Memorial cards are small, beautifully printed keepsakes given to those who attend a funeral service — and a thoughtful way to reach those who cannot be there in person. If you are planning a funeral and considering whether to include them, here is everything you need to know.
What is a memorial card?
A memorial card is a small printed card designed to be kept — a lasting reminder of the person and the day. They are typically handed to guests at the service alongside the order of service, or laid out near the entrance for people to take as they arrive.
Memorial cards can also be sent by post in the weeks after the funeral, to those who could not attend in person. For families spread across the country or further afield, it is a thoughtful way to include people and share a piece of the day with them.
Sizes and formats
The most common formats are credit-card size and bookmark size, though memorial cards can be produced in any size or shape the family chooses. Some families opt for a folded card — which gives space for more content and feels more substantial in the hand. Others prefer a single-sided card, a prayer card, or a small folded booklet.
Most memorial cards are printed on high-quality card stock, often with a laminated or soft-touch finish to help them endure. The quality of the finish matters: it signals to the recipient that this is something worth keeping, not setting aside.
What goes on a memorial card?
It is entirely the family’s decision. Typically, one side carries a photograph of the person — often a favourite image, or one that captures them at their most themselves. The other side usually includes their name, date of birth and date of death, and a poem, verse or short passage that held meaning for them or the family.
Some families add a brief message of their own. If the person is buried, including the location allows people to visit the grave in years to come. A Catholic memorial card will often include a specific prayer and a sacred image alongside the photograph — a format with a long tradition in Catholic communities.
When to order
Memorial cards are typically ordered at the same time as the order of service — ideally seven to ten days before the funeral, to allow time for design and printing. At Fitting Farewell, we typically design, print and deliver within three working days, so families who come to us later in the process are still well served. If you are pressed for time, let us know at the outset and we will tell you honestly what is achievable.
Do you have to have one?
Not at all — it is entirely the family’s choice. Some families prefer to focus on the order of service alone; others find that a memorial card, small enough to carry in a wallet or keep in a prayer book, is the keepsake most people actually hold onto. There is no right answer. The best approach is whatever feels most true to the person and most useful for the people who loved them.
Designing a memorial card with Fitting Farewell
We create bespoke memorial cards designed around your brief — there are no templates to fill in. You share your photographs and tell us about the person; your designer takes care of everything from there. We work directly with families and funeral directors across the UK, and every card is produced to the same standard.
For inspiration on words to include, our article on poems for a memorial card has seven carefully chosen options. You may also want to consider funeral thank you cards, which many families send alongside a memorial card in the weeks after the service.
Choosing a design
A memorial card should feel like the person — not like a generic sympathy product. The design choices you make signal to everyone who receives one that this was a considered act: that someone took time over it, and that the person was worth the care.
Colour, imagery and finish all play a part. A design built around a favourite flower communicates something different from one drawn from the person’s hobbies or a landscape they loved. A soft-touch laminated finish gives the card a physical quality — warm, slightly matte — that makes it feel worth keeping. A sharp, glossy card can look impressive at the service and slightly cheap in a year’s time. These details matter more than they might seem.
At Fitting Farewell, every memorial card design is created around your brief and your photographs. We do not start from templates. You tell us about the person — their character, the things that defined them, the images you want to use — and your designer works from there. If you would like to see the range of what is possible before you commit, our design gallery has examples across our full range of stationery.
To talk through your memorial card, call us free on 0800 612 6484 or send us a message.
