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.

How to Display a Cremation Urn at Home: Memorial Shelf and Table Ideas That Feel Peaceful

How to Display a Cremation Urn at Home: Memorial Shelf and Table Ideas That Feel Peaceful

After a cremation, families often expect the hardest part to be over. The calls are made, the paperwork is signed, the immediate decisions are handled—and then you come home to...

After Cremation: Safe, Respectful Ways to Keep, Scatter, or Bury Ashes

After Cremation: Safe, Respectful Ways to Keep, Scatter, or Bury Ashes

There’s a moment many families don’t expect after a cremation. The paperwork is complete, the calls slow down, and suddenly you’re holding a temporary container that feels both ordinary and...

Is Cremation Biblical? A Christian Guide to Cremation vs. Burial and End-of-Life Choices

Is Cremation Biblical? A Christian Guide to Cremation vs. Burial and End-of-Life Choices

For many Christians, the question about cremation isn’t really about fire or earth. It’s about love, reverence, and the quiet fear of getting something sacred “wrong” at the worst possible...

Cat Urn Size Guide: How to Choose the Right Cremation Urn for Your Cat

Cat Urn Size Guide: How to Choose the Right Cremation Urn for Your Cat

After a cat dies, the first thing you notice is the quiet. The water bowl stays full. The favorite window spot holds a rectangle of sunlight and nothing else. And...

What Can’t Be Cremated? Jewelry, Implants, and Personal Items—What Families Should Know

What Can’t Be Cremated? Jewelry, Implants, and Personal Items—What Families Should Know

The question usually comes out in a whisper at the arrangement table, or in a late-night text to a sibling: “Can Dad be cremated with his wedding ring on?” Sometimes...

What Happens to Unclaimed or Uncollected Cremation Ashes (And How to Claim Them)

What Happens to Unclaimed or Uncollected Cremation Ashes (And How to Claim Them)

Most families who choose cremation never imagine a day when the cremation ashes might sit unclaimed. But it happens more often than people realize, not because families do not care,...

Lighting a Candle in Memory: Symbolism, Traditions, and Safe Ways to Create a Memorial Glow

Lighting a Candle in Memory: Symbolism, Traditions, and Safe Ways to Create a Memorial Glow

There’s a quiet moment many families recognize: the day is moving forward, people have gone back to work, and the house feels a little too still. In that kind of...

Irish Blessings for Funerals: Popular Poems, Wording Ideas, and Personalized Keepsakes

Irish Blessings for Funerals: Popular Poems, Wording Ideas, and Personalized Keepsakes

In the first days after a death, families often learn that logistics move faster than emotions. Calls get made, dates get set, and then—sometimes late at night, sometimes right before...

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Easy Capacity Chart + Calculator (Adults, Kids & Pets)

What Size Cremation Urn Do I Need? Easy Capacity Chart + Calculator (Adults, Kids & Pets)

There are moments in funeral planning that feel unexpectedly hard because they’re so practical. Choosing an urn is one of them. You’re not only buying an item—you’re deciding where someone’s...

Interment of Ashes Explained: How to Bury Cremated Remains in a Cemetery (Step-by-Step)

Interment of Ashes Explained: How to Bury Cremated Remains in a Cemetery (Step-by-Step)

A lot of families picture “burial” as a casket and a headstone, and then feel off-balance when cremation becomes the choice by preference, by cost, by timing, or simply because...

How to Put Ashes in an Urn (Without a Mess): Step-by-Step Transfer, Sealing, and Scattering Tips

How to Put Ashes in an Urn (Without a Mess): Step-by-Step Transfer, Sealing, and Scattering Tips

There’s a particular kind of pressure that shows up the day you bring cremated remains home. You may have been handed a container that feels heavier than it looks, and...

Choosing the Right Cremation Urn: Size, Materials, and What to Consider

Choosing the Right Cremation Urn: Size, Materials, and What to Consider

Buying an urn is one of those tasks that sounds practical on paper and feels tender in real life. Most families start with a simple question—“What’s the best urn for...

Can Ashes Be Turned Into Glass? The Science Behind Cremation Glass Art (Temps, Materials, Safety)

Can Ashes Be Turned Into Glass? The Science Behind Cremation Glass Art (Temps, Materials, Safety)

If you’re asking can ashes be turned into glass, you’re not alone. Families often arrive at this question after the logistics are over and the quiet reality begins: the ashes...

Biodegradable Urns: How They Work, Types for Water or Ground Burial, and Where to Buy Eco-Friendly Options

Biodegradable Urns: How They Work, Types for Water or Ground Burial, and Where to Buy Eco-Friendly Options

When a family chooses cremation, the next questions tend to be quieter and more personal: what to do with ashes, whether keeping ashes at home feels comforting or heavy, and...

How a Body Is Prepared for Cremation: What Happens Before, During, and After (Plus Container & Casket Choices)

How a Body Is Prepared for Cremation: What Happens Before, During, and After (Plus Container & Casket Choices)

When a family chooses cremation, the decision often brings a mix of relief and new questions. Relief, because cremation can be simpler and more flexible. Questions, because the steps before...

Memorial Candle Colors and Meanings: Choosing the Right Candle for Funerals, Anniversaries, and Remembrance

Memorial Candle Colors and Meanings: Choosing the Right Candle for Funerals, Anniversaries, and Remembrance

There are moments in grief when words feel too sharp, or too small. A candle is gentler. It gives your hands something to do, your eyes something to rest on,...