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.

Memorials in the Metaverse: Virtual Cemeteries, Online Shrines, and Digital Grief Spaces

Memorials in the Metaverse: Virtual Cemeteries, Online Shrines, and Digital Grief Spaces

In the hours and days after a death, many families discover something unexpected: grief now has an address. Sometimes it is a familiar one—an old voicemail saved on a phone,...

Drones at Funerals: Aerial Video, Tribute Moments, and the Rules to Know Before You Book

Drones at Funerals: Aerial Video, Tribute Moments, and the Rules to Know Before You Book

On some days, a family wants the world to stay small. A few chairs, a familiar song, the simple steadiness of being together. On other days, families want proof that...

Deepfakes of the Deceased: Ethics, Consent, and the Risks of AI Recreation

Deepfakes of the Deceased: Ethics, Consent, and the Risks of AI Recreation

Not long after a death, families often find themselves in two worlds at once. One world is intensely practical: phone calls, paperwork, decisions about disposition, and the quiet question of...

Eco Memorials: Eternal Reefs, Tree Planting, and Other Earth-Friendly Ways to Remember Someone

Eco Memorials: Eternal Reefs, Tree Planting, and Other Earth-Friendly Ways to Remember Someone

In the days after a death—or in the quieter months when grief shows up in unexpected ways—many families find themselves wanting two things at once: a way to keep someone...

Interactive Memorial Holograms: What the Tech Could Look Like (and Ethical Questions to Ask)

Interactive Memorial Holograms: What the Tech Could Look Like (and Ethical Questions to Ask)

In the weeks after a death, families often describe the same strange contrast: there is so much to decide, and yet so much that can’t be decided at all. You...

Virtual Reality Memorials: Using VR and 360° Video to Preserve Places, Stories, and Memories

Virtual Reality Memorials: Using VR and 360° Video to Preserve Places, Stories, and Memories

After a death, families often discover that memory arrives in two ways at once. There’s the vivid, internal kind—the laugh you can still hear, the way they took their coffee,...

Memorial Bench Dedication: How to Place a Bench in a Park (and Inscription Wording Ideas)

Memorial Bench Dedication: How to Place a Bench in a Park (and Inscription Wording Ideas)

A memorial bench can feel like a gentle kind of permanence. It doesn’t ask anyone to walk through a funeral home door or find the right words on a hard...

Personalized Memorial Gifts: Unique Sympathy Keepsakes Beyond Flowers

Personalized Memorial Gifts: Unique Sympathy Keepsakes Beyond Flowers

Flowers are kind. They also fade, and in the days after a death, families often feel the strange whiplash of watching sympathy arrive in waves and then quietly disappear. If...

Sky Lantern Memorials: How to Release Lanterns Safely (and Eco-Friendly Alternatives)

Sky Lantern Memorials: How to Release Lanterns Safely (and Eco-Friendly Alternatives)

There’s a reason people reach for light when words run out. After a death, families often want a moment that feels bigger than the room they’re sitting in—something that lifts,...

Writing a Song or Poem for Someone Who Died: Prompts to Start Even If You’re Not a Writer

Writing a Song or Poem for Someone Who Died: Prompts to Start Even If You’re Not a Writer

When someone dies, language can feel both too small and too heavy. People hand you sympathy cards with perfect sentences, and somehow your own mouth can’t find a single one...

Memorial Fireworks With Ashes: How It Works, Safety Rules, and What to Consider

Memorial Fireworks With Ashes: How It Works, Safety Rules, and What to Consider

There’s a moment many families recognize after cremation, even if they can’t quite name it. The immediate tasks—phone calls, paperwork, decisions—begin to slow down. And then you’re left with something...

Last Letters and Video Messages: How to Leave Meaningful Goodbyes for Loved Ones

Last Letters and Video Messages: How to Leave Meaningful Goodbyes for Loved Ones

Most families don’t set out to create “legacy content.” They set out to love each other, to build a life, and to get through whatever the world puts in front...

Planning Multi-Location Memorials: Coordinating Tributes in Different Cities at the Same Time - Funeral.com, Inc.

Planning Multi-Location Memorials: Coordinating Tributes in Different Cities at the Same Time

When a family is spread across cities, a single gathering can feel like an impossible compromise. Someone is recovering from surgery. Someone can’t afford a last-minute flight. Someone is stationed...

Choosing Funeral Readings and Music: Balancing Personal Meaning and Guest Expectations - Funeral.com, Inc.

Choosing Funeral Readings and Music: Balancing Personal Meaning and Guest Expectations

When you’re planning a service, funeral readings and music can feel like “small” decisions—until you realize they set the emotional temperature for everyone in the room. A familiar hymn can steady...

25 Ways to Personalize a Funeral or Memorial Service (Simple, Meaningful Ideas) - Funeral.com, Inc.

25 Ways to Personalize a Funeral or Memorial Service (Simple, Meaningful Ideas)

When you’re planning a funeral or memorial, it can feel like you’re trying to do two hard things at once: make practical decisions while also trying to honor a life...

Memorial Societies and Funeral Co-ops: How Membership Can Reduce Funeral Costs - Funeral.com, Inc.

Memorial Societies and Funeral Co-ops: How Membership Can Reduce Funeral Costs

When a death happens—or when you’re trying to plan ahead—money can become part of the conversation in a way that feels unfair. Even families who are financially stable can feel...