What is a Funeral Order of Service? A booklet or sheet which is distributed at the beginning of the funeral service, which contains the running order of the funeral service, allowing mourners to follow along with the service and join in with any hymns or songs. The Order of Service booklets not only hold a functional purpose at the funeral service, but they offer an opportunity to add a personal touch to the ceremony, in remembrance of the deceased.

In this article, our aim is to help you to better understand what to include in the Order of Service, as well as offering useful hints and tips on things to consider when creating the booklets, in an effort to make this challenging time that little bit easier for you.

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What to include in the Order of Service Booklets

Firstly, let us outline what we would expect to see in a traditional funeral Order of Service booklet.

The Front Cover: The front cover of the booklet traditionally features a photograph of the deceased, along with their full name and life dates (date of birth and date of death). It is optional to include the location, date and time of the funeral service on the front cover page, alongside the funeral leaders name.

The Inner Pages: The inner pages of the booklet outline the running order of the service, providing mourners with a visual guideline of what to expect during the ceremony proceedings. It is traditional to include details such as the title of the entrance music chosen, an introduction from the service leader (welcoming words), any hymns or songs which will be included, speeches or readings, prayers, the committal or blessing, and the closing music. It is important to note that different religions will have different funeral proceedings and these will need to be considered and included in the service schedule.

The Back Cover: The back cover page of the booklets often includes a secondary photograph of the deceased, along with details on the chosen organization or charity for any donations. The family will also use this space to express gratitude to those who had attended the ceremony and provide details of the wake/ post funeral proceedings.

Below you will find an example Order of Service using our snowdrops template. This example is based on a standard 4 page Order of Service booklet.

The cover page contains a portrait photo, full name, life dates and details of the service such as the date, time and location. The inner pages outline the ceremony running order. In this example, we have included entrance music, words of welcome, readings, songs and hymns, a prayer, the committal and the exit music. The back cover page, includes a secondary photo, words of appreciation, details of the wake and information on the chosen charity in which donations can be made.

Please note: The example Order of Service used in this article has been created by A Loving Tribute for demonstration purposes only. This example uses stock images and fictitious content published for reference only.

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Things to consider when creating the Order of Service booklets

There are a number of important things to consider when creating the Order of Service booklets that go beyond their basic principles and purpose. We recommend taking a moment to consider the following, in order to create the perfect tribute in remembrance of your loved one.

Making it personal

A funeral service is not just a final farewell to our loved ones, but they are a true celebration of life. That is why it is important to make each and every aspect as personal to the deceased as possible. There are a number of ways to go about personalising the funeral, one of which being the funeral stationery.

By personalising the funeral Order of Service booklets, we do not simply mean adding content to a template to make it customised in dedication to the deceased. We mean making it as personal to that individual as possible. You can achieve this by selecting a template design that reflects their character, hobbies or values. Consider their favourite colours, their favourite flower type, what sports they were passionate about, what they liked to do in their spare time and try to incorporate elements of their personality into the Order of Service design – to make it a fitting tribute to that individual.

Choosing the right photographs

There is a certain balance that should be considered when creating the funeral Order of Service. The balance between character and purpose.

For the front cover page, we recommend using a photograph which best reflects their character and personality, preferably where they appear on their own rather than in a group. Ideally the photograph would have little background disturbance and would be high resolution, to get the best results once the booklets are printed. You can choose either a photograph from their past or a more recent one. Don’t simply opt for a photo because it is formal and serious, many prefer to choose a photo that captured their character and even holds a cherished memory.

The back cover photo is optional, but this would be where you might wish to use a group photograph, which includes the deceased surrounded by their nearest and dearest. Many people chose to use a family portrait on this page, captured at a happy occasion or special family event.

Photographs are not only limited to the cover pages, many more modern funeral Order of Service booklets, include photographs in the inner pages, especially if you are creating a booklet consisting of 8 pages or more. We often see people including a double page photo collage within their booklet, truly enhancing their value to all who receives one.

It is important to note that we can help with any photographs that are slightly damaged or need a little restoration work. Our studio team can help enhance faded photos, remove imperfections and can even help remove background disturbance from photographs upon request.

More than just a schedule

We believe the Order of Service booklets to be far more than just a schedule for the funeral service. The booklets are a treasured keepsakes which people will treasure and look back on in years to come. Alongside photographs, consider including memories, sayings or quotes in remembrance of the deceased.

Sharing

As previously mentioned, the funeral Order of Service booklets, although they serve an important purpose, are considered a beautiful keepsake in remembrance of the departer. Therefore, it is important to consider sharing the Order of Service with those who could not be in attendance of the funeral service itself. Whether they are based overseas, could not attend for medical reasons or whatever their reasoning for not attending, by sharing the funeral Order of Service with these individuals, you are gifting them something which they will treasure in time to come.

Creating the Order of Service Booklets

There are many online tools which will help you to create the Order of Service booklets yourself. Online editors like ours allow you to select a design template and populate the pages to suit your needs. Online editors are simple to use and typically give you complete freedom to add text blocks and images to pages wherever you see fit.

However, it is important to not feel alone during the creation of the funeral stationery. If do not feel comfortable with creating the funeral Order of Service booklets using an online editor, then let us create it for you using our complimentary design services. We offer our design teams services completely free of charge to our customers. Simply click here, complete this form and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss further.

Not only do we create the Order of Service for you using our beautiful templates, but we also offer to create a bespoke design for you – completely free of charge – should you not find the right template for your loved one.

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Funeral Order of Service Booklets

At A Loving Tribute we pride ourselves on our beautiful funeral Order of Service booklets.
We offer an easy-to-use online editor which allows you to create your own.
Alternatively, let us create it for you.

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