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.

Viewing Etiquette: Is It OK to Touch the Body? What to Do at the Casket - Funeral.com, Inc.

Viewing Etiquette: Is It OK to Touch the Body? What to Do at the Casket

A viewing can feel like a moment that’s both ordinary and surreal. The room looks calm. People speak softly. There may be flowers, music, a guestbook, and a line that...

Funeral Photo Etiquette: Why Selfies Are Usually a No (and What to Do Instead) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Photo Etiquette: Why Selfies Are Usually a No (and What to Do Instead)

Most people don’t walk into a funeral or memorial service thinking about photography. They walk in thinking about the person who died, the family who is hurting, and the strange...

What to Write in a Funeral Guestbook: Short Messages, Memories, and Examples - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Write in a Funeral Guestbook: Short Messages, Memories, and Examples

A funeral guestbook can look simple on the table—just a pen, a book, and a blank page—but it often becomes one of the most reread keepsakes a family owns. Months...

Livestream Funeral Etiquette: Mute, Camera, Chat, and Recording Rules - Funeral.com, Inc.

Livestream Funeral Etiquette: Mute, Camera, Chat, and Recording Rules

Showing up online can feel oddly vulnerable. You may be sitting in your kitchen with a mug of coffee, staring at a link, while somewhere else a family is gathering...

Breastfeeding at a Funeral: Finding Space, Staying Respectful, and Reducing Stress - Funeral.com, Inc.

Breastfeeding at a Funeral: Finding Space, Staying Respectful, and Reducing Stress

If you are reading this because you have a funeral or visitation coming up and you are breastfeeding, you are not being “difficult.” You are not being inconsiderate. You are...

Open Casket Etiquette: How Long to Stand, Where to Pause, and When to Move On - Funeral.com, Inc.

Open Casket Etiquette: How Long to Stand, Where to Pause, and When to Move On

If you have ever walked into a visitation and immediately felt your stomach drop—because there is an open casket, a line forming, and you suddenly cannot remember how people are...

Closed Casket Funeral Etiquette: Where to Stand, Where to Look, and How to Pay Respects - Funeral.com, Inc.

Closed Casket Funeral Etiquette: Where to Stand, Where to Look, and How to Pay Respects

A closed casket funeral etiquette question usually starts the same way: you want to show up with respect, but you do not want to do the wrong thing when there...

What to Say in the Funeral Receiving Line: Simple Phrases, Introductions, and Offers of Help - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Say in the Funeral Receiving Line: Simple Phrases, Introductions, and Offers of Help

If you’ve ever stood near the back of a visitation and felt your chest tighten as you watched the line move forward, you already understand the problem. A funeral receiving...

Funeral Procession Etiquette: Headlights vs. Hazard Lights, Safety Rules, and What Drivers Should Do - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Procession Etiquette: Headlights vs. Hazard Lights, Safety Rules, and What Drivers Should Do

A funeral procession is one of those moments where traffic rules and human emotion overlap. People are trying to stay together, get to the cemetery safely, and avoid turning a...

Pallbearer Duties: What They Actually Do (Before, During, and After the Service) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pallbearer Duties: What They Actually Do (Before, During, and After the Service)

Being asked to serve as a pallbearer can land in your life at a moment when you already feel emotionally maxed out. On paper, it sounds straightforward: help carry the...

Honorary Pallbearers: What the Title Means and How to Choose Them - Funeral.com, Inc.

Honorary Pallbearers: What the Title Means and How to Choose Them

In the middle of funeral planning, there are decisions that feel logistical and decisions that feel deeply personal. Choosing pallbearers sits in both categories at once. It’s a practical role...

How Long Should a Eulogy Be? Typical Time Limits and How to Stay Within Them - Funeral.com, Inc.

How Long Should a Eulogy Be? Typical Time Limits and How to Stay Within Them

When someone you love dies, the pressure to “say it right” can feel enormous. A eulogy is one of the few moments in a service where ordinary language is allowed...

Humor in a Eulogy: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and Examples of “Safe” Warmth - Funeral.com, Inc.

Humor in a Eulogy: When It Works, When It Doesn’t, and Examples of “Safe” Warmth

Most people don’t worry about being “funny” at a funeral. They worry about getting through the first sentence without shaking, about saying something true without falling apart, and about honoring...

Toasts at a Memorial: Alcohol Etiquette, Limits, and Inclusive Alternatives - Funeral.com, Inc.

Toasts at a Memorial: Alcohol Etiquette, Limits, and Inclusive Alternatives

A toast can be one of the gentlest moments in a memorial. It’s brief, familiar, and symbolic—an invitation to pause, lift a glass (or something else entirely), and say, “You...

Bringing Food After a Death: What to Make, When to Deliver, and How to Avoid Overwhelming the Family - Funeral.com, Inc.

Bringing Food After a Death: What to Make, When to Deliver, and How to Avoid Overwhelming the Family

In the days after a death, people often say, “Let me know if you need anything.” It’s sincere, but it can accidentally put the burden back on the grieving family—who...

How to Plan a Memorial Service in Wyoming (2026): Venue Options, Timing & Checklist - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Plan a Memorial Service in Wyoming (2026): Venue Options, Timing & Checklist

If you are trying to figure out how to plan a memorial service Wyoming families will actually be able to attend, you are already doing something deeply loving: you are...