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.

Frequently Asked Questions About Embalming: Safety, Religion, and the Environment

Frequently Asked Questions About Embalming: Safety, Religion, and the Environment

When someone you love dies, the first decisions arrive fast—often before your heart has caught up. A funeral home may ask whether you want embalming, and the question can land...

Step-by-Step: How the Embalming Process Works at a Modern Funeral Home

Step-by-Step: How the Embalming Process Works at a Modern Funeral Home

If you’ve never been inside a funeral home’s care center, it’s completely normal to feel uneasy about the unknown. Many families search what happens during embalming at the exact moment...

What Really Happens During Embalming? A Plain-Language Walkthrough for Families

What Really Happens During Embalming? A Plain-Language Walkthrough for Families

If you’re planning a funeral while you’re exhausted, grieving, and trying to make a dozen decisions at once, the word “embalming” can land like a thunderclap. People imagine something frightening,...

What Is Embalming, Really? History, Process, and When Families Can Say No

What Is Embalming, Really? History, Process, and When Families Can Say No

In the first hours after a death, families often feel pulled in two directions at once. Part of you wants time to breathe, to call the people who need to...

Open vs. Closed Casket Funerals: What to Expect & How to Choose

Open vs. Closed Casket Funerals: What to Expect & How to Choose

When you are in the middle of planning a funeral, the question of an open casket funeral versus a closed casket funeral can land like a weight you did not...

Do You Really Need Embalming? When It’s Required, When It’s Optional, and Alternatives

Do You Really Need Embalming? When It’s Required, When It’s Optional, and Alternatives

The question usually shows up in the middle of a harder moment. A nurse hands you a folder. A funeral home calls back. A family group chat lights up with...

Embalming: What It Is, When It Helps, and When You Can Skip It

Embalming: What It Is, When It Helps, and When You Can Skip It

If you’ve found yourself searching for information about embalming during a period of grief or urgent funeral planning, you’re not alone. Most families aren’t curious about the technical process, they...

Is Embalming Required for a Funeral? Laws, Myths, and Alternatives Explained

Is Embalming Required for a Funeral? Laws, Myths, and Alternatives Explained

When a death occurs, one of the first questions families often hear from a funeral home is whether they want embalming. In the middle of grief and shock, it can...

What Is Embalming? Process, Safety, and When It’s Needed

What Is Embalming? Process, Safety, and When It’s Needed

Understanding what embalming is can bring clarity during one of life’s most difficult moments. In times of loss—when emotions are heavy and decisions feel overwhelming, knowing what this process truly...