Funeral Program Checklist:
everything to include, front to back.

A funeral program is one printed sheet, folded once. Four sides, no more than a few hundred words on each. It shouldn't be hard to put together — and yet, in the middle of grief, it's one of the things families most often get stuck on.

This guide walks through every piece of a funeral program in the order it appears, with the decisions you'll need to make and the small details most people forget. It's written by someone who has designed several hundred of these — so the advice is concrete, not theoretical.

What a funeral program actually is

A funeral program — sometimes called a service booklet, an order of service, or a memorial folder — is the small printed handout each guest receives at the start of a memorial service. Its two jobs are practical: let guests follow along during the service, and give them something to take home and remember.

Most programs are a single sheet of letter-size or A4 paper, folded once, which gives four printed sides. That's enough room for a cover, the order of service, a short life story, and a back-cover page for thank-yous and closing words. For larger services or fuller biographies, families sometimes use a bi-fold of two sheets (eight sides) or a stapled booklet — but four sides is the standard, and what we'll walk through here.

The four-page anatomy

Open a typical funeral program and you'll find the same four-part structure almost universally:

Some families combine the inside pages into one continuous spread, or split the life story across both inside pages and use the back cover for a long-form tribute. Both work. The four-section logic still holds — front, order, story, closing.

1. Front cover

The front cover is what guests see first and what they'll remember when they pull the program out of a drawer five years later. Five elements appear on almost every cover:

1. The full name — usually formal (Margaret Eleanor Wright, not Maggie). Some families include a nickname in quotes if it's how the person was actually known: Margaret "Maggie" Wright.
2. Dates of birth and death — written either as full dates (March 4, 1948 – February 12, 2026) or compactly with the years and a dash (1948 – 2026). Both are correct. The longer form fits a longer-life feel; the shorter is cleaner.
3. A single photograph — the cover photo. We cover photo selection in detail in section 5; for now, just plan for one good face-forward image.
4. A title line — something like "In Loving Memory of", "A Celebration of the Life of", or simply "Memorial Service". This sets the religious or secular tone before guests even open the program.
5. The service date and location — usually in small italics at the bottom. Optional, but useful if the program will also serve as an invitation or keepsake.

Some covers also carry a short epitaph or verse — one meaningful line, set in italic serif, between the name and the photo. Common choices are scripture (Psalm 23, John 14:1–3, Ecclesiastes 3), poetry (Mary Oliver, Mary Elizabeth Frye, W.H. Auden), or a simple family phrase ("Forever in our hearts" still works for a reason).

2. Inside left — Order of service

The order of service is a numbered list of what happens during the ceremony, from the opening words to the recessional. It usually takes up the inside-left page entirely and acts as the script everyone in the room can follow along to.

A typical service runs 60–90 minutes and follows this rough structure, which you can adapt to your tradition:

1. Welcome and opening words — by the officiant, clergy, or a designated family member (2–3 minutes)
2. Opening prayer or moment of silence — religious or secular framing (1–2 minutes)
3. First reading or hymn — a scripture passage, a poem, a song (5 minutes)
4. Eulogy — the main remembrance, usually by a child, sibling, or close friend; 10–15 minutes is a good length
5. Tributes or shared memories — one or two more speakers, or a video montage (5–10 minutes)
6. Second reading, hymn, or song
7. Closing prayer or words of committal (2–3 minutes)
8. Recessional — family leaves first, then guests, sometimes followed by a graveside service or a reception

You don't need every section. Many celebrations of life skip prayers and committal language entirely and lean into stories, music, and an open microphone. Religious services often add a homily or sermon after the eulogy, and end with a benediction.

For each item on the list, you can include who is doing what in smaller text under the title — "Read by Sarah Wright, daughter" or "Performed by Cedar Lane Quartet". This gives guests context and gives speakers a clear cue when their turn approaches.

If music or readings have specific titles, name them: Amazing Grace, Psalm 23 (King James Version), "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver. Avoid generic labels like "song" or "reading" — guests rarely know which is coming, and a named title makes the program feel like a printed concert program, which is the right energy.

3. Inside right — Life story

The inside-right page is the life story. Sometimes this is called the obituary, sometimes a biographical sketch — the difference is that an obituary is the public announcement written for newspapers and websites, while the program's life story can be longer, warmer, more personal, and addressed to the people in the room.

