Funeral Advice and Planning Guidance
Planning a funeral for someone you love is one of the hardest things you will ever do. Fitting Farewell has been helping families across the UK create meaningful farewells for over a decade, and we know that honest, practical information makes an enormous difference at this difficult time.
The guides below cover everything from taking your first steps in planning a service, to choosing the right readings and music, personalising the occasion, and creating keepsakes that will last for years to come. If you would like to talk to us about a funeral order of service or memorial stationery, we are here to help — call us free on 0800 612 6484 or send us a message.
Planning a Funeral
Whether you are making arrangements at short notice or thinking ahead, these guides will help you understand what to expect and what decisions you will need to make.
- How to Plan a Funeral A step-by-step guide to the key decisions in the first few days.
- Pre-Planning a Funeral Arrange your own funeral in advance and spare your family the difficult decisions.
- Making Things Easier When You’re Gone Practical steps you can take now to protect and guide those you leave behind.
- What to Expect at a Cremation A calm and honest guide to what happens at a cremation service.
- A Guide to Traditional Burial Everything families need to know about a traditional church or graveside burial.
- Burial at Sea in the UK The rules, the practicalities and what a sea burial involves.
Types of Funeral Service
Every funeral is different. These guides explain what each type of service involves and how to choose the one that is right for your loved one.
- What to Expect at a Humanist Funeral A guide to the order, tone and content of a humanist ceremony.
- What to Expect at a Catholic Funeral The traditions, prayers and rituals of a Catholic funeral explained.
- Non-Religious Funerals and Memorial Services How to plan a meaningful service with no religious content.
- Woodland Funerals and Green Burials A guide to eco-friendly burial options and what they involve.
- A Celebration of Life or a Funeral? The difference between the two, and how to choose what feels right.
- Funeral Traditions Explained The origins and meaning of the customs we observe at funerals.
- Where Did Funeral Traditions Come From? A fascinating look at how our funeral rites developed over centuries.
Readings, Music and Poems
The words and music chosen for a funeral service can say more about a person than almost anything else. These guides will help you find the right poems, readings, hymns and songs.
- Advice on Choosing Funeral Readings How to find a reading that truly reflects your loved one.
- Funeral Music: Hymns, Classical and Popular Songs A guide to choosing music that honours who your loved one was.
- Popular Funeral Songs: A Guide for Families The songs families choose most often, and why they resonate.
- 7 Beautiful Poems for a Memorial Card Seven poems that speak of love, loss and remembrance.
- How to Write the Perfect Eulogy Practical advice on finding the right words to celebrate a life.
Personalising the Service
A truly personal farewell reflects who your loved one was — their character, their passions, their story. These guides are full of ideas for making the service uniquely theirs.
- Creative Ideas to Help You Plan a Funeral Inspiring ways to make the service feel truly personal.
- Saying Goodbye: Personalising a Funeral How small personal touches can make an enormous difference on the day.
- The Art of a Personal Farewell Why the details matter, and how to get them right.
- Orders of Service: Adding a Personal Touch How a bespoke order of service transforms the feel of a service.
- Funeral Photography: A Guide for Families What to consider if you want to capture memories of the day.
- What is a Funeral Celebrant? How a celebrant can help you create a truly personal service.
- A Family’s Experience With Fitting Farewell One family shares what it was like to work with our designers.
- Creating Legacy Videos and Memorial Slideshows How to turn photographs and memories into a lasting moving tribute.
- Browse Our Memorial Card Designs A keepsake families treasure — browse our full range of bespoke memorial cards.
Funeral Order of Service
The order of service is often the only keepsake families take home from a funeral. These guides cover what to include, how to design it, and why a bespoke design matters more than a template.
- What to Include in a Funeral Order of Service A complete guide to the content and structure of an order of service.
- Funeral Order of Service Ideas and Inspiration Design ideas and examples to help you get started.
- Funeral Order of Service Cards Explained The difference between booklets, folded cards and single-sheet formats explained.
- Funeral Order of Service Printing What to look for in a print provider and why quality matters.
- Why Bespoke Design Beats a Template Why a designed-for-you order of service is worth more than a template.
- How We Design Your Funeral Order of Service An inside look at our process, from first call to finished print.
- Browse Our Order of Service Designs Our full collection of bespoke funeral order of service designs — with pricing and options.
Grief and Remembrance
Grief does not follow a schedule. Whether you have recently lost someone or are supporting a friend through bereavement, these articles offer guidance and comfort.
- Dealing With Grief: Support and Guidance Honest advice on navigating the weeks and months after a loss.
- If We Love, We Grieve — Nick Cave on Loss The musician’s moving reflection on grief, love and what remains.
- Memory Boxes: A Way to Remember Someone How to create a meaningful collection of mementos for someone you love.
- Christmas Remembrance Services Finding comfort in community remembrance services during the festive season.
- Christmas After Bereavement Gentle guidance for families facing their first Christmas without someone.
- Pet Therapy in Hospices How animals are bringing comfort to people in end-of-life care.
After the Funeral
In the weeks after a funeral, there are still decisions to make and ways to keep a loved one’s memory alive. These guides cover thank you cards, memorials and digital legacy.
- Sending Thank You Cards After a Funeral When to send them, what to say, and how to make them personal.
- Your Digital Legacy: Social Media After You’re Gone What happens to your online presence, and how to plan for it.
- Memorial Cards Explained Everything you need to know about memorial cards and when to use them.
- Bespoke Memorial Cards How a bespoke memorial card becomes a keepsake families treasure for years.
- Creating an Online Memorial The different platforms available and how to choose the right one.
- How to Create an Online Memorial A step-by-step guide to setting up an online memorial page.
A bespoke funeral order of service — created for you
At Fitting Farewell, we design your order of service for you — your photographs, your theme, your words. You don’t edit a template; your own designer takes care of everything, and we typically print and deliver within three working days.
Alison Lowe
Studio Manager
Alison is Studio Manager at Fitting Farewell — the warm, reassuring first voice families hear when they call. She guides every client carefully through the design process, from first conversation to final proof.
Planning a funeral? Fitting Farewell provides bespoke funeral stationery — orders of service, memorial cards and more. See our blog for further reading, or contact us with any questions.