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.

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Capacity Guide for Adults, Kids, and Pets

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Capacity Guide for Adults, Kids, and Pets

Urn shopping has a way of making grief feel oddly technical. You may be holding a temporary container, or planning ahead while someone you love is still here, and the...

57 Meaningful Things to Do With Cremation Ashes: Ideas Beyond an Urn

57 Meaningful Things to Do With Cremation Ashes: Ideas Beyond an Urn

After cremation, many families describe a strange quiet: the logistics are “done,” but the heart still wants somewhere for love to go. If you’re searching for things to do with...

Types of Cremation Urns Explained: Materials, Styles, and What the Terms Mean

Types of Cremation Urns Explained: Materials, Styles, and What the Terms Mean

Choosing an urn often lands on a family’s to-do list at exactly the wrong time—when your heart is still trying to catch up, and your brain is suddenly asked to...

Urn Size Calculator: The Cubic-Inch Rule, Examples, and Adult vs Keepsake Sizes

Urn Size Calculator: The Cubic-Inch Rule, Examples, and Adult vs Keepsake Sizes

Choosing an urn sounds like it should be simple. And sometimes it is. But for many families, it lands in the middle of a week that already contains too many...

Cremation Urn Size Calculator: How Many Cubic Inches You Need (With Examples)

Cremation Urn Size Calculator: How Many Cubic Inches You Need (With Examples)

“How big does the urn need to be?” is one of those questions that can feel oddly technical at exactly the wrong time. You may be planning calmly, or you...

Alternatives to an Urn: Creative, Affordable Options for Cremation Ashes

Alternatives to an Urn: Creative, Affordable Options for Cremation Ashes

For many families, the moment the cremated remains come home is both quieter and harder than expected. The paperwork is finished, the phone calls slow down, and suddenly you are...

What Is a Temporary Urn? When You’ll Receive One and How to Transfer Ashes

What Is a Temporary Urn? When You’ll Receive One and How to Transfer Ashes

If you expected a beautiful urn to arrive after cremation, it can be surprising to bring home a plain box or a simple plastic container instead. Many families look at...

Can You Split Cremation Ashes Among Family? How It Works and What to Buy

Can You Split Cremation Ashes Among Family? How It Works and What to Buy

The question usually arrives in a quiet moment. The cremation is complete, the temporary container is home, and someone finally says what everyone has been thinking: can you split cremation...

How Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Ranges, Factors, and How It Affects Urn Size

How Much Do Cremated Remains Weigh? Typical Ranges, Factors, and How It Affects Urn Size

When a cremation is complete, families often expect one final “answer” to arrive with the temporary container: a clear sense of what they’re holding, how heavy it should feel, and...

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Urn Size Rule-of-Thumb, Capacity Chart, and Calculator Tips

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Urn Size Rule-of-Thumb, Capacity Chart, and Calculator Tips

If you are here because you expected “ashes” to be a small, simple thing, you are not alone. Many families are surprised by how much space cremated remains can take...

Can You Divide Cremation Ashes? How Splitting Works, Who Decides, and Burial Options

Can You Divide Cremation Ashes? How Splitting Works, Who Decides, and Burial Options

When a family asks whether they can divide cremation ashes, the question is rarely just about logistics. It’s about closeness and fairness, about siblings who live in different states, about...

Is It Illegal to Open a Cremation Urn? What the Law Says and Safe Ways to Unseal and Reseal

Is It Illegal to Open a Cremation Urn? What the Law Says and Safe Ways to Unseal and Reseal

There are a few questions that families ask in a whisper, even when no one is judging them. This is one of them: is it illegal to open a cremation...

Memorial Keepsakes Made From Ashes: Jewelry, Glass Art, Diamonds, and 50+ Urn Alternatives

Memorial Keepsakes Made From Ashes: Jewelry, Glass Art, Diamonds, and 50+ Urn Alternatives

If you have cremated remains in your care and you do not want a traditional urn on the mantle, you are not being “less sentimental.” You are trying to make...

Fur Clippings as Keepsakes: How to Store Them Safely (Moisture, Odor, and Long-Term Preservation)

Fur Clippings as Keepsakes: How to Store Them Safely (Moisture, Odor, and Long-Term Preservation)

Sometimes the most powerful memorial isn’t complicated. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and ordinary enough that you almost feel surprised by how much it...

Cornstarch Urns and Eco‑Plastics: Compostability, Strength, and What to Expect in Real Use

Cornstarch Urns and Eco‑Plastics: Compostability, Strength, and What to Expect in Real Use

For many families, the urn decision doesn’t arrive as a neat “shopping task.” It arrives as a moment: the call that cremation is complete, the drive home with a temporary...

Paper Clay Handmade Urns: DIY Techniques, Drying Time, and Making a Secure Closure

Paper Clay Handmade Urns: DIY Techniques, Drying Time, and Making a Secure Closure

Grief can make ordinary decisions feel unfamiliar. After cremation, families often find themselves holding a temporary container and asking questions they never expected to ask: How do we keep this...