Guide
Funeral order of service: what goes in it
A UK funeral order of service is a printed booklet, usually a folded A4 sheet, listing the running order: entrance music, welcome, readings, the tribute or eulogy, hymns or music, a time of reflection, the committal and exit music. The cover carries the person's name, photo and dates. Your funeral director or celebrant will confirm the final order.
By the Lovingly Written team · Updated
Typical running orders
Church of England or other Christian service
- Entrance music
- Welcome and sentences of scripture
- Hymn
- Readings
- Tribute or eulogy
- Prayers
- Hymn
- Commendation and committal
- Blessing and exit music
Humanist or non-religious service
- Entrance music
- Welcome from the celebrant
- Reflections on life and death
- Tribute (often written with the family and read by the celebrant or a relative)
- Readings or poems
- Time for reflection, often with music
- Committal
- Closing words and exit music
Crematorium service Chapel slots are often limited, commonly somewhere between 20 and 45 minutes, so the running order may be shorter. Check the slot length with your funeral director before planning readings and tributes.
Cover wording
Full name (and the name they were known by), dates, a photo, and the date and place of the service. Titles such as In Loving Memory, A Celebration of the Life of or Forever in Our Hearts are common.
Inside pages
Include the running order, the words of any hymns (so people can sing along) and readings. Credit authors, and check that any modern text you print in full is cleared for use; older works, such as many traditional hymns and Victorian poems, are usually out of copyright. See funeral readings.
Back page
A short thank-you from the family, details of the wake and where it's being held, and charity details if you're asking for donations instead of flowers.
Size and printing
A4 folded to A5 is the most common format, giving four pages; a second sheet makes eight. Print a few more than the number of guests expected. Many local printers can turn around an order of service in a day or two; check proofs carefully for names and dates.
Let us write and lay it out
We help you write the short life summary and thank-you and lay out a print-ready order of service. See also our eulogy for mum and eulogy for dad guides.