What to Wear (and Not) to a Funeral

Society's dress code has rapidly changed in recent decades, and casualwear is acceptable in many places and situations. But what about funerals? Should we still wear black suits and dresses to a funeral, or can we take the "anything goes" approach that we do for many other situations?

Estate Settlement Guide

Losing a loved one can be incredibly difficult. No matter how prepared we are, saying goodbye is never easy. The responsibility of handling funeral arrangements and personal affairs can be an overwhelming experience.

How to Cope With Grief

Legacy offers advice from leading experts, helpful information related to loss, and to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. , find comfort and inspiration, and begin to heal.

Poems of Mourning and Comfort

Poetry read at a funeral is an eloquent way to pay tribute to the life and legacy of someone you love. For the bereaved, poems about dying, the pain of loss, grief, mourning, the afterlife, or rebirth can bring comfort and be a source of inspiration and hope.

100 Best Examples of Epitaphs

An epitaph is a meaningful tombstone tribute to someone who has died. Here are 100 of the best epitaph examples.

Why We Need Funerals

There are people who declare that they don't want their families and friends to have a funeral for them when they die. "Just cremate me," they say. "I don't want any fuss."

The Cremation Process: How Cremation Works

A step-by-step guide to planning for a cremation.

Condolences: What Do I Say?

When someone you care about has lost a loved one, it can be hard to know what to say when sending condolences. But it's important to say something. Sharing your condolences lets them know you care and offers comfort in one of the hardest times they'll ever experience. It's a loving gesture that means a lot.

Cleaning Out a Loved One's Home: Where to Donate Stuff

Bequeathing extra items to charity is a constructive way to honor a loved one's memory.

Guide to Writing an Obituary

An obituary is a published notice of death, typically seen in a newspaper, that includes a short biography of the life of someone who recently died.

My Un-Suicide Note

Dear Family & Friends,

As Death Gets Closer: The Last Days and Hours at Hospice

I'm honored to stand witness to those intimate, vulnerable moments.

Attending a Funeral: What to Know

Legacy offers advice from experts to help answer all of your funeral etiquette questions: What is the difference between a memorial service and a funeral? What should I say to the deceased's family at the visitation? Does it matter what I wear?

Remembering September 11, 2001

It was the most profound single day of mass grief America had seen in generations. Now, more than twenty years later, the legacy of Sept. 11 is still reverberating through the world. Here are tributes in honor of those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Understanding How Are Cremation Diamonds Made: A Comprehensive Guide

Losing a loved one is one of life’s most profound challenges. Families often search for a way to carry their memory forward, not only in their hearts but in something tangible they can hold onto. Cremation diamonds, also called memorial diamonds, have emerged as a deeply meaningful option. They transform ashes or hair into a gemstone that can be cherished for generations.

How Much Does Cremation Cost?

has become very popular in recent years. In a 2024 report from the National Funeral Directors Association, 61.9% of Americans were projected to choose cremation versus 33.2% who were expected to opt for a traditional burial. One reason for this is that cremation is usually less expensive than burial.

How to Find a Crematory

If you’re making final plans for yourself or a loved one, and cremation is part of the plan, you’ll need to find a crematory. This is the location where the cremation takes place.

Arranging the Interment of Ashes

Interment of ashes is when cremated remains are buried in the ground or placed in a building designed to hold ashes, known as a columbarium. This is an option if you prefer not to scatter them or display them in your home.

How to Plan an Ash-Scattering Ceremony

There are many options for holding a memorial service after a cremation.

Burial and Cremation Alternatives

Our guide to the most common alternatives to standard burial or cremation.

Where Can I Scatter My Loved One's Ashes Legally?

Guidelines on where it is and isn't okay to scatter cremated remains and whether you need permission.

Burial vs. Cremation: Pros, Cons, and How to Decide the Best Option

“Do I want to be buried or cremated?” is a decision we all must face in the end. 

What to Do When Someone Dies

After the death of a loved one, the volume of decisions and responsibilities can feel overwhelming. This article provides a comprehensive, step-by-step checklist to help surviving family members navigate what needs to be done from the moment of death through the weeks and months that follow the funeral. Organized by urgency rather than strict chronology, it covers immediate actions, funeral planning, legal and financial responsibilities, and practical tasks related to the deceased’s home, accounts, and personal affairs. Designed primarily for close survivors but useful for anyone offering support, the guide brings clarity and structure to a difficult time, helping families focus on what matters most while ensuring essential details are not overlooked.

How to Personalize a Themed Funeral

Whether you’re planning a or an unconventional one, you can make it by adding a theme. Clothing, floral tributes, décor, music, and food can all come together in a theme that reflects the life you’re honoring.

How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Funeral

Many of the elements of a traditional funeral come with an environmental impact—from to , and from cut flowers to huge limousines. Fortunately, there are many steps you can consider to help make a funeral and burial more environmentally friendly. 

How to Plan a Party-Style Funeral

“When I die, I don’t want my friends to have a funeral and be sad. I want them to throw a great party and play all my favorite songs and talk about all the fun we had.”  

It's Never Too Late for a Memorial Service

For an entire year from 2020 to 2021, pandemic restrictions meant we couldn’t say goodbye to our loved ones the way we wanted. Often, we were unable to be with them when they died—and to make matters worse, we weren’t able to gather to hold the funerals that would help us mourn properly. Whether we could only gather with a few close family members, or we watched a small service online, or we skipped the funeral altogether, pandemic funerals have often been unsatisfying and left us feeling unresolved grief. 

Honor your veteran's memory with a free, permanent Military Times tribute

Legacy.com is pleased to announce the successful launch of a new relationship with the Military Times that offers families a free way to honor and share their veteran’s life story.

