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.

Short-Notice Funerals and Quick Cremation Services: What’s Realistic on a Tight Timeline

Short-Notice Funerals and Quick Cremation Services: What’s Realistic on a Tight Timeline

The hours after a death can feel urgent and overwhelming. Families often juggle travel logistics, faith-based timelines, and the emotional weight of saying goodbye. In these moments, questions about short...

Graveside Service Guide: What Happens at the Cemetery and How to Plan One

Graveside Service Guide: What Happens at the Cemetery and How to Plan One

When you picture saying a final goodbye, you may imagine a quiet gathering at the cemetery, with friends and family standing together beneath a tent, words spoken softly, and the...

How to Plan a Pet Funeral or Memorial: Ceremonies, Costs, and Comforting Rituals

How to Plan a Pet Funeral or Memorial: Ceremonies, Costs, and Comforting Rituals

In many homes, pets are family, and when a dog, cat, or other companion passes away, the idea of simply dropping them off at a clinic without a chance to...

How to Hold a Pet Memorial Service with Family and Friends

How to Hold a Pet Memorial Service with Family and Friends

There is a kind of silence that settles over a home after a pet dies—a silence made not only of the absence of sound, but of the absence of presence....

When a Loved One Dies by Suicide: Gentle Guidance for Language, Memorials, and Support

When a Loved One Dies by Suicide: Gentle Guidance for Language, Memorials, and Support

The moment you learn that someone you love has died by suicide, time can feel split in two. There is the world “before,” and then the surreal blur that follows:...

How to Write a Eulogy That Sounds Like Your Loved One

How to Write a Eulogy That Sounds Like Your Loved One

Standing before family and friends, clutching your notes or a piece of paper, the weight of love, memory, and grief presses down. Then comes the question that can feel both...

Planning a Pet Memorial Service: Ideas for Ceremonies at Home, Outside, or Online

Planning a Pet Memorial Service: Ideas for Ceremonies at Home, Outside, or Online

The quiet house feels different without your pet’s gentle presence, the soft padding of paws, the way they curled beside you, the little habits that brought joy to everyday moments....

Remembering With Food: Memorial Meals, Favorite Recipes, and Family Traditions After a Death

Remembering With Food: Memorial Meals, Favorite Recipes, and Family Traditions After a Death

Food carries memories. The aroma of a favorite dish, the warmth of a shared meal, and the comfort of familiar flavors can help keep a loved one’s presence alive even...

Planning a Celebration of Life Without a Body or Ashes Present: Ideas and Etiquette

Planning a Celebration of Life Without a Body or Ashes Present: Ideas and Etiquette

Honoring a loved one without a body or ashes present can feel overwhelming, leaving families wondering how to create a service that truly captures the essence of the person they...

How to Plan a Celebration of Life (Step-by-Step Guide)

How to Plan a Celebration of Life (Step-by-Step Guide)

A celebration of life is a heartfelt and uplifting way to honor someone special. Unlike traditional funerals, which often follow rigid formats, a celebration of life focuses on storytelling, joy,...

Cultural Differences in Grieving and Funerals: Learning from Traditions Around the World

Cultural Differences in Grieving and Funerals: Learning from Traditions Around the World

Grief touches every human life, yet the way we express it can look profoundly different from one culture to another. When someone we love dies, we reach for rituals that...

Is It Okay to Take Photos at a Funeral? Etiquette, Boundaries, and Alternatives

Is It Okay to Take Photos at a Funeral? Etiquette, Boundaries, and Alternatives

Why This Question Comes Up So Often In the past, funerals were private, camera-free spaces. Today, nearly everyone carries a phone with a high-quality camera, and moments of grief often...

Blending Different Faith Traditions in One Funeral: Practical Ideas and Respectful Compromises

Blending Different Faith Traditions in One Funeral: Practical Ideas and Respectful Compromises

When a family includes Christians and Muslims, a Buddhist son-in-law, a Jewish grandparent, and relatives who now call themselves “spiritual but not religious,” funeral planning can feel less like a...

Choosing Between a Church Funeral and a Nonreligious Venue: Questions to Consider

Choosing Between a Church Funeral and a Nonreligious Venue: Questions to Consider

When someone you love dies, decisions about funeral planning seem to arrive all at once: burial or cremation, simple or elaborate, public or private. Somewhere in the middle of all...

Remembering Together at a Distance: Virtual Vigils, Video Calls, and Shared Online Rituals

Remembering Together at a Distance: Virtual Vigils, Video Calls, and Shared Online Rituals

Grief has always needed company, but the way we gather has changed. Families are often spread across time zones, friends may live in other countries, and grandchildren might join from...

Planning a Memorial Slideshow: Photo Selection, Music, and Technical Tips

Planning a Memorial Slideshow: Photo Selection, Music, and Technical Tips

When someone passes away, photos suddenly feel more precious than ever. A memorial slideshow brings those images together into a living story, a gentle way to say, “This is who...