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 Become a Funeral Planner: Job Duties, Skills, and Career Path

How to Become a Funeral Planner: Job Duties, Skills, and Career Path

In the U.S., the funeral planner (often called a funeral planning counselor or funeral arranger) helps families turn urgent, emotional decisions into a clear plan. This guide explains what the...

Jewelry from Pet Ashes: How It Works, Costs, and Choosing a Design You’ll Love

Jewelry from Pet Ashes: How It Works, Costs, and Choosing a Design You’ll Love

When a pet dies, grief rarely arrives in one clean wave. It shows up in ordinary moments: a leash still hanging by the door, a food bowl you can’t bring...

Funeral Flower Arrangements Explained: Types, Average Costs, and Meaning

Funeral Flower Arrangements Explained: Types, Average Costs, and Meaning

Funeral flowers can feel surprisingly complicated—especially when you’re trying to comfort someone while your own emotions are running high. You may be looking at funeral flower arrangements like wreaths, standing...

Funeral Flower Etiquette: What to Send, When to Send It, and What It Means

Funeral Flower Etiquette: What to Send, When to Send It, and What It Means

When someone dies, flowers can feel like the “safe” thing to do—until you realize how many choices sit behind that simple gesture. Do you send something to the service or...

Headstone vs. Grave Marker vs. Gravestone: Differences and How to Choose

Headstone vs. Grave Marker vs. Gravestone: Differences and How to Choose

If you’ve ever found yourself typing headstone vs grave marker into a search bar late at night, you’re not alone. This is one of those funeral-planning details that feels deceptively...

What to Say When Someone Dies: Condolence Messages That Actually Help

What to Say When Someone Dies: Condolence Messages That Actually Help

There’s a particular kind of helplessness that shows up when you hear the news: someone has died, and now you’re holding your phone, staring at a blank message field, thinking,...

Writing an Obituary for Your Cat: Examples and Templates

Writing an Obituary for Your Cat: Examples and Templates

There are some losses that change a home without making a sound. The water bowl stays full. The sunny spot on the floor stays warm. The familiar weight that used...

DIY Shadow Boxes: How to Preserve Collars, Tags, and Toys

DIY Shadow Boxes: How to Preserve Collars, Tags, and Toys

There are some items you don’t throw away—not because you’re stuck, but because your hands remember what it felt like to hold them in ordinary life. A collar that still...

Why Your Surviving Pet’s Personality Might Change Permanently

Why Your Surviving Pet’s Personality Might Change Permanently

After a pet dies, the house doesn’t just feel quieter to you—it can feel quieter to the animal who remains. Many families notice a shift that’s hard to describe but...

50 Meaningful Ways to Memorialize Your Pet (That Aren’t Tattoos)

50 Meaningful Ways to Memorialize Your Pet (That Aren’t Tattoos)

Some losses rearrange the furniture of your life. A leash that still hangs by the door. A food bowl you can’t bring yourself to move. The quiet at the hour...

The Last Day: 10 Ways to Make Their Final 24 Hours Perfect

The Last Day: 10 Ways to Make Their Final 24 Hours Perfect

There’s a particular kind of love that shows up in a pet’s final day. It’s tender, fierce, ordinary, and surreal all at once. You might be counting medication times, watching...

Why Losing a Dog Can Feel Worse Than Losing a Relative: The Psychology Behind the Pain

Why Losing a Dog Can Feel Worse Than Losing a Relative: The Psychology Behind the Pain

If you’ve lost a dog and found yourself thinking, “Why does this hurt so much—sometimes even more than losing certain relatives?” you’re not broken, dramatic, or disloyal to your family....

Where Can You Bury a Dog Legally? Home, Pet Cemetery, or Private Land Explained

Where Can You Bury a Dog Legally? Home, Pet Cemetery, or Private Land Explained

When a dog dies, families often feel two strong urges at the same time: the need to do something loving right now, and the fear of getting it wrong. Burial...

Home Pet Burial Laws in the U.S.: Distance, Depth, and When You Need to Choose Another Option

Home Pet Burial Laws in the U.S.: Distance, Depth, and When You Need to Choose Another Option

When a beloved pet dies, the first instinct is often simple: bring them home, choose a quiet place in the yard, and give them a resting place you can visit...

Pet Cemetery Burial Guide: Plots, Headstones, and What to Expect at a Pet Graveyard

Pet Cemetery Burial Guide: Plots, Headstones, and What to Expect at a Pet Graveyard

When a pet dies, families often describe a strange split reality. One part of you is grieving in a way that feels quiet but physical, like your body is missing...

Helping Children Cope With the Death of a Pet: Age-by-Age Guidance for Parents

Helping Children Cope With the Death of a Pet: Age-by-Age Guidance for Parents

For many children, a pet is their first best friend. Pets are there for sleepy mornings, hard school days, and the quiet in-between moments when a child just needs company...