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 Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? Average Prices, Common Fees, and Ways to Save (2025 Guide)

How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? Average Prices, Common Fees, and Ways to Save (2025 Guide)

If you’re pricing cremation after a death or trying to plan ahead, you’ll notice something right away. The numbers are rarely simple. Two families in the same city can receive...

At-Home Memorial Ideas: 40 Meaningful Ways to Honor a Loved One (DIY + Low-Cost)

At-Home Memorial Ideas: 40 Meaningful Ways to Honor a Loved One (DIY + Low-Cost)

When someone dies, the first decisions can feel strangely practical for how personal the moment is. You are grieving, and at the same time you are answering questions about timing,...

Low-Cost and Free Cremation Options in 2025: Direct Cremation, Body Donation, and Budget Tips

Low-Cost and Free Cremation Options in 2025: Direct Cremation, Body Donation, and Budget Tips

When a death happens—or when you’re trying to plan ahead with a clear head—money questions can feel painfully out of place. You want to do right by someone you love....

How to Preplan a Funeral: Checklist, Costs, and What to Watch for With Prepaid Plans

How to Preplan a Funeral: Checklist, Costs, and What to Watch for With Prepaid Plans

Most people don’t begin funeral planning because they enjoy paperwork. They begin because they’ve seen what happens when a family has to make financial and emotional decisions quickly, under pressure,...

What Is a Rental Casket? How It Works for Viewings Before Cremation

What Is a Rental Casket? How It Works for Viewings Before Cremation

When a family chooses cremation, the next question often arrives quickly and quietly: “Can we still have a viewing?” For many people, seeing the person’s face one last time, hearing...

Buying a Headstone Online vs Through the Cemetery: Pros, Cons, and Hidden Fees

Buying a Headstone Online vs Through the Cemetery: Pros, Cons, and Hidden Fees

Buying a headstone can feel like an oddly complicated task to face in the middle of grief. It’s also one of those decisions that tends to arrive when everyone is...

Turning Ashes Into Diamonds: How It Works, How Much Material You Need, and Cost Factors

Turning Ashes Into Diamonds: How It Works, How Much Material You Need, and Cost Factors

When a family chooses cremation, the hardest decisions often arrive after the paperwork is finished and everyone has gone home. There’s a container of remains, a quiet house, and a...

14K Gold Cremation Jewelry: How to Choose a Real Gold Urn Necklace (Plus a Price Guide)

14K Gold Cremation Jewelry: How to Choose a Real Gold Urn Necklace (Plus a Price Guide)

If you’re searching for a 14k gold cremation necklace, you’re probably carrying two needs at once: you want something beautiful enough to wear every day, and you want something secure...

Keepsake Urns Explained: Mini Urns for Sharing Ashes (Sizes, Filling, and Costs)

Keepsake Urns Explained: Mini Urns for Sharing Ashes (Sizes, Filling, and Costs)

In the first days after a cremation, many families feel surprised by how “practical” grief can become. You’re carrying love and memory, but you’re also making decisions: where the ashes...

Choosing a Casket: Materials, Features, and Cost Ranges Explained in Plain Language

Choosing a Casket: Materials, Features, and Cost Ranges Explained in Plain Language

Choosing a casket is one of those decisions that can feel oddly intense. You may have been doing “normal life” just days ago, and now you’re being asked to pick...

Jewelry from Pet Ashes: How It Works, Costs, and Choosing a Design You’ll Love

Jewelry from Pet Ashes: How It Works, Costs, and Choosing a Design You’ll Love

When a pet dies, grief rarely arrives in one clean wave. It shows up in ordinary moments: a leash still hanging by the door, a food bowl you can’t bring...

Planning a Pet Funeral on a Budget: Simple, Meaningful Ideas that Don’t Cost Much

Planning a Pet Funeral on a Budget: Simple, Meaningful Ideas that Don’t Cost Much

When a pet dies, grief has a strange way of colliding with paperwork, prices, and decisions you never wanted to make. You might find yourself trying to plan a goodbye...

Funeral Flower Arrangements Explained: Types, Average Costs, and Meaning

Funeral Flower Arrangements Explained: Types, Average Costs, and Meaning

Funeral flowers can feel surprisingly complicated—especially when you’re trying to comfort someone while your own emotions are running high. You may be looking at funeral flower arrangements like wreaths, standing...

Understanding Your Cemetery Contract: Plot Rights, Fees, and Long-Term Obligations

Understanding Your Cemetery Contract: Plot Rights, Fees, and Long-Term Obligations

In a season of loss—or even in the quieter months of funeral planning—a cemetery contract can feel like a different language. The words look familiar: plot, deed, perpetual care, interment. But...

Burying vs Cremating a Dog: Legal Issues, Costs, and Emotional Considerations

Burying vs Cremating a Dog: Legal Issues, Costs, and Emotional Considerations

Losing a dog can feel like losing a steady part of your everyday life. The leash still hangs by the door. The food bowl is still where it always was....

Paw Print Jewelry (No Ashes): Options, Price Ranges & How to Order the Right Way

Paw Print Jewelry (No Ashes): Options, Price Ranges & How to Order the Right Way

There’s a particular kind of relief in choosing memorial jewelry that doesn’t ask anything more from you. No decisions about dividing remains, no tiny tools, no questions about seals. Just...