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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

How Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Pounds and Volume (With Real-World Ranges) - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Pounds and Volume (With Real-World Ranges)

If you’ve been told “the ashes are ready,” you might expect a neat little box you can hold with one hand and a clear answer to your next question: how...

Cremation Urn Size Guide: The Cubic-Inch Rule + A Simple Urn Size Calculator - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Urn Size Guide: The Cubic-Inch Rule + A Simple Urn Size Calculator

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that shows up when grief meets logistics. You can be steady enough to make phone calls, sign forms, and choose a time for the...

What to Do With Cremation Ashes: 57 Ideas for Keeping, Sharing, or Scattering - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Do With Cremation Ashes: 57 Ideas for Keeping, Sharing, or Scattering

After a cremation, there’s often a quiet moment when the phone calls slow down and the paperwork stops arriving. The cremation is complete, and now there’s a container in your...

Are Cremation Ashes Loose in the Urn? Proper Containers, Bags, and Storage Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Cremation Ashes Loose in the Urn? Proper Containers, Bags, and Storage Options

After cremation, families often discover they’re holding a container and a question at the same time: are ashes loose in an urn, or are they sealed somehow? That worry is completely...

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? (And How They’re Turned Into Memorial Diamonds) - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? (And How They’re Turned Into Memorial Diamonds)

If you’ve ever held a container of cremated remains and thought, “This doesn’t look like ash,” you’re not alone. Families often picture dark soot, then receive pale gray granules that...

How to Choose the Best Cremation Urn: Size, Material, Style, and Budget (5-Minute Guide) - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Choose the Best Cremation Urn: Size, Material, Style, and Budget (5-Minute Guide)

Choosing an urn can feel hard. You may be making calls, signing forms, trying to keep family updated, and then—suddenly—you’re asked to pick a container that could stay with you...

Can You Add Cremated Remains to an Existing Burial Plot? Cemetery Rules, Costs, and Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Can You Add Cremated Remains to an Existing Burial Plot? Cemetery Rules, Costs, and Options

If you are asking whether you can add cremated remains to burial plot space that already exists, you are usually trying to solve two things at once: honoring family wishes...

Do You Need an Urn Vault? Burial Urns, Cemetery Requirements, and Long-Term Storage Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Do You Need an Urn Vault? Burial Urns, Cemetery Requirements, and Long-Term Storage Options

Most families don’t begin with the words “urn vault.” They begin with a simpler question: what happens next after cremation? Then a cemetery mentions a requirement, or a funeral director...

Cheapest Cremation Options in the U.S.: Direct Cremation, No-Service Plans & Ways to Lower Costs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cheapest Cremation Options in the U.S.: Direct Cremation, No-Service Plans & Ways to Lower Costs

If you are searching cheap cremation near me, you are probably trying to solve two problems at once: you want to care for someone with dignity, and you need the...

Funeral Home Price Lists Explained: GPL, Cash Advances, and How to Compare Quotes (FTC Funeral Rule - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Home Price Lists Explained: GPL, Cash Advances, and How to Compare Quotes (FTC Funeral Rule

Most families don’t feel “sticker shock” because they expect funerals to be free. They feel it because the price list shows up in the middle of grief, written in a...

Viewing vs. Visitation Before Cremation: Timing, What to Expect, and Planning Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

Viewing vs. Visitation Before Cremation: Timing, What to Expect, and Planning Tips

In the first days after a death, your brain can feel like it’s operating on two tracks at once: grief on one side, logistics on the other. Someone asks whether...