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.

Are Cremains Really “Ashes”? What They Look Like, Weigh, and Why - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Cremains Really “Ashes”? What They Look Like, Weigh, and Why

The first time many families receive cremated remains, there’s a quiet moment of surprise. You’re handed a container—sometimes a simple plastic box, sometimes a cardboard temporary urn—and you realize you’re...

Burying Ashes After Cremation: Cemetery, Backyard, and Urn Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Burying Ashes After Cremation: Cemetery, Backyard, and Urn Options

There is a particular kind of quiet that follows cremation. The phone calls slow down. The paperwork sits in a small stack. And then, often when you’re washing dishes or...

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? The Chemistry of Cremains Explained - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? The Chemistry of Cremains Explained

Most families don’t expect the first moment to feel so ordinary. Someone hands you a temporary container or a sealed bag in a small box, and suddenly the person you...

Urn Burial Basics: How Deep to Bury an Urn and Can It Go Above a Casket? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Urn Burial Basics: How Deep to Bury an Urn and Can It Go Above a Casket?

Most families don’t begin funeral planning by searching measurements. It usually starts with a simpler, heavier question: where should the ashes rest? Maybe there’s a family plot that has held generations....

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? What Families Receive + Urn Size Guide - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? What Families Receive + Urn Size Guide

There are questions families ask out loud after a cremation—logistical questions that feel strangely intimate because they arrive in the middle of grief. One of the most common is also...

Cremation Urn Vaults Explained: Types, Materials, Prices, and Where to Buy - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Urn Vaults Explained: Types, Materials, Prices, and Where to Buy

If a cemetery tells you that you need a cremation urn vault, it can feel like one more unfamiliar requirement at a time when you’re already carrying too much. Families...

What’s a Vase Urn? Understanding “Vases for Ashes” and How Flower-Holder Urns Work - Funeral.com, Inc.

What’s a Vase Urn? Understanding “Vases for Ashes” and How Flower-Holder Urns Work

If you’ve ever typed vase urn for ashes into Google, you’ve probably seen two very different things show up in the results. Some listings look like elegant decorative vases that...

Funeral Merchandise Costs in 2025: Casket, Urn, Vault & Memorial Item Price Guide - Funeral.com, Inc.

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...

Japanese Funeral Traditions Explained: Cremation, Kotsuage, Etiquette, and What to Expect - Funeral.com, Inc.

Japanese Funeral Traditions Explained: Cremation, Kotsuage, Etiquette, and What to Expect

If you have been invited to a Japanese funeral, or you are supporting someone whose family follows Japanese customs, it is completely normal to feel unsure about what will happen...

How to Measure Urn Capacity: Interior Volume, Shape, and Why Size Charts Differ - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Measure Urn Capacity: Interior Volume, Shape, and Why Size Charts Differ

When you’re choosing an urn—especially online—it can feel like you’re being asked to solve a quiet math problem while your heart is focused somewhere else. Two urns can look nearly...

Cremation Urn Terminology Explained: Temporary Urn, Keepsake, Companion, and More - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Urn Terminology Explained: Temporary Urn, Keepsake, Companion, and More

Most families aren’t trying to become experts in cremation urn terminology. You’re trying to make a few loving, practical decisions—often while grief is still fresh. A funeral director may mention a...

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Urn Size Rule-of-Thumb + Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Urn Size Rule-of-Thumb + Examples

There’s a particular kind of quiet that shows up after the phone calls slow down. The paperwork is started. The appointment is made. And then someone—often the person who didn’t...

Why Do People Choose Cremation? 40+ Reasons, Costs, and Religious Considerations - Funeral.com, Inc.

Why Do People Choose Cremation? 40+ Reasons, Costs, and Religious Considerations

Most families don’t arrive at cremation because they were looking for a trend. They arrive there because a death has changed the temperature of the room, and suddenly the questions...

57 Things to Do With Cremation Ashes: Unique Ideas, Keepsakes, and Safe Storage - Funeral.com, Inc.

57 Things to Do With Cremation Ashes: Unique Ideas, Keepsakes, and Safe Storage

After cremation, many families describe a strange quiet: the appointments and paperwork slow down, but your heart still wants somewhere for love to go. That’s why the question what to do...

Funeral Traditions in the U.S. vs Worldwide: Common Customs and Etiquette Explained - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Traditions in the U.S. vs Worldwide: Common Customs and Etiquette Explained

Grief has a way of making time feel strange. One minute you’re answering practical questions, and the next you’re standing in a room where the rituals feel unfamiliar. Even in...

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? What “Cremains” Really Are (and Aren’t) - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? What “Cremains” Really Are (and Aren’t)

Families often use the word “ashes” because it’s the language we’ve grown up with. But when a cremation is complete and you receive the container back, what you’re holding isn’t...