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.

Keepsake Urn vs Full-Size Urn: Why Families Choose to Share Ashes

Keepsake Urn vs Full-Size Urn: Why Families Choose to Share Ashes

In the days after a cremation, families often expect the hardest decisions to be behind them. And then a new question arrives—sometimes quietly, sometimes all at once: What do we...

Cremation Rings: How Ash-Holding Rings Work, Prices, and Care Tips

Cremation Rings: How Ash-Holding Rings Work, Prices, and Care Tips

Most families don’t start searching for a ring. They start with a question that shows up a few days or weeks after the cremation is complete: what happens now, and...

Biodegradable Urns Explained: How They Work, Types, and When to Choose One

Biodegradable Urns Explained: How They Work, Types, and When to Choose One

When a family chooses cremation, the next question often arrives quietly but with a lot of meaning behind it: What do we do with the ashes now? For some people,...

What to Send Instead of Flowers: 20 Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts That Actually Help

What to Send Instead of Flowers: 20 Thoughtful Sympathy Gifts That Actually Help

When someone dies, flowers can be beautiful—and still feel strangely small against the weight of what just happened. Most of us want to show up in a way that actually...

Choosing an Urn Online: How to Read Listings, Avoid Size Mistakes & Buy Smart

Choosing an Urn Online: How to Read Listings, Avoid Size Mistakes & Buy Smart

Buying an urn online can feel strangely high-stakes. You’re looking at photos, finishes, and “capacity” numbers while your heart is somewhere else entirely—trying to process what happened, or trying to...

Cremation Cost vs Burial: Average Prices, Hidden Fees & Green Options

Cremation Cost vs Burial: Average Prices, Hidden Fees & Green Options

When families compare cremation cost vs burial, they’re rarely comparing just two price tags. They’re comparing timelines, family traditions, the feeling of a graveside visit versus the comfort of keeping ashes...

Urn Size Calculator: Convert Weight, Height & Frame to the Right Capacity

Urn Size Calculator: Convert Weight, Height & Frame to the Right Capacity

“200 cubic inches.” If you’ve ever stared at that phrase on an urn listing and felt your mind go blank, you’re not alone. In the middle of loss—or even calm...

Best Places to Buy Cremation Urns Online: Specialty Shops vs Amazon vs Funeral Homes

Best Places to Buy Cremation Urns Online: Specialty Shops vs Amazon vs Funeral Homes

In the days after a loss, it can feel strange to be comparing products while your heart is still catching up. But that’s often how grief moves in real life:...

Pet Urns for Dogs and Cats: Size, Style, and Where to Buy (Online vs Local)

Pet Urns for Dogs and Cats: Size, Style, and Where to Buy (Online vs Local)

If you’re reading this because your dog or cat has died, you’re probably moving through two realities at once. In one, you’re grieving someone who was part of your daily...

Choosing the Right Cremation Urn: Materials, Sizes, Sealing, Personalization, and Cost

Choosing the Right Cremation Urn: Materials, Sizes, Sealing, Personalization, and Cost

When a family starts looking at cremation urns, it often happens in a moment that already feels unreal. One phone call becomes five. A decision you never wanted to make...

Urn Alternatives and Unique Memorials: 30+ Creative Ways to Keep or Scatter Ashes

Urn Alternatives and Unique Memorials: 30+ Creative Ways to Keep or Scatter Ashes

For many families, the hardest part of choosing a memorial isn’t the logistics—it’s the feeling that a traditional urn doesn’t quite match the person you’re honoring. Maybe your loved one...

What Size Cremation Urn Do You Need? Adult, Child, Pet & Companion Guide

What Size Cremation Urn Do You Need? Adult, Child, Pet & Companion Guide

The question sounds simple, and it’s usually asked in a moment that is anything but. A family member has just been cremated (or you’re planning ahead), and suddenly you’re staring...

Where to Buy an Urn for Ashes: Online vs Funeral Home, Amazon Tips & Red Flags

Where to Buy an Urn for Ashes: Online vs Funeral Home, Amazon Tips & Red Flags

There is a moment many families recognize: the practical questions arrive right alongside the emotional ones. You may be holding paperwork, waiting on a call from the crematory, or looking...

Angel Cremation Urns & Angel Wings Keepsakes: Meaning, Styles, and How to Choose

Angel Cremation Urns & Angel Wings Keepsakes: Meaning, Styles, and How to Choose

When a family chooses cremation, the practical questions can feel surprisingly intimate. You are not only deciding where a loved one’s remains will rest. You are deciding how their presence...

Different Types of Cremation Urns: Materials, Styles, and Which Last the Longest

Different Types of Cremation Urns: Materials, Styles, and Which Last the Longest

If you’re reading this, you may be trying to make a decision that feels both practical and deeply emotional at the same time. Choosing among types of cremation urns can...

Custom Cremation Urns: Photo, Engraved & Fully Personalized Memorial Urns (Buying Guide)

Custom Cremation Urns: Photo, Engraved & Fully Personalized Memorial Urns (Buying Guide)

If you are looking at custom cremation urns, you are probably not just shopping for an object. You are trying to make one of the first permanent decisions after a...