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.

How to Choose a Pet Portrait, Paw Print, or Jewelry Memorial That Feels Personal

How to Choose a Pet Portrait, Paw Print, or Jewelry Memorial That Feels Personal

The house can feel impossibly quiet after a pet is gone. Their bowl is still in the same place. The leash is still hanging by the door. And then, at...

Headstone Sayings for Babies and Children: Gentle Epitaph Ideas for Little Lives

Headstone Sayings for Babies and Children: Gentle Epitaph Ideas for Little Lives

There are parts of funeral planning that feel practical—paperwork, phone calls, timelines, decisions you can make with a steady hand. Choosing words for a baby’s or child’s headstone is not like...

Moving a Grave: Laws, Permits, and Costs of Exhuming and Reburying a Loved One

Moving a Grave: Laws, Permits, and Costs of Exhuming and Reburying a Loved One

Most families don’t set out expecting to think about moving a grave. It usually starts with a quieter truth: someone can’t travel anymore, the family has scattered across states, a spouse...

Aquamation: The Eco-Friendly Alternative to Pet Cremation

Aquamation: The Eco-Friendly Alternative to Pet Cremation

When a pet dies, the world doesn’t pause just because your heart does. One moment you’re counting medications, refilling a water bowl, hearing familiar footsteps in the hallway. The next,...

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...

Remembering Through Music: Playlists, Live Performances, and Songs That Become “Theirs”

Remembering Through Music: Playlists, Live Performances, and Songs That Become “Theirs”

There are days when grief feels like silence. Not the calm kind—the kind that makes the house sound too big, the car ride too long, the evening too empty. And...

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Easy Guide to Matching Urn Capacity to Body Weight

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Easy Guide to Matching Urn Capacity to Body Weight

A lot of families think they’re shopping for an urn, when really they’re trying to answer a more tender question: “How do we do this in a way that feels...

How to Create a Peaceful Final Day for Your Pet

How to Create a Peaceful Final Day for Your Pet

When you realize your pet is nearing the end of their life—whether because of a slow decline or a scheduled euthanasia—time suddenly feels both too fast and painfully slow. You...

How to Journal Through Pet Loss: Prompts, Practices, and Healing Techniques

How to Journal Through Pet Loss: Prompts, Practices, and Healing Techniques

When a beloved animal dies, the world can feel strangely off-balance. You might still catch yourself listening for paws in the hallway, glancing at a favorite spot on the couch,...

Green Cremation and Alkaline Hydrolysis: Newer Options Beyond Flame Cremation

Green Cremation and Alkaline Hydrolysis: Newer Options Beyond Flame Cremation

When a family chooses cremation, it’s rarely just a “method” in the abstract. It’s usually a cluster of hopes and practical needs held together by love: a desire for simplicity,...

Online Memorial Websites: How They Work, What to Include, and Privacy Tips

Online Memorial Websites: How They Work, What to Include, and Privacy Tips

In the first days after a death, families often find themselves holding two very different kinds of weight at the same time: the emotional shock of what’s happened, and the...

Bereavement Leave and Time Off Work After a Death: What Employees Should Know

Bereavement Leave and Time Off Work After a Death: What Employees Should Know

Experiencing a death in the family can make work feel both distant and urgent at the same time. Balancing funeral arrangements, paperwork, and family communications while managing job responsibilities often...

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...

Pet Burial Laws by State: What You Need to Know Before Burying a Pet

Pet Burial Laws by State: What You Need to Know Before Burying a Pet

When a beloved dog or cat dies, many families instinctively picture a resting place under a favorite tree or near the back fence. Home burial can feel intimate and deeply...

Choosing the Right Urn for Pet Ashes: Sizes, Styles, and Personalization Options

Choosing the Right Urn for Pet Ashes: Sizes, Styles, and Personalization Options

When a beloved dog or cat dies, the first wave of grief is usually about the loss itself: the quiet house, the empty bed, the missing collar on the hook....

How to Bond with a New Pet When Your Heart Is Still Broken

How to Bond with a New Pet When Your Heart Is Still Broken

Grief has a way of soaking into the walls of a home. The empty bed in the corner, the worn spot on the couch, the way you still catch yourself...