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.

Should Children Attend Funerals? Age-by-Age Guidance and How to Prepare Them

Should Children Attend Funerals? Age-by-Age Guidance and How to Prepare Them

Deciding whether children should attend funerals is one of the most sensitive choices a family can face. Parents often feel a mix of emotions, grief, uncertainty, and the desire to...

Digital Legacy Planning: Passwords, Social Media Accounts, and Online Memories

Digital Legacy Planning: Passwords, Social Media Accounts, and Online Memories

Most of us now live a significant part of our lives online. We scroll through social media, upload photos, pay bills through apps, store important documents in the cloud, and...

Final Letters and Ethical Wills: Passing on Values, Stories, and Messages of Love

Final Letters and Ethical Wills: Passing on Values, Stories, and Messages of Love

Most people know they should have a legal will to say who receives their money and property someday. Far fewer have heard of an ethical will or taken time to...

Memorial Day Cemetery Decorations: Creative Tips for Honoring Loved Ones

Memorial Day Cemetery Decorations: Creative Tips for Honoring Loved Ones

Memorial Day can bring a quiet ache long before you reach the cemetery gates. You might find yourself wondering what to bring, how much to decorate, or whether your choices...

Traveling with Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Policies, and Practical Tips

Traveling with Cremated Remains: TSA Rules, Airline Policies, and Practical Tips

Families often travel with a loved one’s ashes for deeply personal reasons, fulfilling a final wish to return home, scattering the remains in a place filled with meaning, or bringing...

Scattering Ashes: Laws, Locations, and Meaningful Ideas for Saying Goodbye

Scattering Ashes: Laws, Locations, and Meaningful Ideas for Saying Goodbye

Scattering ashes offers a profoundly personal way to commemorate a loved one’s life, turning loss into a moment of reflection, connection, and remembrance. Knowing the laws about scattering ashes and...

Funeral Poems and Readings: Choosing Words That Bring Comfort and Honor a Life

Funeral Poems and Readings: Choosing Words That Bring Comfort and Honor a Life

Selecting the right funeral poems and readings is one of the most personal and meaningful ways to honor a loved one’s life. Words have the power to comfort hearts, express...

Cheerful and Uplifting Funeral Songs: When Families Want a More Positive Tone

Cheerful and Uplifting Funeral Songs: When Families Want a More Positive Tone

Planning a funeral or celebration of life is deeply personal, and for many families, incorporating cheerful funeral songs or uplifting funeral music can create a service that reflects a joyful,...

Memorial Service vs Celebration of Life: Key Differences and How to Choose

Memorial Service vs Celebration of Life: Key Differences and How to Choose

Deciding how to honor someone who has passed is deeply personal. Families often want a farewell that reflects the unique personality, values, and life experiences of their loved one. This...

What Is a Wake? Differences Between a Wake, Viewing, Visitation, and Funeral Service

What Is a Wake? Differences Between a Wake, Viewing, Visitation, and Funeral Service

A wake is often the first gathering where love, grief, and remembrance come together in one shared space. It is the moment when stories begin to surface, when hands are...

Funeral Music Ideas: Choosing Songs for Services, Viewings, and Celebrations of Life

Funeral Music Ideas: Choosing Songs for Services, Viewings, and Celebrations of Life

Selecting the right music for a final goodbye is one of the most meaningful choices a family can make. In moments when words fall short, music becomes the emotional thread...

Religions and Cremation: How Different Faiths View Cremation vs Burial

Religions and Cremation: How Different Faiths View Cremation vs Burial

When families start talking about cremation vs burial, the conversation rarely stays purely practical. Very quickly, it touches on religious views on cremation, beliefs about the body and the soul,...

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

Coping with the Loss of a Pet: Grief Stages, Support, and Memorial Ideas

If you are reading this because you are coping with the loss of a pet, please know you’re not alone. For so many people, pets are family. Saying goodbye to...

Cat Euthanasia and Cremation Costs: What to Expect at the Vet and Crematory

Cat Euthanasia and Cremation Costs: What to Expect at the Vet and Crematory

Understanding the Emotional and Financial Landscape Saying goodbye to a cat is one of the hardest experiences a pet parent can face. When illness, pain, or age has taken away...

What to Wear to a Funeral, Wake, or Celebration of Life: Dress Code Made Simple

What to Wear to a Funeral, Wake, or Celebration of Life: Dress Code Made Simple

Grief does not come with a wardrobe checklist. Most people only attend a few services in their lifetime, so it is completely normal to wonder what to wear to a...

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rituals, Prayers, and What Families Can Expect

Catholic Funeral Mass Explained: Rituals, Prayers, and What Families Can Expect

If you have not been to a Catholic funeral in a long time, or ever, it can feel a little intimidating. There are prayers, specific rituals, and phrases like “vigil,”...