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.

What Human Ashes Are Like After Cremation: Appearance, Weight & Safe Handling

What Human Ashes Are Like After Cremation: Appearance, Weight & Safe Handling

If you’re searching for what do human ashes look like, you’re usually holding two questions at once. One is practical: what will the cremated remains look and feel like, and...

Human Ashes 101: Legal, Emotional, and Practical Things Families Should Know

Human Ashes 101: Legal, Emotional, and Practical Things Families Should Know

When the crematory calls and says your loved one is ready to be picked up, most families are surprised by how ordinary that moment can feel. You sign paperwork, you’re...

Is It Okay to Split Ashes? Etiquette, Religious Views, and Practical Tips for Sharing Remains

Is It Okay to Split Ashes? Etiquette, Religious Views, and Practical Tips for Sharing Remains

After cremation, families often expect there will be one “right” next step—choose an urn, decide where it will go, and move forward. In real life, the question is usually softer...

Traveling with Cremation Ashes: Airline Rules, TSA Guidelines, and Peace of Mind

Traveling with Cremation Ashes: Airline Rules, TSA Guidelines, and Peace of Mind

Traveling with someone’s ashes is one of those tasks that can feel deceptively simple on paper—until you’re actually doing it. You’re juggling logistics and grief at the same time, and...

Do Funeral Homes Provide Prayer Cards?

Do Funeral Homes Provide Prayer Cards?

When a loved one passes, families are often faced with an overwhelming number of decisions about the funeral service. From choosing caskets to planning the order of ceremonies, every choice...

What Are the Disadvantages of Funeral Insurance?

What Are the Disadvantages of Funeral Insurance?

Making end-of-life arrangements is one of the most emotionally challenging experiences a family can face. Grief is raw, and decisions must often be made quickly, combining both financial pressure and...

How to Send Food to a Grieving Family

How to Send Food to a Grieving Family

In the first days after a death, time does a strange thing. Hours blur, decisions pile up, and even the simplest routines, drinking water, answering a text, heating up a...

What Is a Typical Funeral Program?

What Is a Typical Funeral Program?

Funerals are moments filled with profound reflection, remembrance, and love, times when families and friends come together to honor a life that has left a lasting mark. They are both...

What Is the Proper Etiquette for Thank You Cards for Funerals?

What Is the Proper Etiquette for Thank You Cards for Funerals?

Grief can feel like an unrelenting tide, pulling you in different directions as you navigate the days after a funeral. Each morning may bring the ache of absence, while the...

Is a Black Dress OK for a Funeral?

Is a Black Dress OK for a Funeral?

Funerals are moments of profound reflection and heartfelt remembrance, where emotions run high and even the smallest gestures carry deep meaning. During these times, what you wear can communicate empathy,...

Funeral Scams and High-Pressure Tactics: Red Flags to Watch For and How to Push Back

Funeral Scams and High-Pressure Tactics: Red Flags to Watch For and How to Push Back

You’re grieving, and you’re making expensive decisions you’ve probably never had to make before. That combination is exactly why funeral scams and high-pressure funeral sales tactics can work so well,...

Direct Cremation: What’s Included, What’s Not, and How Families Can Personalize Later

Direct Cremation: What’s Included, What’s Not, and How Families Can Personalize Later

For many families, direct cremation feels like the least complicated option at a time when everything already feels complicated. There is no pressure to pick a date for a formal...

Grieving a Friend: When Your Loss Feels Overlooked or Hard for Others to Understand

Grieving a Friend: When Your Loss Feels Overlooked or Hard for Others to Understand

If you have ever heard yourself say, “I know I’m not family, but this hurts like family,” you are not being dramatic. You are naming something many people live through...

Eco-Friendly Urns and Biodegradable Options: Water, Soil, and Tree Memorials

Eco-Friendly Urns and Biodegradable Options: Water, Soil, and Tree Memorials

For some families, choosing eco friendly urns isn’t about doing something trendy. It’s about making the memorial match the person. If your loved one composted, hiked, gardened, volunteered for conservation...

Pet Memorial Stones and Garden Markers: Engraving Ideas and Placement Tips

Pet Memorial Stones and Garden Markers: Engraving Ideas and Placement Tips

A pet memorial doesn’t have to be elaborate to feel deeply meaningful. In fact, many people find the most comfort in simplicity. A small marker you can touch, a name...

How to Personalize a Pet Urn: Engraving Ideas, Photo Options, Symbols, and Wording Examples

How to Personalize a Pet Urn: Engraving Ideas, Photo Options, Symbols, and Wording Examples

Personalizing an urn is one of those choices that can feel small on paper and surprisingly big in the heart. A pet urn sits quietly on a shelf or in...