In our years of blogging about cremation urns and other relevant issues, we’ve discovered and created a wealth of funeral resources. Here we’ve gathered them together on one page in order to provide you with the best possible resources to help guide you through everything relating to the death of a loved one, from pre-planning to coping with grief after the funeral is over, and everything in between. Some of these are our own articles and blog posts, while many others are examples of the best content we’ve found on a given topic.
We hope that this compendium of links, articles, and funeral resources will be beneficial to you as you navigate these unfamiliar and difficult subjects.
Scroll down and read on for links on a wide variety of topics.
Updated 4/11/18 – What started as a resource for over 150 articles and resources has grown to over 200. Thank you for your submissions and ideas! Let us know what you find helpful.
Resources for Planning Ahead
- Checklist: Pre-Planning Your Funeral or Memorial Service
- What papers do you need when someone dies?
- 6 Things Married Couples Need to Do to Prepare for Unlikely Death of a Spouse
- 10 Things to Think About Before You Die
- Burial or Cremation: Which is Best For You?
- Should I Buy a Cremation Urn in Advance?
- Considering a funeral at home? Start here.
- Everything You Need to Know About Burial Insurance
- Find the Best Funeral Insurance – Best insurance providers rated by NerdWallet
First Steps After a Death
- What to Do When a Loved One Dies: A Checklist – Includes a printable checklist with spaces for important contact info.
- Helpful List of Accounts to Cancel When a Loved One Dies
- Death and Finances: Eight Things to Do After a Loved One Passes
- Talking to Children About Death – Tips to help you tactfully talk to children about death
- Explaining to young children that someone has died – Helpful information sheet which includes tips, suggestions for introducing the topic, and explaining to a child what death means.
Final Arrangements
- How to Plan a Funeral (infographic)
- Funeral Planning Checklist
- What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial service?
- Cremation or Burial?
- Here’s the complete list of everything you can do with your body after you die
Funeral Homes & Cemeteries
- How to Choose a Funeral Home
- Avoid These 10 Common Funeral Scams
- 13 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Cemetery – These questions will help you decide what you actually want and/or need while saving you quite a bit on your final bill.
- Choosing a Cemetery
- 10 Things the Funeral Home Won’t Tell You
- Consumer’s Guide to Cemetery Purchases
- How to Read a Funeral Home Price List
- I’m a funeral director, and this is what it’s really like
Cremation
- How Does Cremation Work? – The basic info.
- Benefits of Cremation Over Burial – From affordability to portability, here are the advantages of choosing cremation.
- What amount of ashes will there be after cremation? – Answer to a very FAQ.
- How do I arrange a cremation? – Walks you through every step of the way, with all your options.
- What Is The Cost Of Human Cremation? – Average costs of various common cremation services.
- Cremation FAQ – Extensive list of cremation FAQs via the National Funeral Directors Association.
- What to Do with Cremated Remains: A 5-Minute Guide – Brief overview of the options for final disposition of cremated ashes.
- 14 Questions to Ask When Considering Cremation – Is cremation right for your situation? Here are some questions to help you figure it out.
- 20 Reasons Why People Are Choosing Cremation – Comments from real people on why their family chose cremation.
- A Beginner’s Guide to Cremation Urns
- Which Cremation Urns Are Suitable for Airline Travel?
- How will the ashes come from the funeral home?
- Companion Urns: The Complete Guide – Everything you need to know about “Companion Urns,” which are urns designed for the remains of two people.
- 9 Common Myths About Cremation
- The Layman’s Guide to Funeral Urns
Final Disposition Options and Ideas
- Final Disposition Options: Burial, Cremation, & More – All the options and description of each
- Embalming Alternatives That Avoid Formaldehyde
- What is Direct Cremation?
- Methods for Scattering Ashes -The complete list of different ways and places to scatter cremated remains
- What are cremated ashes like?
- Symbolism & Significance: What Does Scattering Ashes Mean?
- 16 DIY Options for Scattering Ashes
- How to Bury an Urn
- Eco-Friendly Burial
- How to Plant a Memorial Tree Urn
- Water Soluble Urns for Water Burial
- U.S. Federal Regulations for Burial or Scattering at Sea – Full text of the regulations with explanation.
