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.

Candle Safety for Vigils: A Practical Protocol for Homes, Kids, Pets, and Overnight Burning

Candle Safety for Vigils: A Practical Protocol for Homes, Kids, Pets, and Overnight Burning

Candles can make a vigil feel steady. They give people a shared center when words are hard. But vigils are also high-risk moments for open flames: people are tired, emotions...

Creating a Home Altar for a Vigil: Photos, Objects, Offerings, and a Calm Sacred Space

Creating a Home Altar for a Vigil: Photos, Objects, Offerings, and a Calm Sacred Space

In the first hours after a loss—or in the quiet days when plans are still taking shape—many families find themselves wanting something simple and steady. Not a “perfect” memorial. Not...

Music for a Home Vigil: Building a Playlist That Sets the Tone Without Overwhelming Guests

Music for a Home Vigil: Building a Playlist That Sets the Tone Without Overwhelming Guests

In the first hour of a home vigil, people often arrive carrying two things at once: grief and uncertainty. They want to show up, but they do not always know...

Arriving Late to a Funeral: Seating Etiquette and What to Do at the Door

Arriving Late to a Funeral: Seating Etiquette and What to Do at the Door

Traffic happens. Parking lots fill up. Schedules collide. If you are arriving late to a funeral, the worry is usually not “Will anyone notice?” so much as “How do I...

Modern Reliquaries: What They Are Today and Why Some Families Choose “Sacred Object” Memorials

Modern Reliquaries: What They Are Today and Why Some Families Choose “Sacred Object” Memorials

After a cremation, there is often a moment when the practical questions arrive before the emotional ones have even settled. Someone picks up the temporary container from the crematory, sets...

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Who Should Receive One (Gifts, Meals, Flowers, Donations, and Help)

Funeral Thank-You Cards: Who Should Receive One (Gifts, Meals, Flowers, Donations, and Help)

When you’re grieving, thank-you notes can feel like a chore you didn’t volunteer for. You may be staring at a stack of cards, a list of names, and a calendar...

Why People Crash Funerals: Psychology, Motives, and How Families Can Protect Privacy

Why People Crash Funerals: Psychology, Motives, and How Families Can Protect Privacy

It often begins as a small, confusing moment. You are standing near the guest book or the front row, trying to do the simple things grief demands—accept hugs, remember names,...

Can the Public Attend a Celebrity Funeral? How Access Works and What to Expect

Can the Public Attend a Celebrity Funeral? How Access Works and What to Expect

The moment a celebrity death is announced, the public response can feel immediate and massive: headlines, social posts, replayed interviews, and the instinct many people have to gather somewhere—anywhere—to mark...

Is It Okay to Wear a Deceased Loved One’s Clothes? Comfort, Boundaries, and When to Pause

Is It Okay to Wear a Deceased Loved One’s Clothes? Comfort, Boundaries, and When to Pause

There is a moment that happens quietly in many homes after a death: you open a closet, you slide a hanger aside, and your hand lands on something familiar. A...

Home Wake Etiquette: Shoes, Food, and Hosting Tips for a Respectful Gathering

Home Wake Etiquette: Shoes, Food, and Hosting Tips for a Respectful Gathering

The first thing most people notice at a home wake is not the flowers or the framed photos. It’s the doorway moment—the pause where a guest wonders what to do...

Funeral Mass Communion Etiquette: Who Should Receive and What to Do If You Don’t

Funeral Mass Communion Etiquette: Who Should Receive and What to Do If You Don’t

You arrive at the church a few minutes early, not quite sure where to sit, not quite sure what will happen next. The family is gathered close to the front,...

Why People Wash Hands After a Jewish Funeral: The Tradition, Meaning, and How It’s Done

Why People Wash Hands After a Jewish Funeral: The Tradition, Meaning, and How It’s Done

You step back into the driveway after the cemetery, and before anyone says much of anything, you notice what’s waiting near the front door: a simple pitcher of water and...

Sitting, Standing, and Kneeling at Services: How to Follow Along Without Stress

Sitting, Standing, and Kneeling at Services: How to Follow Along Without Stress

If you’re unsure when to sit, stand, or kneel at a funeral or religious service, you’re not alone. In a room where grief already makes everything feel heavy, the fear...

Mosque Etiquette at a Funeral Prayer: When to Remove Shoes and What to Expect

Mosque Etiquette at a Funeral Prayer: When to Remove Shoes and What to Expect

Most people don’t walk into a mosque for a funeral prayer thinking about their shoes. They’re thinking about the person who died, the family left behind, and the quiet weight...

Leaving a Funeral Early: How to Slip Out Quietly and Respectfully

Leaving a Funeral Early: How to Slip Out Quietly and Respectfully

There are moments when you walk into a funeral service with your whole heart fully present, and yet your calendar, your body, or your responsibilities are not. A work shift...

Visitation vs. Funeral: What to Wear to Each (and Why the Dress Code Can Feel Different)

Visitation vs. Funeral: What to Wear to Each (and Why the Dress Code Can Feel Different)

If you’re trying to figure out what to wear, it usually means you care about showing up well. In grief, “showing up well” rarely has anything to do with fashion....