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.

Funeral Costs Broken Down: What You’re Paying For and How to Compare Price Lists

Funeral Costs Broken Down: What You’re Paying For and How to Compare Price Lists

Funeral planning often comes with unexpected financial decisions. Sitting at a funeral home table, reviewing a stack of papers, you may suddenly find yourself facing line items you’ve never seen...

When a Bird Dies: Understanding the Unique Grief of Avian Companionship

When a Bird Dies: Understanding the Unique Grief of Avian Companionship

When most people think of pet loss, they imagine dogs or cats—walks, cuddles, playful nuzzles, and daily routines that are easy to notice and remember. What they often don’t picture...

Celebrating Their Birthday After They’re Gone

Celebrating Their Birthday After They’re Gone

When a beloved pet dies, the calendar does not get the news. Their birthday or “gotcha day” still shows up in your phone, on the family wall calendar, or in...

How to Write a Eulogy That Sounds Like Your Loved One

How to Write a Eulogy That Sounds Like Your Loved One

Standing before family and friends, clutching your notes or a piece of paper, the weight of love, memory, and grief presses down. Then comes the question that can feel both...

Social Security and Death: Survivor Benefits, One-Time Payments, and What to Report

Social Security and Death: Survivor Benefits, One-Time Payments, and What to Report

The days following the loss of a loved one can feel disorienting and emotionally heavy. Families often find themselves juggling numerous responsibilities at once, arranging a service, coordinating with a...

Death Certificates: Why You Need Them, How Many Copies to Order, and How to Get Replacements

Death Certificates: Why You Need Them, How Many Copies to Order, and How to Get Replacements

Life can change in an instant. One moment, everyday routines carry on as usual; the next, you are faced with the sudden absence of someone who shaped your world. Amid...

Pet Loss Support Groups: Are They Right for You?

Pet Loss Support Groups: Are They Right for You?

Losing a pet can rearrange your whole world in a way that people around you do not always understand. The bed is emptier, the yard is quieter, and your routines...

Planning a Pet Memorial Service: Ideas for Ceremonies at Home, Outside, or Online

Planning a Pet Memorial Service: Ideas for Ceremonies at Home, Outside, or Online

The quiet house feels different without your pet’s gentle presence, the soft padding of paws, the way they curled beside you, the little habits that brought joy to everyday moments....

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a pet is heartbreaking in any season of life. Losing a pet in the middle of a divorce or separation can feel almost unbearable. You may already be arguing...

Understanding Dog Cremation Cost: What to Expect and How to Honor Your Pet

Understanding Dog Cremation Cost: What to Expect and How to Honor Your Pet

"Dogs leave paw prints on our hearts, long after they leave this world." When facing the loss of a beloved dog, thoughts of dog cremation cost may feel secondary to...

Epitaph Examples: Gentle Words for Urns, Headstones, and Jewelry

Epitaph Examples: Gentle Words for Urns, Headstones, and Jewelry

There’s a moment in funeral planning that rarely gets discussed. The phone calls have been made, the service is outlined, you’ve chosen between burial and cremation, and then someone hands...

Pet Cremation Cost: What to Expect and How to Plan a Loving Goodbye

Pet Cremation Cost: What to Expect and How to Plan a Loving Goodbye

When you’re facing the loss of a pet, your heart is already heavy, and financial concerns may feel secondary, or even overwhelming. Yet the question of pet cremation cost inevitably...

When the Vet Makes a Mistake: Handling Anger and Grief

When the Vet Makes a Mistake: Handling Anger and Grief

Sometimes the worst part of losing a pet is not just that they are gone, but how it happened. You might find yourself replaying one specific moment in a clinic...

Christianity and Pets: Will I See Fido in Heaven?

Christianity and Pets: Will I See Fido in Heaven?

When a beloved dog or cat dies, the grief is rarely “small.” It may show up in all the ordinary places your pet used to be: the quiet corner where...

Is It Okay to Wear Cremation Jewelry?

Is It Okay to Wear Cremation Jewelry?

You’ve likely found yourself holding a pendant or bracelet that carries ashes and wondered, “Is this really okay?” For many people, cremation jewelry isn’t about fashion, it’s about having a...

What Is an Urn Used For? A Gentle Guide to Modern Memorials

What Is an Urn Used For? A Gentle Guide to Modern Memorials

When someone you love is cremated, the first question is rarely about products or prices. It’s quieter, more emotional: what is an urn actually for, and how can it honor...