- How and Where to Store an Urn
- Should a couple’s remains be commingled?
- How to Package & Ship Cremated Remains – Via the U.S. Postal Service
Resources for Funeral Products
- Embalming:
- Burial:
- Cremation urns:
- The 5-Minute Guide to Choosing a Cremation Urn
- Do I Have to Purchase an Urn from a Funeral Home?
- What Size Urn Should I Get?
- 8 Things You Need to Know About Cremation Urns
- How and Where to Store a Cremation Urn
- How to Open a Wooden Urn (video)
- How to Open a Marble, Granite, or Stone Urn (video)
- Cremation Urn Types & Varieties
- Cremation Urns that You Can Bury
- Personalized Urns: 17 Tips to Find the Right Cremation Urn
- 100 of the World’s Most Beautiful Wood Cremation Urns
- 10 Enduringly Classic Wood Cremation Urns
- Funeral products you didn’t know existed:
- Book Shaped Urns – Wood, metal, and ceramic urns shaped like a book or Bible.
- Clock Urns – Discreetly houses the remains in an elegant wooden heirloom clock.
- Wall Mounted Urns – Ceramic wall art sculptures that double as a cremation urn.
- Custom Sculpture Bust Urns – Create a bust of your loved one.
- 3D Printed Bust Urns – A lifelike 3D-printed bust urn.
- Hand-Blown Glass Urns – With the ashes inside.
- Teddy Bear Urns – A real stuffed animal teddy bear that holds cremated remains.
- Lighthouse Cremation Urns – Memorial urns with lighthouses.
- Cowboy Cremation Urns – Memorial urns with a cowboy theme.
- Pirate Cremation Urns – Treasure chests and sailing ships for a pirate enthusiast.
- Golf Bag Cremation Urn – Urn sculpture shaped like a golf club bag.
- Hourglass Cremation Urns – An hourglass with the cremated remains in place of sand.
- Tealight Cremation Urns – Small keepsake urns that function as tealights.
- Memorial Tree Urns – Grow a tree from your loved one’s remains.
- Floral Cremation Urns for the Gardener or Flower Lover – Lilies, cherry blossoms, tulips, gardening designs, etc.
- Urns that dissolve in water – For scattering or burial at sea.
- Engraved Photo Urns – A photo of your loved one, permanently etched onto a memorial urn.
- Digital Photo Frame Urns – An urn with a digital photo frame display, complete with remote.
- 27 Things to Do with Cremated Remains – From fireworks to paintings, you can do just about anything.
- Memorial keepsakes:
- Sympathy gifts:
- 29 Sympathy Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving
- What should I sent as a sympathy gift instead of flowers? – Flowers die. These gift ideas do not.
- The 10 Best Willow Tree Bereavement Gifts – Willow Tree figurines are popular carved keepsakes. These are the best ones for giving as sympathy gifts.
- Cremation jewelry (holds a tiny amount of cremated remains as a keepsake):
Funeral Resources for Saving Money
- Funeral Assistance for Those Who Need It – listing by state of funeral assistance for low-income families.
- Frugal Funeral Planning: 50 Tips for a Funeral on a Budget
- What to Do When You Can’t Afford a Funeral – tips and resources from the Funeral Consumers Alliance.
- Deposit a Gift Memorial Fund – crowdfunding for funeral expenses.
- Ten Tips for Saving Funeral $$$
- Avoid These 10 Common Funeral Scams
- Tips for Saving $$$ on Cremation Urns
- 15 Ideas for a Beautiful Memorial Service on a Budget
- Our Favorite (Actually!) Free Funeral Program Templates
- How to Make Your Own Cremation Urn – 5 different DIY urn tutorials.
- What is Direct Cremation? – by far the most affordable disposition method.
- 5 Things You Need to Know About Direct Cremation
- DIY Pallet Wood Coffin
- Caskets: How to save on them
Resources for Funerals & Memorial Services
- What is the difference between a funeral and a memorial service?
