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.

Shroud Burial: How Burial Without a Casket Works (and What to Know About Wrapping and Rules)

Shroud Burial: How Burial Without a Casket Works (and What to Know About Wrapping and Rules)

Most families don’t start funeral planning thinking, “Maybe we won’t use a casket.” They start with something simpler and more human: the wish to do right by someone they love....

The Mushroom Burial Suit: How It Works, What the Science Says, and Typical Costs

The Mushroom Burial Suit: How It Works, What the Science Says, and Typical Costs

If you’ve ever found yourself searching late at night for a greener way to say goodbye—something that feels gentle, meaningful, and less industrial than what you imagined funerals had to...

Eco Memorials: Eternal Reefs, Tree Planting, and Other Earth-Friendly Ways to Remember Someone

Eco Memorials: Eternal Reefs, Tree Planting, and Other Earth-Friendly Ways to Remember Someone

In the days after a death—or in the quieter months when grief shows up in unexpected ways—many families find themselves wanting two things at once: a way to keep someone...

Sky Lantern Memorials: How to Release Lanterns Safely (and Eco-Friendly Alternatives)

Sky Lantern Memorials: How to Release Lanterns Safely (and Eco-Friendly Alternatives)

There’s a reason people reach for light when words run out. After a death, families often want a moment that feels bigger than the room they’re sitting in—something that lifts,...

Releasing Butterflies or Doves: Meaning, Etiquette, and Humane Alternatives

Releasing Butterflies or Doves: Meaning, Etiquette, and Humane Alternatives

There’s a moment at some funerals and celebrations of life when words feel too small. The music fades, people shift in their seats, and a family wants a gesture that...

How to Pre-Plan a Green Funeral: Natural Burial Options, Materials, and Questions to Ask

How to Pre-Plan a Green Funeral: Natural Burial Options, Materials, and Questions to Ask

Most people don’t pre-plan a funeral because they want to think about death. They do it because they love their family, and they don’t want their family forced into rushed...

Scattering Urns Explained: Eco-Friendly Tubes, Water Urns, and How to Scatter Ashes Respectfully - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scattering Urns Explained: Eco-Friendly Tubes, Water Urns, and How to Scatter Ashes Respectfully

Most families don’t set out to become experts on cremation containers. You arrive here because you’re trying to do something tender and practical at the same time: create a goodbye...

Biodegradable Urns for Ashes: Types, How Long They Last, and How to Choose - Funeral.com, Inc.

Biodegradable Urns for Ashes: Types, How Long They Last, and How to Choose

If you are reading about biodegradable urns, chances are you are trying to make one of the most emotionally difficult decisions feel a little more grounded. For many families, choosing...

Biodegradable Urns Explained: Water Burial, Tree Urns & How Long They Last - Funeral.com, Inc.

Biodegradable Urns Explained: Water Burial, Tree Urns & How Long They Last

Most families don’t begin this search because they want to “shop.” They begin because cremation has happened (or is about to), and now there’s a container in the room—sometimes a...

Biodegradable Urns for Ashes: Water Burial, Tree Urns, and How Long They Last - Funeral.com, Inc.

Biodegradable Urns for Ashes: Water Burial, Tree Urns, and How Long They Last

There is a particular kind of quiet that arrives after cremation. The flurry of decisions slows down, the calls and texts become less urgent, and then there you are—holding a...

Eco-Friendly Funeral Planning: Green Vendors, Recycling Options, and Lower-Impact Choices - Funeral.com, Inc.

Eco-Friendly Funeral Planning: Green Vendors, Recycling Options, and Lower-Impact Choices

When a family says they want an eco friendly funeral, they rarely mean they want a perfect funeral. Most mean something simpler: “Can we do this with a little less...

Scattering Ashes at National Parks: Which Parks Allow It (and How Permits Work) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scattering Ashes at National Parks: Which Parks Allow It (and How Permits Work)

For a lot of families, the idea of returning someone to a place they loved feels both simple and deeply right. A national park can hold years of meaning in...

Eco-Friendly Burial Planning: Green Options, Materials, and Cemetery Rules to Know - Funeral.com, Inc.

Eco-Friendly Burial Planning: Green Options, Materials, and Cemetery Rules to Know

An eco-friendly burial can start with a simple wish: “We want this to feel gentle—on the earth, and on us.” For some families, that wish comes in the middle of...

Planting a Catnip Garden Over a Biodegradable Cat Urn: A Simple Memorial Plan - Funeral.com, Inc.

Planting a Catnip Garden Over a Biodegradable Cat Urn: A Simple Memorial Plan

There are some goodbyes that don’t feel like they belong in a box—especially when the one you lost was small enough to curl into your elbow, yet large enough to...

The “Mushroom Suit” Burial: Fact vs. Fiction - Funeral.com, Inc.

The “Mushroom Suit” Burial: Fact vs. Fiction

Most families don’t discover the “mushroom suit” because they were shopping for a trend. They find it in the middle of a late-night spiral—trying to make an impossible moment feel...

Conservation Cemeteries vs. Hybrid Cemeteries: What’s the Difference? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Conservation Cemeteries vs. Hybrid Cemeteries: What’s the Difference?

If you’ve started looking into greener burial, you’ve probably felt the language blur. “Natural,” “green,” “hybrid,” “conservation”—the words can sound interchangeable online, but they shape very real decisions for a...