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.

Which Religions Allow Cremation? A U.S.-Focused Guide to Faith-Based Beliefs and What to Do With the Ashes

Which Religions Allow Cremation? A U.S.-Focused Guide to Faith-Based Beliefs and What to Do With the Ashes

If you are trying to make end-of-life decisions while holding grief, it is completely normal to look for a steady answer to a question that feels both spiritual and practical:...

How Much Do Cremation Ashes Weigh? Urn Size Rules, Volume Estimates, and Simple Calculators

How Much Do Cremation Ashes Weigh? Urn Size Rules, Volume Estimates, and Simple Calculators

When someone you love is cremated, the questions that follow can feel surprisingly practical. You may be grieving, you may be planning, and you may still find yourself staring at...

Are Cremation Ashes Biodegradable? What They’re Made Of and How Biodegradable Urns Really Work

Are Cremation Ashes Biodegradable? What They’re Made Of and How Biodegradable Urns Really Work

Most families don’t start with a science question. They start with a real-life moment: an urn on the table, a temporary container from the crematory, a quiet urge to “do...

10 Meaningful Things to Do With Ashes After Cremation (Ideas, Costs, and How to Choose)

10 Meaningful Things to Do With Ashes After Cremation (Ideas, Costs, and How to Choose)

If you’re holding a box or urn and wondering what to do with ashes, you’re not alone. For many families, the hardest part isn’t choosing cremation. It’s what comes after:...

Adult Cremation Urns: How to Choose the Right Full-Size Urn (Capacity, Materials, and Shopping Tips)

Adult Cremation Urns: How to Choose the Right Full-Size Urn (Capacity, Materials, and Shopping Tips)

When you start shopping for an adult urn, it can feel like you’ve walked into a store where everyone already knows the language—except you. Listings mention “full size,” “adult,” “200...

Memorial Verses and Funeral Quotes: What to Write on Memorial Cards, Programs, and Keepsakes

Memorial Verses and Funeral Quotes: What to Write on Memorial Cards, Programs, and Keepsakes

When you’re staring at a blank memorial card template or the inside cover of a funeral program, it can feel like the smallest decision is suddenly the hardest one. You...

Condolence Messages for the Loss of a Mother: 50+ Examples (Short, Religious, and Professional)

Condolence Messages for the Loss of a Mother: 50+ Examples (Short, Religious, and Professional)

When someone loses their mother, it can feel like the ground shifts under their feet. Even if the person grieving is an adult with their own family, routines, and responsibilities,...

Biodegradable Urns & Living Urns: How They Work, Costs, and What to Expect

Biodegradable Urns & Living Urns: How They Work, Costs, and What to Expect

There’s a particular moment many families describe after cremation: the calls have slowed down, the paperwork is finally in a folder, and the urgency of the first days eases just...

Condolencias en Español: 100+ Short Sympathy Messages for Cards, Flowers, and Funeral Ribbons

Condolencias en Español: 100+ Short Sympathy Messages for Cards, Flowers, and Funeral Ribbons

Cuando alguien muere, muchas familias sienten lo mismo: el corazón quiere decir algo hermoso, pero la mente se queda en blanco. A veces el mensaje es para una tarjeta; a...

Mourning Colors Beyond Black: Cultural Meanings and How to Choose Memorial Colors

Mourning Colors Beyond Black: Cultural Meanings and How to Choose Memorial Colors

When someone dies, families often find themselves making decisions while still in shock—what kind of service to hold, what to say in an obituary, whether to choose burial or cremation,...

Scattering Urns and Tubes: How to Choose an Eco-Friendly Option for Spreading Ashes

Scattering Urns and Tubes: How to Choose an Eco-Friendly Option for Spreading Ashes

When families choose cremation, the question that often follows is quietly practical and deeply personal: what to do with ashes. Some people want a permanent place at home. Others want...

Collecting Ashes After Cremation: What Happens Next and What You Can Do With Them

Collecting Ashes After Cremation: What Happens Next and What You Can Do With Them

The moment you realize you need to figure out collecting ashes after cremation is often a strange mix of practical and emotional. On one hand, there are real questions—timelines, paperwork,...

Sympathy Messages That Don’t Sound Generic: Examples for Cards, Texts, and Flowers

Sympathy Messages That Don’t Sound Generic: Examples for Cards, Texts, and Flowers

There’s a particular kind of awkward silence that shows up after a death when you want to reach out, your heart is in the right place, and yet every sentence...

Why We Light Prayer Candles for the Dead: Catholic Traditions and Modern Memorial Ideas

Why We Light Prayer Candles for the Dead: Catholic Traditions and Modern Memorial Ideas

If you’ve ever stepped into a quiet Catholic church on an ordinary weekday, you’ve probably seen it: a small rack of flickering flames, each one lit by someone who didn’t...

Keeping Cremation Ashes at Home in the US: Is It Legal, How to Store Them Safely, and Display Ideas

Keeping Cremation Ashes at Home in the US: Is It Legal, How to Store Them Safely, and Display Ideas

Bringing cremated remains home can feel strangely ordinary and profoundly heavy at the same time. You may set a temporary container on the kitchen table, sign a last form, and...

Prayer & Memorial Candles: Meaning, Traditions, and How to Light Them Safely

Prayer & Memorial Candles: Meaning, Traditions, and How to Light Them Safely

There’s a reason a candle feels like the right shape for grief. In a week when your brain can’t hold logistics for more than a few minutes at a time,...