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.

Where Should Flowers Go? Sending to the Funeral Home vs. Sending to the Family’s Home - Funeral.com, Inc.

Where Should Flowers Go? Sending to the Funeral Home vs. Sending to the Family’s Home

If you have ever found yourself staring at a checkout page thinking, “I want to be kind, but I do not want to make this harder,” you are in very...

Tipping Clergy for a Funeral in 2026: Honorariums, Typical Ranges, and What’s Actually Expected - Funeral.com, Inc.

Tipping Clergy for a Funeral in 2026: Honorariums, Typical Ranges, and What’s Actually Expected

In the middle of grief, it can feel strangely awkward to ask a practical question like tipping clergy funeral. Families often worry they’ll offend someone by offering money—or offend someone...

Tipping Funeral Musicians: When the Fee Is Enough (and When an Extra Honorarium Makes Sense) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Tipping Funeral Musicians: When the Fee Is Enough (and When an Extra Honorarium Makes Sense)

If you are planning a funeral or memorial, there is a particular kind of stress that shows up in the small, practical questions. Music is one of them. A singer...

Do You Tip the Funeral Director? Etiquette, When to Skip It, and Better Ways to Show Appreciation - Funeral.com, Inc.

Do You Tip the Funeral Director? Etiquette, When to Skip It, and Better Ways to Show Appreciation

If you are asking do you tip the funeral director, it usually means something important happened: someone treated your family with steadiness and care at a moment when you were...

Tipping Limo and Hearse Drivers: How Much to Give, When Gratuity Is Included, and What to Check - Funeral.com, Inc.

Tipping Limo and Hearse Drivers: How Much to Give, When Gratuity Is Included, and What to Check

When you’re planning a funeral, transportation is one of those details that feels both practical and emotional. The vehicle itself is visible, the timing is sensitive, and the driver’s steadiness...

How to Verify a Funeral GoFundMe Before You Donate or Share: Simple Checks to Avoid Scam - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Verify a Funeral GoFundMe Before You Donate or Share: Simple Checks to Avoid Scam

You’re scrolling, and a message lands in your inbox with a link and a sentence that makes your stomach drop: “Can you please share this? We’re trying to help with...

Can the Public Attend a Celebrity Funeral? How Access Works and What to Expect - Funeral.com, Inc.

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...

Yard Memorials and HOA Rules: What’s Usually Allowed (and How to Get Approval) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Yard Memorials and HOA Rules: What’s Usually Allowed (and How to Get Approval)

After a loss, families often discover that grief doesn’t just live in the heart. It shows up in the places someone used to be—the porch light they always turned on,...

How to Remove Memorial Car Decals Safely: Vinyl Stickers, Window Lettering, and Adhesive Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Remove Memorial Car Decals Safely: Vinyl Stickers, Window Lettering, and Adhesive Tips

A memorial decal on a car window or bumper can start as something steady: a name, a date, a symbol that says, “You mattered, and you still do.” Over time,...

Is It Okay to Wear a Deceased Loved One’s Clothes? Comfort, Boundaries, and When to Pause - Funeral.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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.com, Inc.

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 - Funeral.com, Inc.

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...

How to Organize a Funeral Potluck: Sign-Ups, Food Safety, Labels, and Less Stress - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Organize a Funeral Potluck: Sign-Ups, Food Safety, Labels, and Less Stress

The day of a service has a way of blurring at the edges. People arrive in waves, hugging in the doorway, holding casseroles in foil pans, carrying paper bags of...

Do You Need to Wear a Yarmulke at a Jewish Funeral? Kippah Etiquette for Guests - Funeral.com, Inc.

Do You Need to Wear a Yarmulke at a Jewish Funeral? Kippah Etiquette for Guests

You walk in, lower your voice, and try to find a seat without interrupting anyone’s grief. Then you spot a basket of small skullcaps near the entrance. If you’re new...

Funeral Dress Code in 2026: Are Jeans Ever OK (and When a Suit Still Makes Sense)? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Dress Code in 2026: Are Jeans Ever OK (and When a Suit Still Makes Sense)?

In 2026, you are not imagining it: clothing at funerals has become less rigid in many communities. You may see fewer full black outfits, more softened business attire, and more...