A good life story is 200–400 words. Long enough to feel substantial, short enough that guests will actually read it before the service starts. Most life stories cover, in roughly this order:

1. Birthplace and family of origin — where they were born, parents' names, siblings
2. Childhood and education — schools, formative experiences, one or two specific details
3. Career or vocation — what they did, what they cared about doing it
4. Marriage and family — partner's name, marriage year, children's names, sometimes grandchildren
5. Loves, hobbies, character — what made them them. The garden they kept, the bird-watching, the impossibly good lasagna, the loud laugh.
6. Closing line — usually a sentence about who they leave behind, or a final tribute ("She is survived by…", "He is remembered for…")

Specificity beats summary. "He loved music" is forgettable. "He kept a 1973 Fender Telecaster in the corner of the living room and played Patsy Cline at full volume on Sunday mornings" — that's the kind of detail that makes guests smile and miss the person at the same time. Aim for at least two of those moments.

If you're stuck writing, try this exercise: write down five things your loved one would have wanted strangers to know about them. Turn each into a sentence. Stitch them together. You now have a draft.

Don't be afraid to keep it in first-person family voice ("Our mother was…") rather than third-person formal ("Margaret Wright was…"). Both are correct; the first is warmer and reads better for many secular services. Religious services tend toward the third-person formal.

4. Back cover

The back cover is often the most personal part of the program and the part guests will read on the drive home. Six elements appear here in various combinations:

1. Pallbearers — usually six names, listed in two columns. Sometimes "honorary pallbearers" are listed separately.
2. A family thank-you — one or two sentences thanking guests, clergy, hospice staff, or anyone whose help carried the family through the last weeks. Many families write this in their own voice: "Our family is grateful for every meal, every call, every prayer over these last weeks. Thank you for showing us what community looks like."
3. Memorial donations — a line directing donations to a specific charity or fund in lieu of flowers. Include the full name of the charity, the cause, and ideally a website or address. "In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org."
4. A closing verse, poem, or quote — one final line that closes the program emotionally. Scripture (2 Timothy 4:7), poetry, or a phrase the family loves. This is where families sometimes use a line their loved one was known for saying.
5. Family farewell — a short signature line: "With love, the Wright family" or "Survived by his wife Sarah, his children Mark and Anna, and three grandchildren."
6. Optional graveside or reception details — if there's a graveside service or reception afterward, note the location and any directions. A small map or address is enough.

5. Photos — choosing and preparing

Almost every family worries about the cover photo, and almost every family overthinks it. Three things matter, in order of importance:

1. The face is visible and in soft light. Not necessarily smiling. Not necessarily looking at the camera. Just clear enough that guests recognize the person they came to remember.
2. It's a photo that looks like them. Phone photos taken in the last few years are often better than older professional portraits, because they show who the person actually was rather than how they wanted to be photographed in 1987.
3. The resolution is high enough to print. For a 5×7-inch cover photo, you need an image at least 1500 pixels on the long side, ideally 2000+. Most modern phone photos meet this easily. If you're working from an old scan, anything under 800 pixels will look soft on paper.

For inside-page photos (some programs use 2–6 smaller images on the order-of-service or life-story pages), pick photos that show different eras of the person's life. One from young adulthood, one from family years, one recent. Keep them all in the same rough color treatment — either all black-and-white, or all color. Mixing creates visual noise that competes with the words.

If your photos are damaged, faded, or low-resolution, a designer can usually retouch and gently enhance them. We do this as part of every done-for-you order at no extra cost — it's often the difference between a program that feels rushed and one that feels considered.

6. Tradition-specific touches

Programs adapt to the family's tradition without changing structure. Here's what shifts in the most common cases:

Catholic

Cover often includes a crucifix, dove, or sacred-heart motif. The order of service follows the Catholic funeral Mass: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word (with specific Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, and Gospel readings named by chapter and verse), Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Rite of Commendation. Pallbearers are typically named. Donations often direct to the parish or a Catholic charity.

Protestant

Cover frequently features a simple cross or floral motif. The order of service is less prescribed — most include opening prayer, hymns (often Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, or It Is Well), one or two scripture readings, the eulogy or homily, and a closing prayer or benediction. Specific verses on the back cover are common (John 14:1–6, Romans 8, Psalm 23).

Jewish

Programs are less common in Jewish tradition (where the funeral is usually within 24–72 hours of death and may be more verbal), but when they're used, they include the Hebrew and English name, dates by both Gregorian and Hebrew calendars, the El Malei Rachamim or Mourner's Kaddish (in transliteration or translation), and the family's connection to the synagogue or community. Floral motifs are typically avoided; Star of David or simple geometric framing is more common.

