be heavy? Will it...

Which Urns Last the Longest? Durability by Material, Sealing Tips, and Outdoor Use - Funeral.com, Inc.

Which Urns Last the Longest? Durability by Material, Sealing Tips, and Outdoor Use

When a family chooses cremation, the immediate logistics can move quickly: paperwork, coordination, the return of the cremated remains, and the first quiet moment when you realize you’re holding something...

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Packaged and Transferred Safely - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Packaged and Transferred Safely

If you’ve been wondering are ashes loose in an urn, you’re asking one of the most common “first-time” cremation questions. Many people picture cremated remains arriving already inside a decorative...

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? Cremains Explained (Bone Fragments, Minerals, and Myths) - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? Cremains Explained (Bone Fragments, Minerals, and Myths)

The phrase “cremation ashes” is so common that most families don’t question it until the moment it becomes personal. Then you hold the container, you notice the texture, you see...

57 Creative (and Practical) Things to Put Ashes In: Urn Alternatives, Keepsakes, and Display Ideas - Funeral.com, Inc.

57 Creative (and Practical) Things to Put Ashes In: Urn Alternatives, Keepsakes, and Display Ideas

If a traditional urn doesn’t feel like the right fit, you have more options than most people realize. Families choose things to put ashes in for all kinds of reasons:...

Personalizing a Cremation Urn: Engraving Options, Photo Prints & What to Ask - Funeral.com, Inc.

Personalizing a Cremation Urn: Engraving Options, Photo Prints & What to Ask

There’s a moment many families describe after cremation that doesn’t get talked about enough. The paperwork is mostly done. The phone stops ringing quite as much. And then you’re left...

How Long Do Cremated Ashes Last? Storage, Urn Seals, and What Happens Over Time - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Long Do Cremated Ashes Last? Storage, Urn Seals, and What Happens Over Time

Families often ask how long do cremated ashes last for the same reason they ask any practical question in grief: they want to take good care of someone they love,...

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Returned and How to Transfer Them Cleanly - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? How Cremains Are Returned and How to Transfer Them Cleanly

It’s a surprisingly common question, and it usually comes from a very normal place: you’ve seen photos of a beautiful urn, and you assume the cremation ashes arrive inside it...