Writing a funeral order of service booklet is not an easy task. For a start, you have probably been tasked with this role not through choice but because someone dear to you has passed and you are having to help organise their funeral.

So, on top of the physical necessities which need to be co-ordinated, you are dealing with all your feelings of sadness, loss and despair.

To make things a little easier for you at this already difficult time here are some key sections which we consider essential contents in your order of service booklets.

We have also included a free order of service template for you here which you are welcome to use and customise yourself if you would like to create and print your own order of service.

However, if you would rather leave it all to us, simply send us your chosen images, a preferred theme suggestion and your required wording and we shall create it for you.

Page 1 - Usually the front cover contains the photo of the person who has passed along with their name, living dates and sometimes the location and date of the funeral.  We find that it can look a little too wordy on the front cover if it contains too much information so our advice would be simply:

name, photo, dates and 'celebrating the life of' or 'the life celebration of'

Page 2 - The inside cover. This is generally the main 'order of service' page which acts as a list of how the service will unfold.  This may include the liturgy such as poems, readings and so on. It may also include the music choices whilst a coffin is brought into the venue and a further musical interlude during a committal.

Page 3 - The contents of this page will largely depend on the type of service you are having. Here, the Lord's Prayer may appear or a religious reading. Alternatively it may be suitable for a special hymn or a reading from a loved one. If it's a personal reading, it is always good to have the reading printed on this page. The person reading it on the day may struggle to get their words out and so it take the pressure off them if it is also written down. Equally, it is nice to include it in the order of service program which also acts as a keepsake to treasure after the event.

Page 4 - Back Cover

This may include donation information, an invitation to refreshments after the service and a thank you from the family. Often, is is fitting to have a special photo here too.

Here is a text based template which you are welcome to copy and use in your own word processing file to help you organise your order of service.  No two people are the same so whilst this works on a generic level, each order of service booklet we produce is different from the next. 

Good luck with writing your order of service and we hope that the event goes as well as it can do for you all.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about our Order of Service booklets, our funeral welcome signs or any of our funeral stationery, please do get in touch.