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.

How Long Do Biodegradable Urns Last? Float Time, Dissolving, and Material Guide

How Long Do Biodegradable Urns Last? Float Time, Dissolving, and Material Guide

After cremation, families often expect the hardest decisions to be behind them. The paperwork is signed. The phone calls slow down. And then, quietly, a new question appears on the...

How Long Do Cremated Ashes Last? Do Ashes Decompose and How to Store Them

How Long Do Cremated Ashes Last? Do Ashes Decompose and How to Store Them

If you have a container of cremated remains in your home right now, you are not alone. More families than ever are choosing cremation, which means more people are living...

Tree Pod Burials: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Legal Options

Tree Pod Burials: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Legal Options

When someone types tree pod burial into a search bar, they are rarely looking for a trend. Most families are looking for a way to make something gentle out of...

Alternatives to an Urn: Creative, Affordable Options for Cremation Ashes

Alternatives to an Urn: Creative, Affordable Options for Cremation Ashes

For many families, the moment the cremated remains come home is both quieter and harder than expected. The paperwork is finished, the phone calls slow down, and suddenly you are...

Can You Scatter Ashes Anywhere? U.S. Scattering Laws, Permits, and Etiquette Explained

Can You Scatter Ashes Anywhere? U.S. Scattering Laws, Permits, and Etiquette Explained

When a family chooses cremation, the next question is often simple to say and surprisingly hard to answer: can you scatter ashes anywhere—and if not, what’s actually allowed? In the...

What Urns Can Be Buried? Materials, Biodegradable Options, and Cemetery-Friendly Choices

What Urns Can Be Buried? Materials, Biodegradable Options, and Cemetery-Friendly Choices

If you are reading this after a loss, you are probably trying to make a decision that feels both practical and deeply personal. You may have the cremated remains back...

Scattering at Sea: What to Expect

Scattering at Sea: What to Expect

For some families, an ocean goodbye feels less like a “decision” and more like a truth they already know. The sea can hold grief without demanding words. It offers movement...

What “Biodegradable Urn” Really Means

What “Biodegradable Urn” Really Means

“Biodegradable” sounds like a simple label. In real life, it’s usually a family trying to describe a feeling: “We don’t want something that sits on a shelf forever,” or “They...

Hiking With Ashes: Backpacking Tips for a Respectful, Leave‑No‑Trace Scattering

Hiking With Ashes: Backpacking Tips for a Respectful, Leave‑No‑Trace Scattering

On most hikes, the weight in your pack is predictable. Water, layers, snacks, a map. When you are hiking with ashes, the weight is different. You are carrying love and...

Seed Paper Notes: Plantable Messages for Memorials (What Works, What Fails, and Where to Plant)

Seed Paper Notes: Plantable Messages for Memorials (What Works, What Fails, and Where to Plant)

Grief has a way of making time feel strange. A day can move too fast, while the weeks that follow move slowly. In the middle of that, families are asked...

Cornstarch Urns and Eco‑Plastics: Compostability, Strength, and What to Expect in Real Use

Cornstarch Urns and Eco‑Plastics: Compostability, Strength, and What to Expect in Real Use

For many families, the urn decision doesn’t arrive as a neat “shopping task.” It arrives as a moment: the call that cremation is complete, the drive home with a temporary...

Summit Scattering: Mountain Ethics, Wind Planning, and How to Avoid ‘Ash Blowback’

Summit Scattering: Mountain Ethics, Wind Planning, and How to Avoid ‘Ash Blowback’

There is a particular kind of quiet that happens above treeline. The horizon opens, the air thins, and even a crowded summit can feel like it has a private corner...

Paper Clay Handmade Urns: DIY Techniques, Drying Time, and Making a Secure Closure

Paper Clay Handmade Urns: DIY Techniques, Drying Time, and Making a Secure Closure

Grief can make ordinary decisions feel unfamiliar. After cremation, families often find themselves holding a temporary container and asking questions they never expected to ask: How do we keep this...

Water‑Soluble Paper Mâché: DIY Recipes for Biodegradable Urns (Plus Drying and Mold Prevention)

Water‑Soluble Paper Mâché: DIY Recipes for Biodegradable Urns (Plus Drying and Mold Prevention)

There’s a moment that many families describe after cremation: the practical parts are moving forward, but the emotional parts are still catching up. You may have a temporary container in...

Scattering Ashes: How to Choose a Location That Feels Right

Scattering Ashes: How to Choose a Location That Feels Right

When families talk about scattering, they often start with a sentence that sounds simple: “We want to scatter the ashes somewhere meaningful.” What makes it hard is that “meaningful” is...

Choosing a Biodegradable Water Urn: The Practical Differences That Matter

Choosing a Biodegradable Water Urn: The Practical Differences That Matter

There is a particular kind of quiet that arrives after cremation—when the arrangements are complete, the paperwork is done, and what remains is a small container and a very human...