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.

What Is a Typical Funeral Program?

What Is a Typical Funeral Program?

Funerals are moments filled with profound reflection, remembrance, and love, times when families and friends come together to honor a life that has left a lasting mark. They are both...

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,...

The Burden of the Decision Maker: When One Spouse Decides and the Other Disagrees

The Burden of the Decision Maker: When One Spouse Decides and the Other Disagrees

There’s a particular kind of silence that can settle over a home after a pet euthanasia appointment. It isn’t only the quiet of missing paws on the floor or the...

Traveling to a Funeral: Etiquette, Planning, and Making the Most of Time with Family

Traveling to a Funeral: Etiquette, Planning, and Making the Most of Time with Family

Traveling for a funeral is one of those trips you never wanted to make and yet feel deeply compelled to take. You may be staring at flight prices, juggling childcare...

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...

Memorial Service: How to Plan a Meaningful Tribute (and What to Do With Ashes Afterward)

Memorial Service: How to Plan a Meaningful Tribute (and What to Do With Ashes Afterward)

A memorial service is one of life’s rare pauses, a moment to gather, reflect, and honor someone’s legacy. It is a space where stories are shared, laughter is remembered, and...

Cremation vs. Burial: A Guide to Aftercare Options

Cremation vs. Burial: A Guide to Aftercare Options

The hardest decisions after a loss often arrive quietly—after the appointment, after the goodbyes, after the first night when the house feels different. For many families, that’s when “aftercare” becomes...

Memorial Service: A Gentle, Practical Guide to Planning One That Feels Like Them

Memorial Service: A Gentle, Practical Guide to Planning One That Feels Like Them

There’s a particular kind of quiet that follows a loss. It’s the quiet after the calls are made, after the immediate logistics begin to settle, and you realize you still...

How Long Does Cremation Take and What Families Can Expect Next

How Long Does Cremation Take and What Families Can Expect Next

When a loved one passes away, families often wonder how long cremation takes and what to expect during the process. Because cremation is not a daily experience for most, it’s...

Helping a Friend or Relative with Funeral Planning: What’s Actually Helpful vs Overstepping

Helping a Friend or Relative with Funeral Planning: What’s Actually Helpful vs Overstepping

When someone you love is suddenly in the middle of funeral planning, help often arrives in a rush—texts that say “Anything you need,” phone calls that go unanswered, offers that...

When You Disagree with a Loved One’s Funeral or Cremation Choices: Respecting Wishes While Caring for Yourself

When You Disagree with a Loved One’s Funeral or Cremation Choices: Respecting Wishes While Caring for Yourself

There are grief moments that hit like weather—sudden, physical, uninvited. And then there are grief moments that arrive as a sentence. “I want to be cremated.” “I don’t want a...

Embalming: What It Is, When It Helps, and When You Can Skip It

Embalming: What It Is, When It Helps, and When You Can Skip It

If you’ve found yourself searching for information about embalming during a period of grief or urgent funeral planning, you’re not alone. Most families aren’t curious about the technical process, they...

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...

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...

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...

Is Embalming Required for a Funeral? Laws, Myths, and Alternatives Explained

Is Embalming Required for a Funeral? Laws, Myths, and Alternatives Explained

When a death occurs, one of the first questions families often hear from a funeral home is whether they want embalming. In the middle of grief and shock, it can...