Muslim

Like Jewish tradition, Muslim funerals (Janazah) happen quickly and programs are rare. When used, they include the person's name in both Arabic and English, the Bismillah opening, a verse or two from the Qur'an (often Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155–157 or Al-Fatiha), and the time and place of the Janazah prayer. Floral and figurative imagery is generally avoided.

Secular and celebration of life

These programs have the most creative latitude. They often skip prayers entirely, replacing them with poetry, music, or moments for shared reflection. Open microphones, slideshow segments, and "favorite stories" sections appear here. Photography tends to be more candid; design language warmer, more colorful, less formal. Quotes from the person themselves — things they used to say — often replace scripture.

Whatever your tradition, if you're unsure, ask the officiant or clergy member running the service. They've usually seen dozens of these and know the conventions for your community.

7. Common mistakes

After designing several hundred programs, these are the mistakes I see most often — and the easiest ones to fix:

1. The cover photo is too low-resolution. A 400-pixel photo from Facebook will look fuzzy at print size. Always work from the highest-resolution original you can find. If only a low-res file exists, ask whoever has the original (photographer, family member) for the full file.
2. No one proofread. Names, dates, and titles get typed wrong in grief. Always have a second pair of eyes — ideally someone outside the immediate family — read the final draft before printing. They'll catch the wrong middle initial, the misnumbered grandchild, the missing comma.
3. The dates don't match. Birth year on the cover doesn't match the obituary; date of service is typed wrong on page two. Check every date against an outside source: a driver's license, a birth certificate, a wedding announcement.
4. Too many fonts. Two fonts maximum — one serif for headings, one sans-serif for body text. Mixing four or five fonts (which happens when families piece together a program in Word) reads as visual chaos, especially at print size.
5. Forgot the printing time. Local print shops often need 24–48 hours for booklet folding; overnight services need files in by noon for next-day delivery. Order your printing on Day 5 of a 7-day plan, not Day 6.
6. Used a "funeral program template" without adjusting the spacing. Free templates online are designed for generic content and often look cramped or stretched when real text is added. Adjust line-spacing, photo size, and margins before printing a test copy.
7. Didn't print a test copy. Always print one full copy on the actual paper you'll use, fold it, look at it. You'll catch things on paper that screens hide: alignment shifts on the fold, dark photos that printed too gray, small type that's unreadable on cream stock.

8. Printing logistics

Once the layout is finalized, printing is the easy part — but a few decisions affect how the program feels in someone's hand:

Paper choice

• Matte cream or off-white — the most common choice, warmer than bright white, softer to read in different lighting. 100–120 lb cover stock for the four-page fold.
• Bright white — feels more formal, sharper photos, but can read cold in a candle-lit church.
• Textured or linen-finish — slightly more expensive, but adds a tactile weight that feels considered. Many premium funeral homes use this by default.

Where to print

• Local print shop (Staples, FedEx Office, Office Depot, independent printers) — fastest turnaround, often same-day or next-day. Bring a print-ready PDF. Costs typically $1.50–$3 per program for 100 copies.
• The funeral home — many offer in-house printing if you send the PDF. Cheapest option, but expect basic paper and binding.
• Online overnight services (VistaPrint, PrintingForLess, Mixam) — order by noon for next-day delivery. More expensive ($3–$6 per program), but nicer paper, better color reproduction. Worth it for larger or more design-considered services.

Quantity

Print 25 percent more than your expected guest count. Programs disappear into pockets and journals during the service, family members take spares for relatives who couldn't attend, and you'll want extras to keep yourself. For 80 expected guests, print 100. For 150, print 180–200.

Format and folding

US letter (8.5×11 inches) folded once gives a 5.5×8.5-inch program — the standard. A4 (210×297mm) folded once gives a 148×210mm program, common in the UK, EU, and Australia. Both work; design files should be exported to match your local print shop's accepted formats. Most commercial printers accept PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-4 with crop marks and a 3mm bleed.

The full one-page checklist

Everything above, consolidated into one place. Print or screenshot this if it helps.

Specificity beats summary. "He loved music" is forgettable. "He kept a 1973 Fender Telecaster in the corner of the living room and played Patsy Cline at full volume on Sunday mornings" — that's the kind of detail that makes guests smile and miss the person at the same time.

Common questions

This checklist reflects the standard format used in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Religious traditions vary in specific elements (Mass-specific orderings, Hebrew or Arabic transliterations, scripture choices) — when in doubt, your officiant or clergy will know the conventions for your community.