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.

White Candles in Jewish Traditions: Shabbat Candles, Yahrzeit Memorials & What They Mean

White Candles in Jewish Traditions: Shabbat Candles, Yahrzeit Memorials & What They Mean

When a family is learning Jewish practices for the first time, the candle can feel like the gentlest place to start. A flame asks very little of you. It doesn’t...

Casket vs. Coffin: What’s the Difference, What They Cost, and Which to Choose

Casket vs. Coffin: What’s the Difference, What They Cost, and Which to Choose

If you’ve started calling funeral homes—or even just opened a few tabs while trying to make sense of everything—you’ve probably seen both words: “casket” and “coffin.” People use them interchangeably...

How Much Does a Casket Cost? Average Price Ranges, Materials, and Ways to Save

How Much Does a Casket Cost? Average Price Ranges, Materials, and Ways to Save

When someone you love dies, it’s common for practical questions to arrive before your heart feels ready for them. One of the biggest is how much does a casket cost—because...

Do You Need a Vault to Bury an Urn? Cemetery Rules, Benefits, and When an Urn Vault Makes Sense

Do You Need a Vault to Bury an Urn? Cemetery Rules, Benefits, and When an Urn Vault Makes Sense

If you’re planning a cremation burial, it’s surprisingly common to hit one confusing question right when you thought you were done making decisions: Do we need a vault to bury...

“In Loving Memory” vs “In Memory Of” vs “In Memoriam”: Which Phrase to Use (Plus 30 Alternatives)

“In Loving Memory” vs “In Memory Of” vs “In Memoriam”: Which Phrase to Use (Plus 30 Alternatives)

There are moments in grief when the smallest decisions suddenly feel enormous. You may be writing a line for a funeral program, approving an obituary, ordering a prayer card, engraving...

Do Pet Ashes Smell? What’s Normal, Why It Varies & When to Call the Crematory

Do Pet Ashes Smell? What’s Normal, Why It Varies & When to Call the Crematory

When you bring a pet’s ashes home, it can feel like you’re carrying both love and uncertainty in the same small container. Families rarely expect to have questions about scent,...

Do You Get All the Ashes Back From Pet Cremation? What Affects Return Amount (and What’s Normal)

Do You Get All the Ashes Back From Pet Cremation? What Affects Return Amount (and What’s Normal)

If you have ever opened a box from the crematory and felt a quick flash of worry, you are not alone. People who choose pet cremation often expect the return...

When a Classroom Pet Dies: A Teacher’s Guide to Honest, Kind Conversations & Parent Communication

When a Classroom Pet Dies: A Teacher’s Guide to Honest, Kind Conversations & Parent Communication

Most teachers do not expect their first “death in the classroom” moment to arrive on four paws or behind a little glass enclosure. And yet when a classroom pet died,...

How to Express Sympathy: Examples of What to Say (and What to Avoid)

How to Express Sympathy: Examples of What to Say (and What to Avoid)

Most people don’t struggle with sympathy because they don’t care. They struggle because grief is tender, language is imperfect, and nobody wants to accidentally make a hard day harder. If...

How to Tell Kids a Pet Died: Age-by-Age Scripts (3–5, 6–9, 10–13 & Teens) & What Not to Say

How to Tell Kids a Pet Died: Age-by-Age Scripts (3–5, 6–9, 10–13 & Teens) & What Not to Say

There is a particular kind of heartbreak in realizing you have to do two hard things at once: grieve a pet you love, and help your child understand what just...

Should You Adopt Again After Pet Loss? A Compassionate Readiness Checklist (Not a Timeline)

Should You Adopt Again After Pet Loss? A Compassionate Readiness Checklist (Not a Timeline)

The question often arrives in a quiet moment, not as a bold decision but as a tender ache. The house is still too quiet, the routine still has missing pieces,...

The 6-Month Pet Loss Dip: Why Grief Returns After “Doing Better” & How to Handle the Wave

The 6-Month Pet Loss Dip: Why Grief Returns After “Doing Better” & How to Handle the Wave

Somewhere around the half-year mark, many people have the same uneasy thought: “I was doing better. Why does it feel like I’m back at the beginning?” If you’re at 6...

One-Year Pet Loss Anniversary: Planning for Triggers, Creating Meaning, and Getting Through the Day

One-Year Pet Loss Anniversary: Planning for Triggers, Creating Meaning, and Getting Through the Day

The first year after losing a pet teaches you something you didn’t ask to learn: grief has a calendar. Some days arrive quietly, and others announce themselves the moment you...

30 Days After Pet Loss: What to Expect Emotionally (and 10 Ways to Honor the Bond)

30 Days After Pet Loss: What to Expect Emotionally (and 10 Ways to Honor the Bond)

At the one-month mark, a lot of people are surprised by what grief looks like. Not because they expected to feel “better,” exactly, but because the first few days often...

Phantom Sounds After Pet Loss: Why You Hear Them & How to Cope With Sensory Grief at Home

Phantom Sounds After Pet Loss: Why You Hear Them & How to Cope With Sensory Grief at Home

You’re standing at the sink and you swear you heard it: the soft tap of nails on the hallway floor. Or the familiar jingle of a collar when you turn...

First-Time Pet Parent Grief: Why It Hits Like Losing Family & How to Get Through It

First-Time Pet Parent Grief: Why It Hits Like Losing Family & How to Get Through It

Your first pet teaches you a kind of love that surprises you. It’s the love of routines that build quietly—morning paws on the floor, a familiar weight at your feet,...