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.

Dressing for a Funeral in Extreme Weather: Summer Heat, Winter Cold, and Rain

Dressing for a Funeral in Extreme Weather: Summer Heat, Winter Cold, and Rain

Grief has a way of making ordinary decisions feel surprisingly heavy. Even something as simple as getting dressed can turn into a quiet source of stress—especially when the forecast is...

Funeral Etiquette 101: What to Do, What to Say, and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Funeral Etiquette 101: What to Do, What to Say, and Common Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re reading this because you’re worried about getting it wrong, you’re already doing the most important thing: you’re trying to show up with care. Most people don’t avoid funerals...

When Family Can’t Agree on Funeral Plans: Practical Mediation Steps and Decision Rules

When Family Can’t Agree on Funeral Plans: Practical Mediation Steps and Decision Rules

If you’re in the middle of a funeral planning disagreement, it can feel like you’re trying to build a clear plan on shifting sand. People are grieving, everyone is tired,...

How to Pre-Plan a Green Funeral: Natural Burial Options, Materials, and Questions to Ask

How to Pre-Plan a Green Funeral: Natural Burial Options, Materials, and Questions to Ask

Most people don’t pre-plan a funeral because they want to think about death. They do it because they love their family, and they don’t want their family forced into rushed...

Do You Need a Funeral Planner or Concierge Service? When Extra Help Is Worth It

Do You Need a Funeral Planner or Concierge Service? When Extra Help Is Worth It

In the days after a death, there’s a strange collision between grief and logistics. You’re trying to absorb what happened, and at the same time you’re expected to make decisions...

Organ Donation and Funeral Timing: How Donation Can Affect Viewing, Cremation, and Scheduling

Organ Donation and Funeral Timing: How Donation Can Affect Viewing, Cremation, and Scheduling

In the hours after a death, families are asked to absorb grief and make decisions at the same time. When organ or tissue donation is part of the story, it...

Last Letters and Video Messages: How to Leave Meaningful Goodbyes for Loved Ones

Last Letters and Video Messages: How to Leave Meaningful Goodbyes for Loved Ones

Most families don’t set out to create “legacy content.” They set out to love each other, to build a life, and to get through whatever the world puts in front...

Blended Families and Funerals: Navigating Exes, Step-Relatives, and Decision-Making

Blended Families and Funerals: Navigating Exes, Step-Relatives, and Decision-Making

When a family is blended, grief can feel like it has more than one address. There may be an ex-spouse who still matters, stepchildren who loved the person deeply, adult...

Funeral Planning From Afar: A Checklist for Next of Kin Who Live Out of Town

Funeral Planning From Afar: A Checklist for Next of Kin Who Live Out of Town

If you’re next of kin and you live far away, the hardest part often isn’t the distance itself. It’s the feeling that everything is happening without you while you’re trying...

Buying Cemetery Property Now vs Later: Costs, Availability, and Resale Rules for Plots

Buying Cemetery Property Now vs Later: Costs, Availability, and Resale Rules for Plots

If you’ve found yourself wondering whether to buy cemetery plot now or later, you’re not being “morbid.” You’re trying to protect your future self—and the people you love—from rushed decisions,...

Body Donation to Science: Eligibility, What Happens, and How to Communicate Your Wishes

Body Donation to Science: Eligibility, What Happens, and How to Communicate Your Wishes

The call usually comes at the worst possible time—when a family is still trying to understand what just happened. A nurse, a hospice coordinator, or a loved one at home...

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rosary, Vigil, Funeral Liturgy, and Graveside Customs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rosary, Vigil, Funeral Liturgy, and Graveside Customs

Most families don’t arrive at a Catholic funeral already fluent in the rhythm of the prayers. They arrive tired, tender, and trying to do right by someone they love. If...

Pre-Planning Your Funeral Online: Tools, Services, and What to Compare Before You Commit - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pre-Planning Your Funeral Online: Tools, Services, and What to Compare Before You Commit

It often starts quietly. A late-night search. A tab left open after reading a friend’s post about their parent’s funeral. A moment when you realize that if something happened tomorrow,...

Assigning Roles for Funeral Planning: How to Involve Loved Ones (and When to Say No) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Assigning Roles for Funeral Planning: How to Involve Loved Ones (and When to Say No)

In the first hours after a death—or even in the weeks leading up to one—help often arrives before you know what you need. A sister offers to “handle everything.” A...

How to Document Aquamation Wishes: Wills, Advance Plans, and What Families Need to Know - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Document Aquamation Wishes: Wills, Advance Plans, and What Families Need to Know

Most people don’t sit down to write about death because they feel “ready.” They do it because they’ve watched a family they love scramble under pressure—trying to honor someone’s values...

How to Plan a Death Dinner: Conversation Prompts, Menu Ideas, and Hosting Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Plan a Death Dinner: Conversation Prompts, Menu Ideas, and Hosting Tips

Most families don’t avoid end-of-life decisions because they don’t care. They avoid them because the conversations feel too heavy to start—and too personal to do “the right way.” A death dinner...