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.

Keepsake Urns and Sharing Urns: When Families Want to Divide Ashes

Keepsake Urns and Sharing Urns: When Families Want to Divide Ashes

When a loved one is cremated, the small, heavy container that holds their remains carries immense emotional weight. Families often realize that a single urn cannot reflect complex relationships, geographic...

Can I Put Some Ashes in Jewelry and Use the Rest in an Urn or Scattering?

Can I Put Some Ashes in Jewelry and Use the Rest in an Urn or Scattering?

When it comes to honoring your pet, there are many ways to keep their memory close. You may want a pet urn for ashes at home as a comforting presence,...

What Is the Difference Between an Urn, a Keepsake Urn, and Cremation Jewelry?

What Is the Difference Between an Urn, a Keepsake Urn, and Cremation Jewelry?

When you begin exploring ways to remember a pet after cremation, you quickly encounter terms like pet urns, keepsake urns, and cremation jewelry. At first glance, they all seem like...

Pet Cremation & Memorial FAQ

Pet Cremation & Memorial FAQ

My pet is getting older and declining. What should I be thinking about now? Caring for a pet means being prepared for every stage of their life, including the eventual...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Legal Guidelines, Meaningful Locations, and Ceremony Ideas

Scattering Pet Ashes: Legal Guidelines, Meaningful Locations, and Ceremony Ideas

Finding yourself with a small container of cremated pet ashes can feel both surreal and heavy with emotion. Many pet owners want to honor their companion in a way that...

Wearing Pet Ashes vs Keeping Them at Home: How to Decide What Feels Right

Wearing Pet Ashes vs Keeping Them at Home: How to Decide What Feels Right

When a pet dies, the world gets strangely quiet. The jingle of a collar, the thump on the stairs, the weight at the end of the bed — all of...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

There is a particular moment after a pet has passed and their ashes have returned home when you find yourself standing before the pet urn and wondering what comes next....

Keeping a Portion of Ashes in a Keepsake Urn: Why Many Families Choose This

Keeping a Portion of Ashes in a Keepsake Urn: Why Many Families Choose This

When a pet is cremated and the ashes arrive home, they often feel heavier than expected, not in weight, but in meaning. You open the temporary container and see what...

Pet Cremation Jewelry: Wearing a Piece of Your Best Friend Close

Pet Cremation Jewelry: Wearing a Piece of Your Best Friend Close

There are days after a pet dies when the distance between you and them feels unbearable. You may find yourself reaching out in the dark, expecting the familiar weight of...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Symbolic Places and Gentle Guidelines

Scattering Pet Ashes: Symbolic Places and Gentle Guidelines

When a beloved animal dies, time can feel strange. Days blur together, but one question may stand out sharply: what to do with ashes. If you chose or are considering...

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a pet is heartbreaking in any season of life. Losing a pet in the middle of a divorce or separation can feel almost unbearable. You may already be arguing...

What Is an Urn Used For? A Gentle Guide to Modern Memorials

What Is an Urn Used For? A Gentle Guide to Modern Memorials

When someone you love is cremated, the first question is rarely about products or prices. It’s quieter, more emotional: what is an urn actually for, and how can it honor...

What Pet Ashes Look Like: Color, Texture, and What’s “Normal”

What Pet Ashes Look Like: Color, Texture, and What’s “Normal”

Receiving your pet’s cremation ashes can be an unexpectedly profound moment. The box or urn in your hands is more than just a container; it holds the physical trace of...

Scattering Ashes vs Keeping an Urn at Home: Emotional, Practical, and Legal Things to Consider

Scattering Ashes vs Keeping an Urn at Home: Emotional, Practical, and Legal Things to Consider

When someone you love is cremated, you don’t just receive a container of ashes. You receive a new kind of responsibility: deciding what to do with ashes in a way...

Understanding Pet Cremation: How It Works, What to Expect, and How to Decide

Understanding Pet Cremation: How It Works, What to Expect, and How to Decide

Losing a pet leaves an emptiness that is hard to describe. Amid the quiet of your home, the absence of familiar paws or soft purring can make grief feel tangible....

Planning a Celebration of Life Without a Body or Ashes Present: Ideas and Etiquette

Planning a Celebration of Life Without a Body or Ashes Present: Ideas and Etiquette

Honoring a loved one without a body or ashes present can feel overwhelming, leaving families wondering how to create a service that truly captures the essence of the person they...