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.

Famous Memorials Around the World: 25 Iconic Monuments and What They Mean

Famous Memorials Around the World: 25 Iconic Monuments and What They Mean

There are trips we take for beauty mountains, coastlines, skylines. And then there are trips we take for meaning. A memorial-focused journey isn’t about seeing everything. It’s about learning how...

Monuments vs. Memorials: Types, Meanings, and Famous Examples (US + World)

Monuments vs. Memorials: Types, Meanings, and Famous Examples (US + World)

If you’ve ever stood in front of a towering stone obelisk, read names carved into bronze, or wandered a quiet cemetery path where small markers sit flush with the grass,...

Headstone Requirements in U.S. Cemeteries: Size, Material & Installation Rules

Headstone Requirements in U.S. Cemeteries: Size, Material & Installation Rules

Most families don’t start this process thinking about paperwork. You start with a name you want to honor, a set of dates that still feel unreal, and a quiet desire...

How to Clean and Care for a Granite Headstone Without Causing Damage

How to Clean and Care for a Granite Headstone Without Causing Damage

If you have ever stood in front of a loved one’s marker and felt the urge to “make it right,” you are not alone. Dirt, streaks, moss, and dark staining...

Buying a Headstone Online vs Through the Cemetery: Pros, Cons, and Hidden Fees

Buying a Headstone Online vs Through the Cemetery: Pros, Cons, and Hidden Fees

Buying a headstone can feel like an oddly complicated task to face in the middle of grief. It’s also one of those decisions that tends to arrive when everyone is...

Common Symbols on Headstones and What They Mean: Crosses, Flowers, Animals, and More

Common Symbols on Headstones and What They Mean: Crosses, Flowers, Animals, and More

Standing in front of a headstone for the first time can be surprisingly emotional, even if you have been “doing okay” day to day. A marker is small in the...

Headstone Fonts, Layout, and Design: Making Sure the Inscription Is Easy to Read

Headstone Fonts, Layout, and Design: Making Sure the Inscription Is Easy to Read

Most families don’t walk into a cemetery thinking about typography. They walk in thinking about a person. And then, somewhere between the quiet rows and the practical conversations with a...

Choosing a Headstone Color and Finish: How It Looks Now—and Years from Now

Choosing a Headstone Color and Finish: How It Looks Now—and Years from Now

You can do a lot of funeral planning with checklists and phone calls, but choosing a headstone tends to feel different. It’s visual. It’s permanent. And it often happens at...

Cemetery Rules and Regulations 101: What Families Need to Know Before Buying a Plot or Headstone

Cemetery Rules and Regulations 101: What Families Need to Know Before Buying a Plot or Headstone

Most families don’t walk into a cemetery office expecting a lesson in contracts, property rights, landscaping policies, and concrete foundations. They walk in because someone they love has died, or...

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Styles Families Choose and Why

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Styles Families Choose and Why

For most families, choosing a headstone is not simply a purchase. It is one of the first permanent decisions you make after a loss, and that permanence can feel heavy....

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...

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...

Should You Buy a Headstone Before You Need It? Pros, Cons, and Planning Tips

Should You Buy a Headstone Before You Need It? Pros, Cons, and Planning Tips

For most families, a headstone is something you choose after a death—when the grave is fresh, the paperwork is still unfolding, and the emotional weight of “making it final” feels...

What to Do If a Headstone Is Leaning, Cracked, or Damaged

What to Do If a Headstone Is Leaning, Cracked, or Damaged

You might notice it from a distance first: a headstone that doesn’t look quite square anymore, a tilt that wasn’t there last time, a corner that seems chipped, or a...

Headstone Wording for Dad: Examples Ranging from Traditional to Personal and Lighthearted

Headstone Wording for Dad: Examples Ranging from Traditional to Personal and Lighthearted

There’s a particular kind of silence that shows up when a family starts choosing a headstone inscription for a father. You can talk about stone color, shape, and layout with...

Short Bible Verses for Headstones: Faith-Filled Epitaph Ideas for Christian Families

Short Bible Verses for Headstones: Faith-Filled Epitaph Ideas for Christian Families

The day you choose a headstone inscription is rarely the day you feel ready. It might be weeks after the funeral, when the flowers are gone and the house has...