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.

Writing a Song or Poem for Someone Who Died: Prompts to Start Even If You’re Not a Writer

Writing a Song or Poem for Someone Who Died: Prompts to Start Even If You’re Not a Writer

When someone dies, language can feel both too small and too heavy. People hand you sympathy cards with perfect sentences, and somehow your own mouth can’t find a single one...

Scottish Funerals and Bagpipes: Why They’re Used and What the Tradition Represents - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scottish Funerals and Bagpipes: Why They’re Used and What the Tradition Represents

The first time many people hear bagpipes in a funeral setting, it catches them off guard—not because the sound feels unfamiliar, but because it feels instantly human. A lone piper...

Funeral Gift Etiquette: What to Send (Food, Flowers, Donations & Keepsakes) and What to Avoid - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Gift Etiquette: What to Send (Food, Flowers, Donations & Keepsakes) and What to Avoid

If you have ever stared at your phone after hearing the words “they passed away,” you are not alone. Many people want to help immediately, but grief makes ordinary social...

How to Pay for a Funeral: Payment Plans, Funeral Loans, Insurance, and Assistance - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Pay for a Funeral: Payment Plans, Funeral Loans, Insurance, and Assistance

If you’re worried about cost, you’re not alone. The financial side of a death can feel brutal in a very specific way: you’re trying to honor someone, you’re trying to...

Rituals for Scattering Ashes: Music, Poems, Readings, and Timing - Funeral.com, Inc.

Rituals for Scattering Ashes: Music, Poems, Readings, and Timing

When a family chooses cremation, there’s often a quiet second decision that follows: what comes next for the ashes. Some people know right away. Others don’t. Many families sit with...

Music Choices for a Memorial: How to Decide - Funeral.com, Inc.

Music Choices for a Memorial: How to Decide

When you’re planning a memorial, music can feel like the most personal decision and the most exhausting one at the same time. The right song can say what people can’t....

Music for a Home Vigil: Building a Playlist That Sets the Tone Without Overwhelming Guests - Funeral.com, Inc.

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...

Poetry and Readings for Home Ceremonies: Short Selections That Work for Mixed Beliefs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Poetry and Readings for Home Ceremonies: Short Selections That Work for Mixed Beliefs

In many families, the hardest part of planning a home ceremony is not the food, the chairs, or even the timing. It’s the silence that arrives when everyone realizes the...

How to Livestream a Funeral: Recommended Hardware, Internet Options, and Audio Basics - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Livestream a Funeral: Recommended Hardware, Internet Options, and Audio Basics

When someone you love dies, distance can add a second kind of ache. You may be coordinating relatives who can’t travel, friends who are immunocompromised, a grandparent who can’t manage...

Funeral Livestream Music Licensing: What You Can Stream Legally (and How to Avoid Takedowns) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Livestream Music Licensing: What You Can Stream Legally (and How to Avoid Takedowns)

If you are planning a funeral or celebration of life, music can feel like the most “right” part of the day. A song can say what people can’t. It can...

Scattering With a Large Group: Logistics That Prevent Stress - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scattering With a Large Group: Logistics That Prevent Stress

When you’re planning a scattering ceremony with a large family or friend group, the emotional weight is already there. What often surprises people is how quickly the practical details can...

What to Say During a Scattering: Short, Nonreligious Readings - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Say During a Scattering: Short, Nonreligious Readings

If you are planning to scatter ashes, you are probably carrying two things at once: a very personal goodbye, and a very practical moment that happens outside—where wind, water, footing,...

How to Include Music in a Scattering Ceremony: What Works Outdoors - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Include Music in a Scattering Ceremony: What Works Outdoors

When families picture a scattering ceremony, they usually picture the place first. A beach at low tide. A ridge line that held a thousand family photos. A backyard garden where...

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...

Eulogy Structure for Nervous Speakers: A Simple Outline That Works - Funeral.com, Inc.

Eulogy Structure for Nervous Speakers: A Simple Outline That Works

You don’t have to be “good at public speaking” to give a eulogy. You just have to be willing to show up and tell the truth about someone you loved....