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.

“I’m Afraid of Doing It Too Soon”: How Families Reduce Regret With Better Information

“I’m Afraid of Doing It Too Soon”: How Families Reduce Regret With Better Information

If you are afraid of doing it too soon, you are not alone, and you are not “being dramatic.” That fear is one of the most common reasons families delay...

Dementia, Anxiety, and Restlessness in Senior Pets: When Comfort Care Becomes the Priority

Dementia, Anxiety, and Restlessness in Senior Pets: When Comfort Care Becomes the Priority

For many families, the first sign that something deeper is happening is not a limp or a lab value. It is a night that will not end. Your dog paces...

Appetite Isn’t the Whole Story: The Overlooked Signs That a Pet Is Struggling

Appetite Isn’t the Whole Story: The Overlooked Signs That a Pet Is Struggling

When families feel that familiar fear creeping in, it often starts with food. A dog who once danced at the sound of a kibble scoop turns away. A cat who...

Shrines, Altars, and Memorial Spaces: From Home Tribute Corners to Famous Shrines

Shrines, Altars, and Memorial Spaces: From Home Tribute Corners to Famous Shrines

A memorial space can be as small as a photograph beside a candle on a bookshelf, or as vast as a pilgrimage site that millions of people travel to each...

Cord-Cutting Rituals for Grief: A Gentle Candle Practice for Letting Go and Finding Closure

Cord-Cutting Rituals for Grief: A Gentle Candle Practice for Letting Go and Finding Closure

The phrase cord cutting ritual shows up in grief conversations because it names something many people feel but struggle to describe. After a death, you can love someone fiercely and...

How to Know When It’s Time: A Quality-of-Life Approach Vets Actually Use

How to Know When It’s Time: A Quality-of-Life Approach Vets Actually Use

There is a particular kind of heartbreak that shows up long before the final goodbye. It is the moment you realize you are no longer asking, “How do I fix...

What Size Urn Do I Need? The 1-Cubic-Inch Rule Explained (Plus Common Sizing Mistakes)

What Size Urn Do I Need? The 1-Cubic-Inch Rule Explained (Plus Common Sizing Mistakes)

Choosing an urn can feel like a strangely practical task in the middle of something deeply personal. A family may be thinking about music, photos, a prayer, a scattering location—then...

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Typical Weight, Volume, and What to Expect

How Much Ash Is Left After Cremation? Typical Weight, Volume, and What to Expect

After a cremation, families often ask a practical question: how much ash left after cremation is normal? The answer matters because it helps you choose cremation urns for ashes that fit,...

Green Burial Guide: What It Is, How It Works, Costs, and How to Find a Certified Cemetery

Green Burial Guide: What It Is, How It Works, Costs, and How to Find a Certified Cemetery

If you have been searching what is green burial, you are usually trying to answer two questions at once. You want to honor someone in a way that feels honest...

Lighting a Candle in Memory of Someone: Symbolism Across Traditions and Simple Remembrance Ritual Ideas

Lighting a Candle in Memory of Someone: Symbolism Across Traditions and Simple Remembrance Ritual Ideas

There are moments in grief when words feel too complicated, too public, or simply too far away. In those moments, lighting a candle in memory can feel like the simplest...

“Epitaph to a Dog” by Lord Byron: Meaning, History, and Pet Memorial Quote Idea

“Epitaph to a Dog” by Lord Byron: Meaning, History, and Pet Memorial Quote Idea

Some poems survive because they’re technically brilliant. Others survive because they say, plainly and powerfully, what people feel but struggle to put into words. Lord Byron’s Epitaph to a Dog...

Scatter, Bury, Keep, or Water Burial: Which Urn Type Fits Each Plan?

Scatter, Bury, Keep, or Water Burial: Which Urn Type Fits Each Plan?

When a family asks what to do with ashes, the real question is usually two questions at once: what kind of goodbye fits the life you’re honoring, and what container...

Horse Cremation and Equine Aftercare: Options, Costs, and Choosing an Equine Urn

Horse Cremation and Equine Aftercare: Options, Costs, and Choosing an Equine Urn

Losing a horse can feel like losing a whole world: the daily routines, the barn sounds, the quiet partnership, the weight of a presence that was both powerful and gentle....

Custom Car Accessories as Memorial Keepsakes: Personalized Auto Tributes for Car Enthusiasts

Custom Car Accessories as Memorial Keepsakes: Personalized Auto Tributes for Car Enthusiasts

For many people, a car is more than transportation. It is a place where you think, decompress, sing too loudly, talk to someone on the phone, or drive the same...

Personalized Cremation Urns: Custom Photos, Engraving, 3D Prints, and Other Memorialization Options

Personalized Cremation Urns: Custom Photos, Engraving, 3D Prints, and Other Memorialization Options

Personalization is often the moment an urn stops feeling like a “purchase” and starts feeling like a memorial. Families who search for personalized cremation urns are usually trying to solve...

Cremation Jewelry Brands and Buyers Guide: Where to Shop and Questions to Ask Before You Buy

Cremation Jewelry Brands and Buyers Guide: Where to Shop and Questions to Ask Before You Buy

If you’re searching for cremation jewelry brands, you’re probably doing two things at once: you’re trying to keep someone close, and you’re trying to avoid a purchase you’ll regret. Memorial...