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 Funeral Home: Questions to Ask, Red Flags, and Comparing Local Options

How to Choose a Funeral Home: Questions to Ask, Red Flags, and Comparing Local Options

The moment you realize you need to start choosing a funeral home rarely comes with a clear head. It might be late at night after a sudden loss, or in...

Closing Accounts and Subscriptions After a Death: Step-by-Step Help for Everyday Bills

Closing Accounts and Subscriptions After a Death: Step-by-Step Help for Everyday Bills

After a death, life can feel divided between emotional responsibilities and practical tasks. On one side are decisions like planning a funeral, selecting a cremation urn, or arranging a home...

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Tips, Examples, and Handling Emotions

How to Write and Deliver a Eulogy: Tips, Examples, and Handling Emotions

Writing a eulogy can feel overwhelming, but it’s also a powerful way to honor a loved one and celebrate the unique life they lived. It allows you to share memories,...

Pets at Funerals and Memorials: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and How to Prepare

Pets at Funerals and Memorials: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and How to Prepare

Bringing a pet to a funeral or memorial can be a profoundly moving and comforting experience, offering a sense of companionship and emotional support during a time of grief. For...

Cremation Jewelry Care Guide: Cleaning, Wearing, and Keeping Ashes Secure

Cremation Jewelry Care Guide: Cleaning, Wearing, and Keeping Ashes Secure

Caring for cremation jewelry is about more than preserving a beautiful keepsake; it’s a daily way to feel connected to the memory of a loved one. Each necklace, bracelet, or...

Should Children Attend Funerals? Age-by-Age Guidance and How to Prepare Them

Should Children Attend Funerals? Age-by-Age Guidance and How to Prepare Them

Deciding whether children should attend funerals is one of the most sensitive choices a family can face. Parents often feel a mix of emotions, grief, uncertainty, and the desire to...

Digital Legacy Planning: Passwords, Social Media Accounts, and Online Memories

Digital Legacy Planning: Passwords, Social Media Accounts, and Online Memories

Most of us now live a significant part of our lives online. We scroll through social media, upload photos, pay bills through apps, store important documents in the cloud, and...

Final Letters and Ethical Wills: Passing on Values, Stories, and Messages of Love

Final Letters and Ethical Wills: Passing on Values, Stories, and Messages of Love

Most people know they should have a legal will to say who receives their money and property someday. Far fewer have heard of an ethical will or taken time to...

Memorial Day Cemetery Decorations: Creative Tips for Honoring Loved Ones

Memorial Day Cemetery Decorations: Creative Tips for Honoring Loved Ones

Memorial Day can bring a quiet ache long before you reach the cemetery gates. You might find yourself wondering what to bring, how much to decorate, or whether your choices...

Traveling with Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Policies, and Practical Tips

Traveling with Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Policies, and Practical Tips

Families often travel with a loved one’s ashes for deeply personal reasons, fulfilling a final wish to return home, scattering the remains in a place filled with meaning, or bringing...

Religions and Cremation: How Different Faiths View Cremation vs Burial

Religions and Cremation: How Different Faiths View Cremation vs Burial

When families start talking about cremation vs burial, the conversation rarely stays purely practical. Very quickly, it touches on religious views on cremation, beliefs about the body and the soul,...

Cat Euthanasia and Cremation Costs: What to Expect at the Vet and Crematory

Cat Euthanasia and Cremation Costs: What to Expect at the Vet and Crematory

Understanding the Emotional and Financial Landscape Saying goodbye to a cat is one of the hardest experiences a pet parent can face. When illness, pain, or age has taken away...

What to Wear to a Funeral, Wake, or Celebration of Life: Dress Code Made Simple

What to Wear to a Funeral, Wake, or Celebration of Life: Dress Code Made Simple

Grief does not come with a wardrobe checklist. Most people only attend a few services in their lifetime, so it is completely normal to wonder what to wear to a...

Preplanning a Funeral: Benefits, Costs, and Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Preplanning a Funeral: Benefits, Costs, and Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Thinking about your own funeral is not easy. But for many people, preplanning a funeral is less about focusing on death and more about giving a practical, lasting gift to...

Mailing Cremated Remains: USPS Rules, Required Kits, and How to Ship Ashes Safely

Mailing Cremated Remains: USPS Rules, Required Kits, and How to Ship Ashes Safely

When families talk about funeral planning today, the conversation often includes distance. Adult children may live in other states, a memorial service might be scheduled months after a death, or...

Gravesite Decoration Ideas: Flowers, Flags, and Seasonal Tributes That Last

Gravesite Decoration Ideas: Flowers, Flags, and Seasonal Tributes That Last

When it comes to gravesite decoration ideas, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. From flowers for graves and artificial flowers for headstones to flags on graves and seasonal grave...