What is the normal order of service for a funeral?
Christopher Pierce
Updated on February 25, 2026
Funeral prayers and/or words of comfort and encouragement concluding with a shared verse or funeral prayer) Singing or joint recitation of a verse to strengthen the assembled mourners for the moment of parting. Words of commendation before burial or cremation. Words and/or music to accompany committal of the deceased.
How do you make an order of service for a funeral?
These are:
- The full name of the person who has died (and maybe their nickname, if it was used a lot). Celebrating the life of Thomas ‘Rozzer’ Rockwell.
- Their photo.
- The day they were born, and the day they died.
- A quote or short line in memory of them.
- The date, time and location of the funeral service.
How do you layout an order of service?
Making an order of service booklet
- details about the person or couple.
- a timeline of the day.
- a listing of close family members.
- details of location for the wedding reception or funeral wake.
- complete words for any hymns, readings or poems.
- a note to thank all guests for attending at the end of the booklet.
Do funeral directors do order of service?
A funeral is a ceremony, and like many other ceremonial services – weddings, religious celebrations and rites of passage – there will be an order of service. The close friends and family of the departed will plan the order of the service with the help of the funeral planners and the person conducting the ceremony.
What should an order of service include?
Inside pages of the Order of Service booklet
- Entrance Music.
- Introduction and Welcome by the Celebrant.
- Hymn, Prayer or Verse.
- Reading.
- A Funeral Address or Appreciation of the life.
- Eulogy.
- Hymn, Prayer or Verse.
- Commendation & Farewell.
What are the parts of a funeral service?
A funeral service occurs with the body is present and has four main parts: the visitation, funeral, committal, and reception. In contrast, a memorial service contains much of the same structure although the deceased’s body is not present at the service.
What does an order of service look like?
Most orders of service will have a simple front page, with a photo of a loved one in either colour or black and white. This could be a recent or past photo, depending on personal preference and how you would like to remember them. It’s best to include your loved one’s full legal name and date of birth.
What should be included in a funeral program?
Funeral arrangements and proceedings can include:
- readings (such as poems, eulogies, religious texts) done by celebrants or connections of the deceased.
- music.
- images and slideshows.
- flowers, floral arrangements and bouquets.
- other special ways to honour the person.
What do you read at a funeral service?
Psalms are among the most popular religious readings. Psalm 23, for example, is often used as a funeral reading. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
Do you print order of service booklets for funerals?
We specialise in printing Order of Service booklets for funerals, with prices to suit all budgets. We offer a fast, efficient service, leaving to you concentrate on all the other aspects of the day. Free templates that you can download and edit to suit your needs. An order of service is a stapled booklet which provides a running order of events.
What is the format of a funeral ceremony?
The ceremony will be a personal choice and there is no exact format to follow. Usually, the person conducting the service will assist with the running order and what should be included. Here is an example of a Funeral Order of Service:
How many pages does a funeral service photo need to be?
We always check the images before printing and our system will warn you when an image that has too low a resolution for printing. The inside pages include the funeral service information and can be anything from two pages up to ten (or more) depending on the length of the service.
What do you put in an order of service?
cart is empty. Here is an example of a religious funeral order of service. This order of service contains tradition elements of a funeral service such as musical prelude, scriptures, prayers, an obituary reading, musical selections, acknowledgements and a eulogy.