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.

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...

Pet Burial vs Cremation: Pros, Cons, Costs, and How to Decide What’s Best

Pet Burial vs Cremation: Pros, Cons, Costs, and How to Decide What’s Best

When a pet dies, you don’t just lose an animal—you lose a daily rhythm. The click of nails on the floor, the pause at the door, the weight of a...

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Photos, Pros and Cons, and Cost Considerations

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Photos, Pros and Cons, and Cost Considerations

Choosing a headstone is one of those tasks that can feel both practical and deeply personal at the same time. In the early days after a death, families are often...

How Much Should I Spend on Flowers for a Funeral?

How Much Should I Spend on Flowers for a Funeral?

Planning a funeral involves countless decisions, each carrying profound emotional weight. From selecting the service location to arranging meaningful tributes, every choice reflects the love and respect you hold for...

What Is the Cheapest Way to Plan a Funeral?

What Is the Cheapest Way to Plan a Funeral?

The most cost-effective approach to planning a funeral often involves separating the disposition from the ceremony. By choosing the simplest professional disposition option, most commonly a direct cremation, families can...

How Do You Prepay for a Cremation?

How Do You Prepay for a Cremation?

For many families, the decision to prepay for cremation isn’t primarily about securing a financial bargain—it’s about reducing the emotional and logistical pressure that comes during a time of grief....

Cremation Diamonds and Gemstones: How They’re Made, Costs, and Key Questions to Ask

Cremation Diamonds and Gemstones: How They’re Made, Costs, and Key Questions to Ask

If you’ve been looking at cremation diamonds and thinking, “Is this real… and is it something we should actually do?” you’re in very good company. This is one of those...

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 weeks of funeral planning—a cemetery contract can feel like a different language. The phrases look familiar (plot, deed, perpetual care), but...

What Are the Disadvantages of Funeral Insurance?

What Are the Disadvantages of Funeral Insurance?

Making end-of-life arrangements is one of the most emotionally challenging experiences a family can face. Grief is raw, and decisions must often be made quickly, combining both financial pressure and...

Funeral Scams and High-Pressure Tactics: Red Flags to Watch For and How to Push Back

Funeral Scams and High-Pressure Tactics: Red Flags to Watch For and How to Push Back

You’re grieving, and you’re making expensive decisions you’ve probably never had to make before. That combination is exactly why funeral scams and high-pressure funeral sales tactics can work so well,...

Direct Cremation: What’s Included, What’s Not, and How Families Can Personalize Later

Direct Cremation: What’s Included, What’s Not, and How Families Can Personalize Later

For many families, direct cremation feels like the least complicated option at a time when everything already feels complicated. There is no pressure to pick a date for a formal...

Cemetery Fees Explained: Opening and Closing, Perpetual Care, and Other Common Charges

Cemetery Fees Explained: Opening and Closing, Perpetual Care, and Other Common Charges

When families first see a cemetery price list, it is common to feel a wave of confusion and even frustration. You may have already paid for a burial plot or...

Money, Grief, and Impulse Decisions: Big Purchases, Gifts, and Avoiding Long-Term Regrets

Money, Grief, and Impulse Decisions: Big Purchases, Gifts, and Avoiding Long-Term Regrets

In the first days after a death, money can start to feel strangely unreal. Some people swing toward caution and can’t bring themselves to buy anything at all—not even groceries....

Moving a Grave: Laws, Permits, and Costs of Exhuming and Reburying a Loved One

Moving a Grave: Laws, Permits, and Costs of Exhuming and Reburying a Loved One

Most families don’t set out expecting to think about moving a grave. It usually starts with a quieter truth: someone can’t travel anymore, the family has scattered across states, a spouse...

Direct Cremation: What It Is, Who It’s For, and How It Works

Direct Cremation: What It Is, Who It’s For, and How It Works

Direct cremation has become one of the most common and practical choices for families who want a simple, affordable, and flexible way to honor a loved one. While the term...

Cremation vs Traditional Burial: Pros, Cons, Costs, and Family Considerations

Cremation vs Traditional Burial: Pros, Cons, Costs, and Family Considerations

Deciding between cremation and traditional burial goes beyond logistics—it is a reflection of your family’s values, emotional needs, and how you want your loved one remembered. The choice touches both...