Funeral Planning Tips

Funeral planning can be an overwhelming task.  It is can be difficult to make decisions during such an  emotional time.  Whether you’re planning a loved one’s funeral or pre-planning your own, the process can be difficult if you do not know or understand your options.   Begin by considering these four important questions.

1. What is your budget for the funeral or memorial service?
2. Do you want the body to be present at the funeral?
3. Will you have a religious or traditional funeral or a contemporary funeral or memorial service?
4. Which people will accomplish the many administrative tasks (such as creating funeral programs, selecting speakers for the service and writing obituaries) associated with funeral planning?

Answering these key questions will put you well on your way to planning the perfect funeral or memorial service that fits into your budget.   The following articles can help you understand the funeral or memorial planning process:

Funeral Planning

Funeral Service Checklist

Funeral Costs

Funeral or Memorial Service

Funeral Caskets

Selecting Funeral Flowers

Funeral and Memorial Ideas

Funeral Songs

Obituary Templates

When writing an obituary, it helps to have a good starting point.  You can begin by finding a good free obituary template.  There are many obituary templates on the internet.  Elegant Memorials publishes two great obituary templates.  One is a very short template and scan serve as a death announcement.  The other templates is longer, and give more details about the deceased’s life, and can be incorporated into funeral programs or obituary program templates.

Obituary Templates

Here is an obituary template.

“NAME”, “AGE”, of “PLACE OF RESIDENCE”,  died (can also say “passed away”, went to heaven, etc.), “DATE” (can include optional cause of death).

“HE/SHE” was born (“PLACE”, “DATE OF BIRTH”. “NAME” graduated from “SCHOOL” and received “DEGREE” from “SCHOOL”. “HE/SHE” was married to “SPOUSE’S NAME” ( wedding date is optional).

INCLUDE OPTIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION HERE: Employment history, accomplishments, organizations, activities, etc.

“HE/SHE” was survived by “CHILDREN”, “GRANDCHILDREN”, ETC. (Try to separate each name with a comma or semicolon)

Funeral arrangements will be held “TIME”, “DATE” and “PLACE”.

Also See:

How to Write an Obituary

Obituary Samples

Death Announcements and Newspaper Obituaries

Obituary Writing Article

Funeral Obituary Hub

Funeral Obituaries

Funeral Program Example

Funeral programs (sometimes called a memorial service bulletin) are printed document or bulletins that outline the the funeral or memorial service and summarizes the life achievements of your deceased loved one.  Below is a funeral program example:

Funeral Program Example

Select a cover design
Determine a paper size and layout style, such as bifold or triford, 8 1/2? x 11? or 8 1/2? x 14?
Choose a title or phrase
Location; Date; Time;
Name of Service Leader
Date of Birth and Date of Death
Back cover — Acknowledgments, Funeral Home information, Pall Bearer or Flower Bearer Information

Funeral Program Example

Obituary
Funeral Poems/Eulogies/Tributes
Special Acknowledgments /Thank You Notes

Also See:

Funeral Program Examples

Sample Funeral Program

What is a funeral program

Funeral Poems in Funeral Programs

Poems are a very important part of funeral or memorial services.  Funeral and Bereavement poems help to comfort and soothe grieving family and friends, and often help family and friends express their thoughts and feeling about their loved ones who have passed.  Poems are used during the actual service, burial site, or ashes scattering ceremony. They are also used in funeral printed materials, such as funeral programs, funeral program templates,  prayer cards and bookmarks.

Add funeral poems to funeral programs

Whether you are a family member searching for the perfect poem, or a friend that’s been asked to participate in a funeral or memorial service, choosing the right poem can be a daunting task.  Luckily, there are several sources for finding the right funeral poem for your funeral service or funeral program, or printed materials.  The internet is an outstanding source for finding the right poem to remember your loved one.  There are literally hundreds of site that list poems for free.  These poems are often categorized according to relationships, including poems for mothers, fathers, children, grandmothers, grandfathers and illness, and many more.  Most websites will list the authors of the poems, if  known (When using poems in printed materials, ensure that proper credit is given to the author).  There are also several sites that e-books available for download for a nominal fee.

Also See:

Funeral Poems

Funeral Readings

Funeral Poems for Mothers / Grandmothers

Funeral Poems for Fathers / Grandfathers

Funeral Poems for Children / Babies

Funeral Program Templates

Funeral program templates are pre-formatted documents that are used to create funeral programs.  Funeral program templates are available in a wide range of designs, themes and colors, and come in a variety of sizes and layouts.  Here are a few quick tips for choosing an using funeral program templates.

1.  Select a design — Funeral program templates come in a wide range of designs.  Consider your loved one’s favorite color or place to help narrow the selection.

2.  Decide what you want to include in your funeral program.   You can include information such as an order of service, funeral poems, funeral scriptures, funeral song lyrics, funeral quotes and photo collages.

3.  Once you know what information you want to include, select the appropriate size and layout of your template.  Funeral Program Templates can come in a variety of sizes and layouts (8 1/2″ x 11″ and 8 1/2″ x 14″ are common paper sizes, bifold and trifold are popular layouts).

4.  Make  sure that you have the appropriate software to edit your template, such as Microsoft Word or Publisher.  Also, you may want to choose a template that is available for immediate download.

There are many resources to help you use funeral program templates.  Listed below are a few articles and blogs:

Using Funeral Program Template Hub

How to Use a Funeral Program Template article

Funeral Program Templates Blog

Sample Funeral Program

Funeral Program Lens

Funeral Program Templates -- Elegant Memorials

What are Funeral Programs

Funeral Programs are printed documents that contain funeral service information (also called the order of service), and biographical information about the deceased.  These programs also serve as keepsakes to remember your deceased loved one.  They can be distributed at wakes, funeral and memorial services.  Funeral programs can contain the following information:

Order of Service

Obituary or Tribute

Poems/Scriptures

Acknowledgments / Thank You Notes

Song Lyrics

Photos / Photo Collages

You can easily create a special funeral program by using funeral program templates.  Templates are pre-formatted documents that come in a variety of styles, designs and layouts.

Funeral Program Templates

Welcome to the Funeral Programs Blog

Welcome to the funeral program blog.  This blog will provide useful information about funeral programs, memorial service bulletins as well as guidance on funeral and memorial planning.   You will find lots of useful information about planning memorial services, how to write a eulogy or obituary, selecting  funeral program template designs and much more.

Flowers of Devotion Funeral Program Template

Brown Sunset Funeral Program Template