Funeral Program Template
A funeral or memorial service program: the name and dates, the service details, the order of service, pallbearers, burial, reception and a note from the family.
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In loving memory of
[dates]
Service
[date, time and place of the service]
Order of service
| [one per line — part | details] |
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What is a Funeral Program?
A funeral program is the printed card or sheet handed to guests at a funeral or memorial service. It names the person, gives their dates and the service details, and sets out the order of service — the music, readings, tributes and prayers or reflections — so people can follow along. Without one, guests do not know who is speaking, where the burial is, or whether they are invited to the reception afterward. Families also keep it as a keepsake. This funeral program template works for a service of any faith or none.
Families put a program together in the days before a funeral, memorial service or celebration of life, often with help from the funeral director, the church or temple office, or the person leading the service. Ushers hand it out at the door or leave it on the seats, and guests use it to follow the service and to learn where to go next. Many people keep their copy, so it is often the only printed record of the day, and relatives who could not attend ask for one later. It may also be called an order of service, a memorial program or a funeral bulletin.
The content follows the service, and the service follows the family’s faith, culture and wishes. A Catholic funeral Mass, a Jewish service, a Hindu or Buddhist ceremony, a Muslim janazah and a humanist celebration of life each have their own shape, and some traditions keep the printed program very simple or use none at all. Ask the clergy member or celebrant leading the service for the order and the names of its parts, and the funeral director for confirmed times and places. Where a place of worship limits music or readings, or a cemetery sets rules for a graveside service, follow them.
A funeral program is not an obituary, which is published in a newspaper or online to announce the death and tell the life story, though some programs include a short one. It is not an invitation either: it is handed out at the service, so people still need to hear about the funeral through the obituary, the funeral home or the family. It is not an official record, and the death certificate and other legal steps go through the funeral home and the proper offices. Printing the words of a modern song or poem may need permission, so ask the funeral home or place of worship.
What to put in a Funeral Program
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Name of the person | For example: Margaret Anne Hayes |
| Dates | For example: March 4, 1941 – October 2, 2026 |
| A verse or quote optional | For example: Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. |
| Service — date, time and place | For example: Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. |
| Officiating optional | For example: Rev. Thomas Grant |
| Order of service | One per line: part | details |
| Pallbearers optional | For example: Daniel Hayes |
| Burial or cremation optional | For example: Green Lawn Cemetery, following the service |
| Reception optional | For example: Family and friends are invited to the church hall after the burial. |
| A note from the family optional | For example: The family thanks you for your love, prayers and kindness. |
How to make a funeral program
Confirm the name, dates and service details
Write the name as the family wants it printed, with a nickname in quotation marks if people knew the person by it, such as Walter James “Walt” Bell. Give the dates in full: ‘June 18, 1938 – November 2, 2026’. For the service, put the day, date and time on the first line and the place with its address on the next. Confirm all of it with the funeral director and the person leading the service before anything is printed.
Choose a verse, a quote or a few words
The optional verse appears under the dates. It can be a line of scripture, a few lines of a poem, a saying the person loved, or words the family writes. Keep it short enough to read at a glance, and credit the writer if you know who it is. For a service without religious content, a sentence that sounds like the person often means more to guests than a well-known quotation.
Set out the order of service
Ask the officiant for the order, then type one part per line, with a vertical bar between the part and the details: ‘Reading | Psalm 23 — Dana Whitfield’ or ‘Tribute | Marcus Bell, nephew’. Include the opening music, welcome, readings, songs or hymns, eulogy and tributes, prayers or a moment of reflection, and closing music. Name every reader and musician, because guests want to know who is speaking. Put the officiant’s name in its own box.
Add the pallbearers, burial or cremation, and reception
List the pallbearers one per line; the program prints them in a row under their own heading. In the burial or cremation box, give the cemetery and whether all are welcome, or say that it will be private. That section prints under the heading ‘Interment’, which you can click on the page and change. Then say where family and friends can gather afterward, such as a church hall, a community room or a restaurant, and at what time.
Add a note, a photo and the design, then print
End with a short note from the family thanking people for coming and for their kindness. Add a photo from Uploads, and choose quiet fonts and colors in the Design tab, with text large enough for older guests to read in a dim chapel. Ask two relatives to check every name and date. Print at home, at a copy shop or through the funeral home, on heavier paper, with enough for every household and some to keep.
Funeral program examples
Two sample programs as the form lays them out: a church funeral followed by a burial, and a celebration of life after a cremation. Use them as a starting point and change every detail.
