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.

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...

What Is a Headstone, Exactly? Definitions, Types, and Cemetery Rules in Plain English

What Is a Headstone, Exactly? Definitions, Types, and Cemetery Rules in Plain English

When you’re grieving—or trying to plan ahead—cemetery language can feel like a second loss: unfamiliar terms, rules you didn’t know existed, and decisions that suddenly carry a lifetime of permanence....

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Photos, Pros and Cons, and Cost Considerations

Most Popular Types of Headstones Today: Photos, Pros and Cons, and Cost Considerations

Choosing a headstone is one of those tasks that can feel both practical and deeply personal at the same time. In the early days after a death, families are often...

Gravestone Quotes and Sayings for Every Personality: From Traditional to Playful

Gravestone Quotes and Sayings for Every Personality: From Traditional to Playful

The day you choose the words is rarely the day you feel ready. It might happen after the service, when the casseroles stop arriving and the house goes quiet again....

Headstone Inscriptions for Mom and Dad: Loving Words That Stand the Test of Time

Headstone Inscriptions for Mom and Dad: Loving Words That Stand the Test of Time

Standing in front of a blank line on stone can feel strangely similar to standing in front of a quiet room after a parent dies: you know love filled that...

Short and Beautiful Epitaphs for Headstones: 200+ Inspiring Ideas and Tips

Short and Beautiful Epitaphs for Headstones: 200+ Inspiring Ideas and Tips

There’s a particular kind of weight in choosing an epitaph. You’re trying to fit a whole life into a space that might only allow a few words—sometimes one line, sometimes...

Short, Beautiful Words for Gravestones: Simple Epitaphs That Still Say a Lot

Short, Beautiful Words for Gravestones: Simple Epitaphs That Still Say a Lot

There’s a particular kind of pressure that shows up when you’re choosing a gravestone inscription. You may have already made a dozen practical decisions—cemetery paperwork, timelines, costs, who to notify—and...

Best Stone for Headstones: Comparing Granite, Marble, Sandstone, and Other Materials

Best Stone for Headstones: Comparing Granite, Marble, Sandstone, and Other Materials

If you’ve ever stood in a cemetery with your hands in your pockets, staring at rows of markers that look “fine” from a distance but weather very differently up close,...

Pet Memorial Stones and Garden Markers: Engraving Ideas and Placement Tips

Pet Memorial Stones and Garden Markers: Engraving Ideas and Placement Tips

A pet memorial doesn’t have to be elaborate to feel deeply meaningful. In fact, many people find the most comfort in simplicity. A small marker you can touch, a name...

Beautiful Words for Headstones: Epitaph Examples, Phrases, and How to Choose the Right One

Beautiful Words for Headstones: Epitaph Examples, Phrases, and How to Choose the Right One

There’s a moment many families don’t expect: the paperwork is moving, the cemetery decisions are underway, and then someone asks, “What should the stone say?” Suddenly, grief becomes typography. A...

Types of Headstones and Grave Markers: Materials, Styles, and How They Age

Types of Headstones and Grave Markers: Materials, Styles, and How They Age

Choosing a headstone can feel strangely difficult. Not because you don’t love your person enough to decide—because you do—but because you’re being asked to translate a whole life into a...

Headstone Regulations and Cemetery Rules: Size Limits, Materials, and What’s Allowed

Headstone Regulations and Cemetery Rules: Size Limits, Materials, and What’s Allowed

Choosing a headstone can feel overwhelming, especially during a time of grief, because it involves more than simply selecting a beautiful stone. Families quickly discover that cemetery rules set boundaries...

Headstone Sayings for Babies and Children: Gentle Epitaph Ideas for Little Lives

Headstone Sayings for Babies and Children: Gentle Epitaph Ideas for Little Lives

There are parts of funeral planning that feel practical—paperwork, phone calls, timelines, decisions you can make with a steady hand. Choosing words for a baby’s or child’s headstone is not like...

Headstone Symbols and Icons: Common Images and What They Mean

Headstone Symbols and Icons: Common Images and What They Mean

There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over a cemetery. Even when the world is loud outside the gates, the space between headstones has its own pace—slower, softer, more...

Tombstone Words in a Cremation-First World: What to Write, Where to Place a Marker, and How Ashes Fit

Tombstone Words in a Cremation-First World: What to Write, Where to Place a Marker, and How Ashes Fit

A single word like “tombstone” can carry a surprising amount of weight. Sometimes the question is practical—what should it say, how much space do we have, what will the cemetery...