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 Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Pounds and Volume (With Real-World Ranges) - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Pounds and Volume (With Real-World Ranges)

If you’ve been told “the ashes are ready,” you might expect a neat little box you can hold with one hand and a clear answer to your next question: how...

The Ultimate Grief Gift Guide: Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts That Feel Supportive, Not Awkward - Funeral.com, Inc.

The Ultimate Grief Gift Guide: Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts That Feel Supportive, Not Awkward

When someone you love is grieving, you can feel two things at once: a deep desire to show up, and a quiet fear of getting it wrong. You don’t want...

Unique Bereavement Gifts: Creative, Meaningful Ideas Beyond Flowers - Funeral.com, Inc.

Unique Bereavement Gifts: Creative, Meaningful Ideas Beyond Flowers

Most of us learn the “flowers question” the hard way. A loss happens, we want to do something kind, and we reach for what we’ve always seen: a bouquet, a...

Cremation Urn Size Guide: The Cubic-Inch Rule + A Simple Urn Size Calculator - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Urn Size Guide: The Cubic-Inch Rule + A Simple Urn Size Calculator

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that shows up when grief meets logistics. You can be steady enough to make phone calls, sign forms, and choose a time for the...

Can You Add Items to Cremation Ashes? Meaningful Mementos (and What to Avoid) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Can You Add Items to Cremation Ashes? Meaningful Mementos (and What to Avoid)

After cremation, a family is often handed a temporary container and a gentle question that can feel surprisingly heavy: where should the ashes go now? Sometimes the next step is...

Colors of Mourning Around the World: What Black, White, Purple, and Red Can Mean - Funeral.com, Inc.

Colors of Mourning Around the World: What Black, White, Purple, and Red Can Mean

In the first days after a death, families often expect the “big” decisions to be the hard ones: choosing a service style, calling relatives, figuring out paperwork. But sometimes grief...

Butterflies and Grief: What They Symbolize and Why Monarchs Appear in Remembrance Traditions - Funeral.com, Inc.

Butterflies and Grief: What They Symbolize and Why Monarchs Appear in Remembrance Traditions

Some symbols arrive softly. You’re walking to the mailbox, standing in a parking lot, or sitting on a porch where everything suddenly feels too quiet—and a butterfly drifts past as...

What to Do With Pet Ashes: 15 Meaningful Ideas for Honoring a Beloved Pet - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Do With Pet Ashes: 15 Meaningful Ideas for Honoring a Beloved Pet

When a pet dies, the house often goes quiet in a way you can feel in your body. The leash still hangs by the door. The food bowl is still...

Finding a Gray Feather: Spiritual Meanings, Symbolism, and Common Interpretations - Funeral.com, Inc.

Finding a Gray Feather: Spiritual Meanings, Symbolism, and Common Interpretations

It’s rarely dramatic. You’re walking the dog, stepping out of your car, clearing leaves from a porch, or moving through a parking lot with your mind elsewhere—and then you notice...

What to Do With Cremation Ashes: 57 Ideas for Keeping, Sharing, or Scattering - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Do With Cremation Ashes: 57 Ideas for Keeping, Sharing, or Scattering

After a cremation, there’s often a quiet moment when the phone calls slow down and the paperwork stops arriving. The cremation is complete, and now there’s a container in your...

Traditional Funeral Service Explained: What Happens and What Families Can Customize - Funeral.com, Inc.

Traditional Funeral Service Explained: What Happens and What Families Can Customize

In the first days after a death, families often carry two heavy things at once: grief, and the pressure of decisions. Someone will ask, gently, “What kind of service are...

Birds as Symbols of the Soul: Meaning, Hope, and Why Robins Feel Comforting in Grief - Funeral.com, Inc.

Birds as Symbols of the Soul: Meaning, Hope, and Why Robins Feel Comforting in Grief

Sometimes the first “sign” doesn’t arrive with drama. It’s ordinary: a quiet morning, the kettle clicking off, a window half-fogged with winter breath. You step outside and there it is—a...

Meaning of the Color Blue: Psychology, Symbolism, and How Designers Use It - Funeral.com, Inc.

Meaning of the Color Blue: Psychology, Symbolism, and How Designers Use It

There is a quiet kind of question families ask in the days after a death—sometimes out loud, sometimes only in their own heads. It sounds practical, but it carries grief...

57 Creative Things to Put Cremation Ashes In (From Keepsakes to DIY Urns) - Funeral.com, Inc.

57 Creative Things to Put Cremation Ashes In (From Keepsakes to DIY Urns)

After a cremation, families often describe an unexpected kind of weight: you’re handed a temporary container, and you realize you still need to decide what to do with ashes. The decision...

Gifts for a Grieving Family: Practical Comfort, Keepsakes, and What to Avoid - Funeral.com, Inc.

Gifts for a Grieving Family: Practical Comfort, Keepsakes, and What to Avoid

If you’re searching for gifts for a grieving family, you’re probably trying to do two things at once: show love, and avoid adding pressure. That’s a wise instinct. In grief, even...

Are Cremation Ashes Loose in the Urn? Proper Containers, Bags, and Storage Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Cremation Ashes Loose in the Urn? Proper Containers, Bags, and Storage Options

After cremation, families often discover they’re holding a container and a question at the same time: are ashes loose in an urn, or are they sealed somehow? That worry is completely...