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.

Butterfly Releases: Native Species, Environmental Risks, and Safer Ways to Honor a Loved One - Funeral.com, Inc.

Butterfly Releases: Native Species, Environmental Risks, and Safer Ways to Honor a Loved One

There are moments at a memorial when a family wants something that feels like breath. Something gentle. Something that says, without speeches, “We’re letting love move.” That is often the...

Thank-You Note Template After Cremation: Short Examples That Work - Funeral.com, Inc.

Thank-You Note Template After Cremation: Short Examples That Work

After a cremation or memorial, gratitude can feel strangely complicated. You may be deeply thankful for the people who showed up, who fed your family, who handled logistics, who donated,...

Short Obituary Template: A Fill-In Format That Sounds Human - Funeral.com, Inc.

Short Obituary Template: A Fill-In Format That Sounds Human

If you are trying to write an obituary while you are grieving, it can feel like you are being asked to do something impossible: capture a whole person in a...

What to Tell the Executor About Ashes: The Key Points to Document - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Tell the Executor About Ashes: The Key Points to Document

Ashes can become a source of family tension for one quiet reason: they don’t come with an obvious “next step.” A death certificate has a filing process. A bank account...

Eternal Reefs Explained: How Ashes Become Reef Memorials and Ocean Habitats - Funeral.com, Inc.

Eternal Reefs Explained: How Ashes Become Reef Memorials and Ocean Habitats

There are a few moments in grief when the world feels strangely quiet, and yet decisions keep arriving. After a cremation, families often expect the “hard part” to be over,...

How to Decline Speaking at a Memorial Kindly: Sample Wording - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Decline Speaking at a Memorial Kindly: Sample Wording

There are few requests that land as heavily as this one: “Would you say a few words at the memorial?” Even when it’s asked gently, your body can react as...

How to Write a Memorial Program: What to Include and What to Skip - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Write a Memorial Program: What to Include and What to Skip

A memorial program is one of those small details that ends up doing big work. It gives people something steady to hold in their hands when emotions are high. It...

How to Write an Inscription for a Marker: Short Wording Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Write an Inscription for a Marker: Short Wording Examples

There are a few tasks in grief and funeral planning that look simple on a checklist and then feel unexpectedly heavy when you sit down to do them. Writing an...

How to Write a Note to Include With Keepsake Urns: Gentle Phrasing - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Write a Note to Include With Keepsake Urns: Gentle Phrasing

There are moments in grief where the “practical” choice carries a surprising amount of emotional weight. Sharing a portion of cremated remains is one of those moments. You might be...

Memorial Guest Book Prompts: Questions That Invite Stories - Funeral.com, Inc.

Memorial Guest Book Prompts: Questions That Invite Stories

A guest book can be one of the quietest parts of a memorial, and also one of the most powerful. It sits on a table while people shuffle in, hug,...

Funeral Announcement Template: Text and Email Wording Families Use - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Announcement Template: Text and Email Wording Families Use

When someone you love dies, families are often asked to share news they never wanted to communicate. You might be thinking about a funeral announcement template because you want to...

Ash-Infused Portrait Paintings: Using Cremains in Art Safely and Respectfully - Funeral.com, Inc.

Ash-Infused Portrait Paintings: Using Cremains in Art Safely and Respectfully

There is a particular kind of quiet that shows up after the practical steps are finished. The calls have been made. The paperwork is signed. The service has happened (or...

Ashes in Tattoo Ink: Safety, Sterility, and What to Ask Before You Get an “Ash Tattoo” - Funeral.com, Inc.

Ashes in Tattoo Ink: Safety, Sterility, and What to Ask Before You Get an “Ash Tattoo”

A memorial tattoo can feel like a promise you keep with your body: a name, a date, a symbol, a line of handwriting you want to see on hard days....

Pressing Ashes Into Vinyl Records: Memorial Music, Process Overview, and What to Expect - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pressing Ashes Into Vinyl Records: Memorial Music, Process Overview, and What to Expect

There are some memories that arrive through words, and others that arrive through sound. A chord progression that takes you back to a kitchen dance party. A song that was...

Ashes in Fireworks: ‘Heavenly Stars’ Memorial Displays—How They Work and What to Know - Funeral.com, Inc.

Ashes in Fireworks: ‘Heavenly Stars’ Memorial Displays—How They Work and What to Know

There is a particular kind of grief that doesn’t want to whisper. It wants to honor someone who lived loudly, loved fiercely, or simply made ordinary days feel electric. For...

Cenotaphs Explained: Memorializing a Loved One Without a Body (Especially in Green Burial Sites) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cenotaphs Explained: Memorializing a Loved One Without a Body (Especially in Green Burial Sites)

There is a particular kind of silence that follows certain losses. Sometimes it comes after a cremation, when you have a temporary container on the counter and a calendar full...