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.
Bookshelf Caskets: How to Build a ‘Furniture for Life and Death’ Coffin Respectfully
The first time many people hear the phrase bookshelf casket, it lands with a jolt of surprise—then, often, a quieter recognition. Of course. A life is made of ordinary objects...
Cardboard Coffins: Decorating and Personalizing Tips (Paint, Photos, Handprints, and More)
In the days after a death, families often find themselves living in two worlds at once: the practical world of paperwork, phone calls, and funeral planning, and the private world...
Ghana’s Fantasy Coffins (Abebuu Adekai): Meaning, Craftsmanship, and Cultural Context
In a coastal neighborhood near Accra, the workshop air can smell like fresh-cut wood and paint. A coffin might be taking the shape of a bright fish, a cocoa pod,...
Why Green Cemeteries Ban Metal Caskets: Decomposition, Materials, and Certification Standards
When a family first hears that a green cemetery won’t allow a metal casket, it can sound like an arbitrary rule—one more detail to manage when everything already feels heavy....
Wicker Caskets Explained: History, Materials, and When a Woven Coffin Makes Sense
If you are looking at a wicker casket, you are probably not “shopping” in the casual sense. You are trying to make a choice that feels true to a person’s...
Funeral Merchandise Costs in 2025: Casket, Urn, Vault & Memorial Item Price Guide
If you are trying to understand funeral merchandise cost 2025, you are probably doing two things at once: grieving (or anticipating a loss) and trying to make responsible financial decisions...
Casket vs Coffin Costs in 2025: Price Ranges, Materials, and Smart Ways to Save
If you are comparing prices and feeling whiplash, you are not imagining it. In 2025, families can see one burial container priced like a major home appliance and another priced...
Why Do Casket Prices Vary So Much? What You’re Really Paying For
If you are sitting with a price list and thinking, why do casket prices vary this much, you are not being dramatic. Casket pricing can feel like a different universe—especially...
Bamboo Coffins & Caskets: Eco-Friendly Options, Strength, and Pricing
There’s a moment that happens to a lot of families in the middle of planning. You’re choosing a cemetery or talking through cremation, and someone asks a quiet, practical question...
Wicker Caskets and Willow Coffins: Costs, Green Burial Benefits, and What to Know Before Buying
Most families don’t set out to “shop for a casket.” They set out to care for someone they love, and then—often quickly—have to make decisions that feel both emotional and...
Casket Colors and Their Meanings: A Family Guide to Choosing a Colorful Tribute
There’s a quiet moment many families recognize—often late at night, after the calls have been made and the big decisions have started to take shape—when someone says, “What would feel...
Mushroom Coffins Explained: The Loop Living Cocoon and Other Mycelium Casket Options in the U.S.
When a family starts funeral planning, the questions often arrive in waves. Some are logistical—who calls whom, what happens first, what paperwork is required. Others are emotional—how do we honor...
Customizing a Casket: Interiors, Colors, and Personal Touches That Feel Authentic
When a family starts talking about “customizing a casket,” what they are usually trying to do is not decorate something. They are trying to make a hard day feel less...
Caskets for Babies and Children: Sizing, Design, and Sensitive Planning Tips
There are losses that don’t fit into ordinary language. When a baby or child dies, parents and caregivers often describe feeling as if time has split in two: the emotional...