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.
How the Cremation Process Works: Retorts, Temperatures, and Modern Crematory Equipment
If you are planning a cremation—or you have just been told a loved one will be cremated—it is completely normal to want a clear explanation of what happens next. A...
Direct Cremation vs. Immediate Burial: Which Is Simpler—and Why
When families ask for the “simplest” option after a death, they are usually asking for two things at once: fewer decisions right now, and fewer surprises later. That is why...
Direct Cremation: How Families Cut Funeral Costs (What’s Included and What’s Not)
When a family first hears the phrase direct cremation, it can sound clinical—like a checkbox on a form. But what families are really asking is something more human: “Can we...
How to Compare Direct Cremation Providers in North Dakota (2026): GPL Price List, Fees & Red Flags
When you’re trying to make arrangements quickly, “direct cremation” can sound like the simplest option—and in many ways it is. But simplicity doesn’t always mean clarity. Families often discover that...
A Calm Plan for Ashes: Choosing Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, Cremation Jewelry, and Next-Step Funeral Planning
After cremation, there’s often a quiet pause that surprises families. The hardest logistics may already be over, and yet the question that follows can feel heavier than you expected: what...
Cremation Planning After a Loss: Choosing Urns, Pet Memorials, and Cremation Jewelry With Confidence
Most families don’t shop for cremation urns because they are ready. They search because grief has collided with logistics: a call from the funeral home, a temporary container arriving at...
Temporary Urns vs Permanent Urns: When to Upgrade
There is a moment after cremation that many families don’t expect. The calls and paperwork are done, you finally have the cremated remains back, and what’s in your hands is...
Sharing Ashes After Cremation: Legal and Practical Notes
There is a moment after cremation when the busiest part is over, but the decisions are not. The remains are ready. The phone stops ringing. And then someone asks a...
Choosing an Urn for a Columbarium Niche: How to Get the Size Right (Without a Stressful Surprise)
When someone you love is cremated, the days that follow often feel like a strange mix of emotional fog and very practical questions. A columbarium can feel like a steady,...
Standard Adult Urn Capacity: What “200 cu in” Means
If you have ever looked at an urn listing and thought, “Why is this measured like a storage bin?” you are not alone. In the middle of grief or planning,...
Direct Cremation Cost: What’s Included (Direct Cremation Cost Included)
The first time a family hears a quote for direct cremation, it can feel like relief and confusion in the same breath. Relief, because it sounds simpler than planning a...
How to Pay for Cremation When Money Is Tight
Most families don’t start a search like this because they’re curious. They start because they’re scared. A death has happened (or is close), and the questions arrive faster than the...
Witness Cremation: What It Is and When It Helps
When a family chooses cremation, the first questions are usually practical: paperwork, timing, and when the ashes will be ready. But many people carry a quieter need underneath those logistics—the...
Cremation With a Viewing: How It Works
Families often choose cremation for its flexibility—then immediately wonder if they can still have a viewing. In many cases, the answer is yes. Cremation describes the disposition method, not the...