- Composing a Memorial Service from Beginning to End
- 34 Unique Memorial Service Ideas
- How to Livestream a Funeral or Memorial Service
- Memorial Service Ideas for 13 Popular Hobbies
- 14 Funeral Urn Memorial Table Arrangement Ideas
- 30 Funeral and Memorial Service Favors
- 13 Popular Funeral Flower Meanings
- 11 Living Memorial Ideas
- 15 Totally Unique Memorial Service Guest Book Ideas
Eco-Friendly Funeral Resources
- 5 Simple Ways to Have a Green Funeral
- How to carry a body for a natural burial
- How to wrap a body in a burial shroud for natural burial
- Eco-Friendly Options for Cremated Remains
- Eco-Friendly Cremation Urns
- 11 Living Memorial Ideas
- 5 Ways You Can Plant a Tree in Memory of a Loved One
Creative Memorials
- Ways to create a memorial away from the grave site – nearly fifty memorial ideas from large to small, public and private
- 15 Memorial Ideas Made From Cremated Ashes – Memorials that actually incorporate the remains into the piece.
DIY Funeral and Memorial Ideas
- 11 DIY Memorial Craft Projects for Crafty People
- 9 DIY Funeral and Memorial Service Favors
- DIY Blooming Monogram Memorial Centerpiece
- Make Garden Stepping Stones with Loved One’s Ashes
- 16 DIY Options for Scattering Ashes
- DIY Funeral and Memorial Service Favors
- 15 Ideas for a Memorial Service on a Budget
- How to Make Your Own Cremation Urn
- Crowdsource Your Memorial Scrapbook
- 6 Lovely DIY Memorial Candle Projects
Funeral Program Resources
- How to Write a Funeral Program
- Our Favorite (Actually!) Free Funeral Program Templates
- Funeral Program Templates – 27 Premium funeral program template downloads
- Free Editable Funeral Memorial Program Template – 5 free Microsoft Word templates
- Free Funeral Program Templates – 7 more free Microsoft Word templates
Resources for Religious Funeral Services
- World Religions and Funerals – Links to brief articles on common funeral practices of a variety of religions.
- Funeral Traditions of Different Religions – Links to funeral services in various religion traditions.
- Cultural & Religious Funeral Customs – Links to interesting articles on regional religious traditions.
- Christian Funerals: Going to be with God – Meaningful thoughts and ideas on Christian funeral traditions from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
- Catholic Cremations: What to Do with the Ashes – The stance of the Catholic Church on cremation and disposition.
- Christian Views on Cremation – Scripture verses relevant to cremation, along with commonly held Christian beliefs about cremation.
- To Bury or Burn? Toward an Ethic of Cremation – David W. Jones’ scholarly article from the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
- To Bury or Burn? Cremation in Christian Perspective – Easy-to-read blog post version of David W. Jones’ excellent scholarly article.
- 10 Biblical Prayers for a Christian Funeral Service – Ten prayers based on Scripture and appropriate for a believer’s funeral
Resources for Eulogies, Obituaries, Epitaphs, and Inscriptions
- Eulogies:
- Obituaries:
- Epitaphs and Inscriptions:
- Sympathy Cards, Gift Notes, and Messages
Attending a Funeral: Etiquette, Attire, Etc.
- Funeral Etiquette for Immediate Family Members
- Funeral Etiquette for Distant Relatives and Friends
- 13 Helpful Tips for Proper Funeral Etiquette
- Funeral Outfits: What to Wear at a Funeral
- Military Funeral Etiquette
- Should a Child Attend a Funeral?
Resources for After the Funeral
- The Complete Guide to Sympathy Meals After a Funeral
- Creating a Memorial Space in Your Home
- Returning to School After a Death in the Family
- Tax and Insurance Considerations After Death
- Grief at the Office: How to Deal With the Worst When You Still Have to Work
Resources for Grief & Loss
- 12 Helpful Grief Resources
- Grief & Self-Care: 44 Tips for Healing, Comfort, and Peace
- 64 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Grief
- 64 MORE Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Grief
- Movies About Death, Dying, & Grief
- Missing You: 22 Honest Quotes About Grief
- Comforting Bible Verses
- Comforting Scripture Verses
Children & Grief
- 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Grieving Children
- Helping Your Child Deal with Death – Article from KidsHealth.org.
- Talking to Kids About Death – Resources and answers to reader questions from Parents.com.