No, Miss Manners, Excluding People from an Obit Isn’t Especially Polite

A   answered a reader who wondered whether she should include her beloved godchildren in her obituary, which she was drafting herself in order to make things easier on her family later. 

Giving Tuesday Spotlight: Funeral Service Foundation

Tuesday, December 1, is Giving Tuesday, a day when we’re asked to step back from the shopping that dominates the days after Thanksgiving and do some good with our dollars. You might have a favorite charity to support on Giving Tuesday – or maybe you’re donating to a loved one’s favorite charity in their memory.

Visit a loved one's grave virtually during the pandemic

If you’ve lost a loved one and their grave isn’t near your home, odds are that you have not visited the cemetery in months. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in travel plans for most of us, even for important sentimental trips like visiting a cemetery on an anniversary. For some people, it can feel devastating to be unable to sit at a special person’s grave and talk, grieve, or simply commune quietly, as they would in normal times.

A funeral director in 2020: 'I worry about masks'

Sammy G. Oakey III is a fifth-generation funeral director, the president of in Roanoke, Virginia. In the 150 years since his great-great-grandfather founded the business, it has never changed quite as fast as it has in 2020.

What’s the Difference Between an Obituary and a Death Notice?

The two terms “obituary” and “death notice” are similar, but by definition, they refer to different things: 

5 Ways to Stop Obsessing That Someone Might Die

Two weeks ago, I called my mom to tell her about my pandemic lockdown miracle. It was a doozy: I’d arrived at the grocery store just as a clerk was restocking the frozen vegetables! But before I could speak, Mom dropped her news. “I’m going back to work,” she said. I burst into tears.

How to Express Sympathy & Grief While Social Distancing

One of the most basic impulses when someone we care about is grieving is to give them a hug. It’s a very human thing to do — seeking and giving comfort through touch.

Video Funerals Help Families Mourn During COVID-19

At a time when precautions against COVID-19 mean that large public gatherings are banned in some places and discouraged most everywhere else, how can we continue having funerals? It’s important to honor and remember the lives of our loved ones who have died, and mourning together with others who loved them is a crucial part of the grief process. We can still do this, even if we can’t get together in one place for a funeral. 

How to Pre-Plan a Funeral

Planning your own funeral may not be easy, but deciding your funeral arrangements in advance can give peace of mind to your family when the time comes. Learn why funeral pre-planning is helpful, then use our detailed checklist to guide you through the steps of pre-planning a funeral. 

Funerals During the COVID-19 Coronavirus Epidemic: How to Plan

As the new coronavirus strain COVID-19 travels around the globe, it’s not always easy to know what to do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. In many areas of the U.S., public gatherings have been banned or discouraged. We're practicing social distancing, staying home as much as possible. 

What to Do When a Loved One is Terminal

If your loved one has received a terminal diagnosis, you are likely scared and/or overwhelmed. You know there's a lot for you to do, as you're an important part of their support system, but you don't know what it all is. Here's a checklist of what needs to be done to provide care and prepare for their death.

The Surprising Ways a Funeral Director Can Help You

If you've never had to help plan a funeral, your idea of a funeral director's job is probably a little vague. They arrange the funeral, right? They handle the burial or cremation, and are at the visitation and the funeral service to make sure everyone's in the right place at the right time. Is that it?

How to Choose a Cemetery

If you're planning a funeral and burial, you're faced with deciding which cemetery is the right choice. Whether you're pre-planning for yourself long before you'll need it, or you're quickly organizing a loved one's funeral after their death, you'll need to take a number of factors into account as you choose a cemetery.

What Is a Traditional 20th-Century U.S. Burial?

Almost half of Americans bury their dead. At its heart, burial is a very simple concept: A hole is dug; a body is placed in it and covered with earth. When we refer to a "traditional 20th-century American-style burial," we're being a little more specific: We mean a burial that includes embalming, a coffin or casket, and a burial vault – three elements that have become somewhat standardized over the past 150 years.

Find Comfort in Legacy's Grief Support Groups

The loss of a loved one can turn your world upside down in an instant and leave you feeling isolated from the world at large, but you are not alone. In , you’ll find help from others who have stood where you are standing right now. Our private Facebook groups offer a safe space to share your bereavement and connect with others experiencing the same kind of loss you are.

What Kind of Flowers Should I Buy for a Funeral?

A guide to which sympathy flowers are often used to remember the most important people in our lives.

10 Holiday Gifts for Grievers

If you’re shopping for someone who is grieving, the usual gifts may not seem quite right.

How Funeral Directors Can Help a Family

A funeral director can be one of your most important allies in the days and weeks after a loved one's death. Whether the funeral was prepared for years in advance, or the death was unexpected and you're making all the arrangements in a grief-stricken hurry, there's so much you can lean on a funeral director for. Here are eight important tasks a funeral director helps a family with.

What to Wear to a Funeral (video)

This guide explains how to choose appropriate clothing for funerals and memorial services in today’s more casual world. It outlines respectful attire options for women, men, and children, with additional guidance for seasonal services, family members, and funerals with specific dress requests. Emphasizing modesty, neutral colors, and consideration for the grieving family, the article also clarifies what to avoid wearing and offers practical advice for situations where expectations are unclear. Overall, it helps readers balance personal comfort with tradition and respect, ensuring their appearance supports—not distracts from—the purpose of the service.

What It's Like When Your Parents Pre-Plan Their Funerals

Mom and Dad wanted to have the talk. Here's what happened when we sat down.

What Makes a Good Funeral?

Have you ever been to a really good funeral? No, that doesn't have to be an oxymoron — a good funeral is a real thing, and it's something we should all hope to achieve for ourselves and our loved ones.