Knowing that you need a funeral order of service is easy. Knowing exactly what to put in it — and what to leave out — is the harder question. This guide is about the decisions: how many pages, what order things go in, how to handle the personal content, and what choices are entirely yours to make.
If you want a guide to what a funeral order of service is and how it is used, we have written a separate guide to that. And if you are looking for creative inspiration for specific elements, our ideas and inspiration article covers that ground.
How many pages do you need?
This is usually the first practical decision. The standard options are:
- 4 pages (a single folded sheet) — front cover, inside spread, back cover. Appropriate for a shorter service with a simple running order and limited personal content.
- 8 pages — the most popular choice. Gives enough room for a full running order, a brief biography, hymn words and a selection of photographs, without feeling padded.
- 12 or 16 pages — appropriate for services with a longer running order, more music or readings, or more content to include — a fuller life story, a larger family tribute, multiple photographs from across a life.
If you are not sure, err towards more pages rather than fewer. Trying to compress too much into too little space affects the design and makes the order of service feel crowded. A well-designed 8-page order of service printed on 350gsm card has a quality and weight that feels like something worth keeping. Do not sacrifice that for the sake of saving a page.
The running order
The running order is the structural core of the order of service — the sequence of what will happen during the service. Your celebrant, minister or funeral director will help you work through this, but the family makes the final decisions. A typical running order includes:
- Entry music
- Welcome from the celebrant or minister
- Opening hymn or song (words printed, if the congregation will join in)
- First reading or tribute
- Music (listening only, or a second hymn)
- Eulogy or tributes from family or friends
- Second reading or poem
- A period of reflection
- The committal
- Exit music
Not every service will include all of these, and many will include things not on this list. The order can be adjusted to suit the person and the type of service. A non-religious service in particular is entirely flexible — there is no required structure to work around.
Music: whether to print the words
If the congregation will be singing, print the words. Even people who know a hymn well can lose their place without the text in front of them — and for those who are less familiar, printed words mean they can join in rather than standing in silence. A congregation that sings together does something that a congregation that stands and listens cannot.
If the music is being played but not sung — entry music, a piece of reflection — you do not need the words, but it is worth naming the piece and the artist. People will want to know what it was.
The personal content
Beyond the running order, the inside pages can carry anything the family wants to include. The most common additions:
- A brief biography — a life in a few paragraphs. This is often the hardest thing to write, and it is worth asking someone who knew the person well to draft it, rather than writing by committee.
- Photographs — from different stages of their life. Old photographs are often the most powerful, particularly for older generations where early images are rare.
- A poem or verse — something the person loved, or something that says what the family wants to say. This can go on the personal pages or on the back cover as a closing thought.
- Practical information — details of the wake, a charity donation request, a note from the family.
There is no correct amount of personal content. Some families fill every page; others prefer something simpler. What matters is that what is included feels true to the person, and that nothing feels included for the sake of filling space.
What goes on the front cover
The front cover typically carries a photograph, the person’s name and dates, and sometimes a short line — a description, a quote, something characteristic. The photograph is often the decision families spend the most time on, and it is worth the time. A photograph that captures the person as they actually were — candid, in a place they loved, doing something they did — sets the tone for the whole day.
What goes on the back cover
The back cover is the last thing people read as they leave. A closing poem or verse is the most common choice. Practical information — wake details, a charity request — can also go here. A short note from the family, in their own words, makes the back cover feel personal rather than functional.
For more on orders of service, see our guide to what a funeral order of service is and our article on how our bespoke design process works.
When you are ready to talk through what you have in mind, call us free on 0800 612 6484 or send us a message.
