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.

Taxidermy vs. Freeze Drying: Extreme Pet Preservation Explained - Funeral.com, Inc.

Taxidermy vs. Freeze Drying: Extreme Pet Preservation Explained

When a pet dies, the first decisions rarely feel like choices. They feel like a rush to do something respectful while your mind is still in shock. In the middle...

Digital Funeral Planning Tools: Apps and Websites to Organize Arrangements Online - Funeral.com, Inc.

Digital Funeral Planning Tools: Apps and Websites to Organize Arrangements Online

When someone dies, the hard part is not that there are “too many decisions.” The hard part is that decisions, documents, and emotions all land at the same time. A...

Pre-Planning a Funeral as a Couple: Making Joint Decisions and Documenting Your Wishes - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pre-Planning a Funeral as a Couple: Making Joint Decisions and Documenting Your Wishes

When couples talk about planning ahead, it often starts with the practical things: “Do we have life insurance?” “Where are the passwords?” “Who’s on the mortgage?” But pre-need funeral planning...

Cat Urn Sizing: Do Maine Coons Need “Dog” Urns? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cat Urn Sizing: Do Maine Coons Need “Dog” Urns?

After a Maine Coon dies, a practical question can hit hard: maine coon urn size. Your cat may have looked more like a small wildcat than a “normal” house cat,...

Funeral Planning for Aging Parents: How Adult Children Can Start the Conversation - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Planning for Aging Parents: How Adult Children Can Start the Conversation

Most adult children don’t avoid funeral planning because they’re careless. They avoid it because they’re trying to protect their parent from fear—and themselves from the ache of imagining life without...

How to Plan a Secular Celebration of Life (Non-Religious Service Ideas) - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Plan a Secular Celebration of Life (Non-Religious Service Ideas)

A secular celebration of life is one of the most compassionate “middle paths” a family can choose: it offers structure when your mind feels scattered, but it doesn’t require religious...

What to Do With Ashes (2026): Choosing Cremation Urns, Keepsakes, Pet Urns & Cremation Jewelry in a Way You Can Live With - Funeral.com, Inc.

What to Do With Ashes (2026): Choosing Cremation Urns, Keepsakes, Pet Urns & Cremation Jewelry in a Way You Can Live With

There’s a moment after cremation when life goes quiet in a very particular way. The urgent decisions may be behind you, but the question that remains can feel surprisingly heavy:...

Funeral Receptions and Repasts: Food Ideas, Venue Options, and Etiquette After the Service - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Receptions and Repasts: Food Ideas, Venue Options, and Etiquette After the Service

After a funeral or memorial service, many families feel two things at once: exhaustion and a quiet need to be together. A funeral reception or a repast after funeral isn’t...

Pet Loss Support in Rhode Island (2026): Hotlines, Grief Groups & Counseling - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pet Loss Support in Rhode Island (2026): Hotlines, Grief Groups & Counseling

In Rhode Island, pet routines shape the day: the morning walk, the familiar spot on the couch, the sound of paws at night. When a pet dies, that rhythm breaks,...

Working With Clergy or an Officiant: Planning a Service That Honors Religious Traditions (and Still Feels Personal) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Working With Clergy or an Officiant: Planning a Service That Honors Religious Traditions (and Still Feels Personal)

In the middle of grief, “planning a service” can sound like a task you’re supposed to be good at. But most families aren’t. You’re trying to honor someone you love,...

Transporting a Loved One Home: Costs, Paperwork, and Customs Rules for Destination Services - Funeral.com, Inc.

Transporting a Loved One Home: Costs, Paperwork, and Customs Rules for Destination Services

If you’re reading this, you’re probably dealing with two realities at once: the emotional shock of a death, and the logistical pressure of distance. When someone dies in another state—or...

Pet Loss Support Resources in South Carolina (2026): Hotlines, Grief Groups & Counseling - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pet Loss Support Resources in South Carolina (2026): Hotlines, Grief Groups & Counseling

The hours after a pet dies can feel unreal. Your hands reach for routines that no longer need you. The house goes quiet in a way you didn’t know was...

Small Funeral vs Large Service: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Family - Funeral.com, Inc.

Small Funeral vs Large Service: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Family

When a death happens, many families assume there’s a single “correct” kind of service—until they realize they’re trying to solve two different problems at once. You’re trying to honor a...

Scheduling a Funeral: Planning Around Holidays, Travel, and Weather Delays - Funeral.com, Inc.

Scheduling a Funeral: Planning Around Holidays, Travel, and Weather Delays

One of the first practical questions families ask after a death is also one of the hardest: when should we do this? You may be coordinating a service while you’re...

Planning a Funeral From Out of Town: How to Arrange Services Remotely - Funeral.com, Inc.

Planning a Funeral From Out of Town: How to Arrange Services Remotely

Planning a funeral from out of town can feel like two hard things stacked together: grief, and the helplessness of being far away. You might be in another state, overseas,...

Last-Minute Funeral Planning: A Fast Checklist for a Meaningful Service - Funeral.com, Inc.

Last-Minute Funeral Planning: A Fast Checklist for a Meaningful Service

When you have to plan a funeral or memorial quickly, it can feel like the world is asking you to make permanent decisions while you’re still trying to breathe. The...