Questions we hear most.
Everything you need to know about starting a memorial, the process, and what you receive.
A $250 refundable deposit begins the project. This covers the initial setup, SMS outreach, and editorial process. The community’s optional contributions determine the final form of the artifact.
Anyone — a spouse, child, parent, sibling, friend, or colleague. Whoever feels called to preserve that life’s stories can begin the process.
The memory collection window is 14 days. After that, our editorial team crafts the artifact within 2–4 weeks. The family reviews and approves before it goes to print. Total timeline is typically 6–8 weeks from start to delivery.
The name of the person being remembered, your contact information, and the names and phone numbers of 25–50 people who knew them. You can add contacts via CSV upload or one by one.
We recommend 25–50 people, but there’s no strict limit. The more voices, the richer the memorial. Friends, family, colleagues, neighbors — anyone who has a memory to share.
Each person gets a simple text message inviting them to share a memory. No app to download, no account to create. They just reply to the text with a story, photo, or voice note.
We send gentle reminders at day 7 and day 12. If someone doesn’t respond, that’s okay. The memorial is built from whoever chooses to participate. We never pressure anyone.
Yes. Contributors can reply with text memories, photos via MMS, or voice recordings. We handle all formats and include them in the editorial process.
The family receives updates as memories arrive, but the full editorial — the crafted narrative, curated photos, and final layout — is presented for review and approval before anything goes to print.
The Vault ($349 funded) is a permanent digital archive. The Magazine ($944 funded) adds 5 professionally printed softcover copies. The Full Artifact ($4,562 funded) is a museum-quality hardcover with slipcase, foil stamping, and 10 copies.
Every project receives at least the Vault — a permanent digital archive. The community’s contributions determine whether it becomes a printed magazine or full hardcover. There’s no penalty for landing at any tier.
The Full Artifact is typically 100–150 pages, depending on the number of memories, photos, and tributes contributed. Every page is editorially crafted — not auto-generated.
Archival-grade, acid-free paper rated for 100+ years. Smyth-sewn binding that lies flat. Cloth-wrapped hardcover with metallic foil stamping. Custom-fit protective slipcase. Built to museum conservation standards.
Memories are visible only to the Encapsoul editorial team and the family. Contributors’ individual responses are never shared publicly or with other contributors without consent.
AI helps organize, cluster, and structure the raw memories into a coherent narrative. Every editorial decision — what to include, how to phrase it, which photos to feature — is made by a human editor. The family approves the final result.
No. Memory content is never used to train any AI model. It is processed only for the purpose of creating the family’s memorial, then stored securely.
Yes. Any contributor can reply STOP at any time to opt out of all future messages. Their previously shared memories can also be removed upon request.
Yes. Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, we’ll return 100% of the deposit.
Contributor tributes ($15, $50, $275) are non-refundable after the memorial has been delivered. Before delivery, refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Every project that receives at least one memory will produce the Vault — a permanent digital archive. The $250 deposit covers this baseline. If no memories are received, the full deposit is refunded.
All payments are processed securely through Stripe. We never store card details on our servers. Stripe is PCI Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment security.