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.

Qingming Festival Explained: Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Day, Ancestor Visits, and Offerings - Funeral.com, Inc.

Qingming Festival Explained: Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Day, Ancestor Visits, and Offerings

In many families, grief doesn’t arrive only once. It returns in seasons—when the air shifts, when a familiar date approaches, when a child asks a question you didn’t expect, when...

Buying a Cemetery Plot in Advance: Contracts, Fees, and Burial Vault Requirements - Funeral.com, Inc.

Buying a Cemetery Plot in Advance: Contracts, Fees, and Burial Vault Requirements

Most families don’t start by thinking about contracts. They start with a feeling: “I don’t want my kids to have to figure this out.” Buying a cemetery plot ahead of...

Funeral Receptions and Repasts: Food Ideas, Venue Options, and Etiquette After the Service - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Receptions and Repasts: Food Ideas, Venue Options, and Etiquette After the Service

After a funeral or memorial service, many families feel two things at once: exhaustion and a quiet need to be together. A funeral reception or a repast after funeral isn’t...

The Rise of the Celebration of Life: Bright Colors, Personal Touches, and New Etiquette - Funeral.com, Inc.

The Rise of the Celebration of Life: Bright Colors, Personal Touches, and New Etiquette

A generation ago, many families felt like there was one “right” way to say goodbye: a traditional funeral, formal clothing, and a familiar order of service. Today, more people are...

Why We Wear Black to Funerals: History, Meaning, and Modern Etiquette - Funeral.com, Inc.

Why We Wear Black to Funerals: History, Meaning, and Modern Etiquette

If you have ever paused in front of your closet before a service and wondered why wear black to funerals, you are not alone. Most people are not trying to...

What to Bring to a Grieving Family: Practical Comfort Gifts and Simple Etiquette - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Bring to a Grieving Family: Practical Comfort Gifts and Simple Etiquette

When you’re visiting a grieving family, it’s normal to feel unsure of what to do with your hands. You want to be helpful without hovering, kind without making the moment...

What to Send After Someone Dies: Sympathy Gifts, Messages, and Etiquette Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Send After Someone Dies: Sympathy Gifts, Messages, and Etiquette Tips

When someone dies, most of us have the same immediate thought: I want to do something. And then, almost as quickly, a second thought follows: I have no idea what...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Vermont: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Vermont: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

When a Veteran in Vermont is cremated, the questions that follow tend to be both practical and deeply personal. Where can the ashes be placed? Is a columbarium niche available...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Texas: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Texas: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

When a veteran dies, families often find themselves making two kinds of decisions at once. One set is deeply personal—how to honor a life, what feels respectful, and what kind...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in South Dakota: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in South Dakota: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are carrying two heavy things at once: grief, and responsibility. When a veteran is cremated, families often want a...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in South Carolina: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in South Carolina: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

When a veteran is cremated, families in South Carolina often find themselves holding two very different kinds of responsibility at the same time. There is the emotional work of grief...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Rhode Island: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Rhode Island: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

If you’re planning after a death—or trying to plan ahead—the phrase VA burial benefits Rhode Island can sound reassuring and intimidating at the same time. Reassuring, because the benefits are...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Pennsylvania: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Pennsylvania: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

If you’re helping a loved one who served, cremation can feel like it should make things simpler. In some ways it does. There’s more flexibility, more time to gather family,...

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Oregon: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers - Funeral.com, Inc.

VA Cremation Burial Benefits in Oregon: Cemeteries, Niches, and Markers

If you’re reading this in the middle of loss, it may feel unfair that the next steps require so many decisions. When a Veteran is cremated, families often expect the...

Keepsake Jewelry Gift Etiquette: When It’s Appropriate - Funeral.com, Inc.

Keepsake Jewelry Gift Etiquette: When It’s Appropriate

There is a particular kind of love that shows up in grief: the quiet urge to do something tangible when words feel thin. You want the person you care about...

Planting a Tree Over a Pet Grave: Root, Depth, and Safety Considerations - Funeral.com, Inc.

Planting a Tree Over a Pet Grave: Root, Depth, and Safety Considerations

Planting a tree after a pet dies can feel like the most natural kind of memorial. You’re choosing something living, something that changes with the seasons, something that can quietly...