Funeral program for a church service
In loving memory of
Eleanor Ruth Whitfield
June 18, 1938 – November 2, 2026
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
Service
Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. · Grace Community Church, 410 Maple Street, Columbus, OH
Officiating: Pastor Linda Morales
Order of service
Prelude: Organ music
Welcome and prayer: Pastor Linda Morales
Hymn: Amazing Grace
Reading: Psalm 23 — Dana Whitfield, granddaughter
Eulogy: Marcus Bell, nephew
Hymn: It Is Well with My Soul
Closing prayer and blessing: Pastor Linda Morales
Pallbearers
Marcus Bell · Kevin Whitfield · James Whitfield · Samuel Ortiz
Interment
Willow Bend Cemetery, immediately following the service
Family and friends are invited to lunch in the church fellowship hall after the burial.
The family thanks you for your love, prayers and kindness to Eleanor and to all of us.
Celebration of life program (no religious content)
In loving memory of
Walter James “Walt” Bell
April 9, 1950 – October 28, 2026
He never met a stranger, and he never let a friend leave hungry.
Service
Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. · Northside Community Center, 85 Park Drive, Columbus, OH
Officiating: Anne Porter, celebrant
Order of service
Opening music: Walt’s favorite jazz recordings
Welcome: Anne Porter
His life story: Emily Hayes, daughter
Poem: Read by his grandchildren
Memories from friends: Open microphone
Moment of reflection: One minute of quiet
Closing words: Anne Porter
Interment
The family will lay Walt’s ashes to rest privately at a later date.
Please stay for coffee, cake and stories in the community room.
Walt loved a full room. Thank you for filling this one.
Common mistakes
- Printing before the funeral director and officiant have confirmed the times, places and order can leave a stack of programs that send guests to the wrong place or the wrong hour.
- Misspelling the person’s name, or the name of a reader or pallbearer, turns a keepsake into a painful reminder that cannot be taken back once it has been handed out.
- Choosing small, pale or ornate type makes the program hard to read for older guests in a dimly lit chapel, who are often the people most eager to follow it.
- Leaving out where the burial and the reception will be, and who is welcome at each, leaves guests unsure whether to follow the hearse, stay for lunch or go home.
- Printing exactly one program per expected guest leaves nothing for late arrivals, for relatives who could not attend, or for the family to keep.
Frequently asked questions
What goes in a funeral program?
Most programs include the person’s full name, their dates of birth and death, a photo, and a verse, poem or quote. Inside come the date, time and place of the service, the officiant, the order of service with the names of readers and musicians, the pallbearers, the burial or cremation details, the reception, and a thank-you note from the family. Some also include a short life story or obituary.
How do you make a funeral program?
Get the confirmed service details from the funeral director and the order of service from the officiant. Fill in the template on this page: the name and dates, a verse, the service, the order of service one part per line, the pallbearers, burial or cremation, the reception and a note from the family. Add a photo and choose a design, ask two relatives to check every name, then print it or save it as a PDF.
What is a funeral program called?
It goes by several names: funeral program, order of service, memorial program, funeral bulletin or service folder. ‘Order of service’ is the usual term in the UK and in many churches, and ‘celebration of life program’ is used for less formal services. All of them mean the same thing: a printed guide to the service that guests follow during it and often keep afterward.
Where can I print funeral programs?
You can print them at home on heavier paper, or save the program as a PDF and take it to a local copy shop or office supply store that prints on card stock; call ahead to ask how long it will take. Many funeral homes and church offices also print programs for families. Whichever you choose, check one finished copy before the full run is printed.
How many funeral programs should I print?
Estimate the number of guests with the funeral director and the family, then add extras for late arrivals, for relatives who could not attend and for the family to keep. Couples and families often share a copy, so you may not need one for every person. Running out during the service is worse than having some left over, so round the number up.
What is the order of service at a funeral?
It depends on the faith tradition and the family. A common shape is opening music, a welcome, readings, songs or hymns, a eulogy and tributes, prayers or a time of reflection, closing words and closing music, followed by the committal at the graveside or crematorium. A religious service may follow a set order. Ask the person leading the service, and print the order they give you.
Who usually makes the funeral program?
Usually a close family member or friend, working with the funeral director, who may offer to design and print programs as part of the arrangements. The church, temple or other venue may provide the order of service. Whoever makes it, agree the final text with the immediate family and ask someone else to check it, because the person writing it is often exhausted and short of time.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.