- Helping Children Cope with Loss, Death, and Grief – An excellent, readable resource from the National Association of School Psychologists.
- The Child’s Loss: Death, Grief, and Mourning – Succint yet thorough answers to FAQs by child trauma specialist Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
- 101 Classic Books to Help Children Grieve – From picture books to classic novels, these profound books address grief, loss, death, and the afterlife.
- 10 Solid, Biblical Christian Books for Kids About Death & Heaven – Ten Scriptural and docrinally sound books for kids about death, grief, and heaven.
Expressing Sympathy
- Helping someone who has lost a loved one:
- Sympathy Gifts:
- 29 Sympathy Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving
- What to Send Instead of Sympathy Flowers
- How to Choose a Thoughtful Sympathy Gift
- What is a Proper Condolence Gift?
- MealGifts.com – Send a chef-prepared gourmet sympathy meal
- Personalized Bird Feeder Memorial Gifts – Surprisingly popular gift, etched with “In Loving Memory” name and dates
- Sympathy Gifts – Popular funeral & sympathy gifts from FTD
- 15 Compassionate Gifts for Grieving Moms
Social Media and Memorial Websites
- Death and Social Networking Accounts
- Memorialize a Facebook Account
- Create a Memorial Website for Free – A list of free memorial websites, ranked by features.
- Using Pinterest to Grieve
- Grief Meets the Smartphone – A guide to grieving in the digital age.
Military Funeral Resources
- Burial Benefits – From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependants, and Survivors – Benefits Book from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Military Funeral Etiquette
- What to Do with a Military Funeral Flag
- Military Flag Displays and Cremation Urns
- T*A*P*S – Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (for families of fallen soldiers).
- Gold Star Wives – Organization for the widows of those who died in military service.
- Military One Source Casualty Assistance – Resources for surviving relatives of military casualties.
- Military Memorial Bird Feeders – Unique personalized gifts with military emblems
Resources for Funeral Directors & Funeral Homes
- 21 Classy Gift Ideas for Funeral Directors
- The 25 Best Funeral Director T-Shirts – Cool, fun, and macabre shirts that only morticians can fully appreciate.
- How to Wow Your Funeral Home Customers with a Cafe Corner – A small touch can go a long ways towards creating a positive experience.
Miscellaneous Funeral Resources
- If I Die – Write notes that will be delivered in the event of your death. Letters to loved ones, passwords, instructions for what to do with your pets or collectibles, etc. Free, simple to use, and secure.
- How to Get a Memorial Tattoo & Matching Cremation Urn – Memorial tattoo ideas, plus how to get a cremation urn that matches.
- Cremation Urn Terminology – A glossary of terms used in the cremation and funeral industry.
- What’s the Difference Between a Funeral Director, Mortician, and Undertaker? – Just in case you were wondering.
- How to Keep the Peace with Keepsake Urns – Keepsake urns are used for a small portion of cremated remains, ideal for dividing among family members.
- How to Have an Irish Wake – Infographic for planning an Irish-themed memorial.
- What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? – From about.com, arguments in favor and against cremation.
- The Millennial’s Guide to Killing Funerals – A snarky look at funeral planning from a millennial’s perspective.
- Shipping Cremated Remains Via USPS – About the U.S. Postal Service’s “Label 139” for shipping cremated remains.
- Funeral Resources in the UK – Funeral advice, guides, and services in the United Kingdom.
- What People Are Dying to Know About the Death Cafe – The Death Cafe is an interesting phenomenon of people gathering around a meal or tea to talk about death.
- How Weddings and Funerals Are Surprisingly Similar – It’s true… everyone gets dressed up, signs a guest book, there’s a reception, it’s officiated by a religious leader… that’s just scratching the surface.
- How to Bury a Fish: Family-Friendly Fish Funeral & Proper Disposal – The complete guide to fish funerals. Pet funerals are actually developmentally pretty important for kids in shaping how they understand and respond to death.
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My grandmother is in ailing health and has been in a slow decline for years. I have been thinking about what her funeral would be like. Lately, I have been thinking about whether she would like to be involved in the planning. Thanks for the list of resources. These are are great places to start.
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