With care, and in good time.
Funeral order of service: a template, with wording you can use
You are probably doing this in a hard week, with a deadline. Here is what goes in an order of service, page by page, with words you can borrow. Nothing here has to be perfect, and the minister or funeral director will gladly help.
Updated 5 November 2026
The short answer
A funeral order of service usually has a cover with the person’s name, dates and photograph, the running order inside, the words of any hymns, and a back page with thank-yous and arrangements. Four pages is enough for most services. Eight gives you room for more photographs or a longer tribute.
Make this order of service
Answer a few plain questions and we will set the whole booklet for you. You can change anything before you print.
Make a funeral order of serviceYou see the finished booklet first. It is £24 once, with no account.
What goes on each page
With eight pages, the extra room usually goes to the words of the hymns, a page of photographs, or a poem the family loved.
A typical order of service
Most church funerals follow this shape. Yours can leave out or add anything, and the person taking the service will talk it through with you.
Wording for the cover
There is no right form of words. These are the ones people use most.
A service of thanksgiving for the life of
In loving memory of
A celebration of the life of
Treasured memories of
Under the name, add the dates of birth and death in full, then the church or crematorium, the date and the time. Use the name people knew them by. If everyone called her Peggy, put Peggy.
Wording for the back page
A few short lines are enough. Borrow any of these and change the details.
The family would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support at this difficult time.
Family flowers only, please. Donations in memory of Margaret may be given to St Hilda’s Hospice.
Please join us afterwards at the Church Hall for refreshments.
If there is a celebrant
A non-religious ceremony follows the same shape, with music and readings in place of hymns and prayers. Hymnfold leaves out every hymn and prayer heading, and your celebrant can check the wording from a phone link.
Choosing hymns and music
Choose what people already know, because a small congregation will not carry an unfamiliar tune. Our list of funeral hymns says when each one fits, and which ones need a licence to print.
Photographs
- A phone photograph taken in good light usually prints well on the cover.
- A smile matters more than sharpness. Choose the picture that looks like them.
- For an old print, take a straight-on photograph of it near a window, without flash.
- If you are unsure, ask someone who knew them to choose between two.
Printing, and how many
Your funeral director can usually print from a PDF, or a local print shop will do it in a day. Allow one booklet per person, plus a few spare for family. Ask for A5, on paper a little thicker than usual.
Check every name and date before you print, and ask someone else to read it too. It is hard to see your own mistakes in a week like this.
Let us set it for you
- 1
Answer a few plain questions
Their name, the dates, the place and the service.
- 2
See the finished booklet
It is set in front of you, and you can change anything.
- 3
Check it with the family
Each name and date can be checked from a phone, with no account.
- 4
Pay once, and print
It is £24 once, and you get a PDF ready to print.
Make this order of service
Answer a few plain questions and we will set the whole booklet for you. You can change anything before you print.
Make a funeral order of serviceYou see the finished booklet first. It is £24 once, with no account.
Questions people ask
Who usually makes the order of service?
Often a family member, sometimes with help from the minister or funeral director. Many funeral directors will print it for you from a PDF.
What size should it be?
A5 is the usual size: a sheet of A4 folded in half. Four pages suit most services, and eight give more room for hymns and photographs.
Should we print the words of the hymns?
Yes, if you can. People will not have hymn books, and at a crematorium there may be none. Words that are out of copyright are free to print.
When does it need to be ready?
A day or two before the funeral is best, so there is time to catch mistakes. A local print shop can often turn it round in a day.