What to put in a funeral program
A funeral program does two quiet jobs: it guides guests through the service, and it becomes a keepsake people hold on to for years. You don't need every section below — but this is what families most often include, roughly in the order it usually appears.
The standard sections
01
Cover
Their full name, a favorite photo, birth and passing dates (or Sunrise and Sunset), and a heading such as "Celebration of Life" or "In Loving Memory." Many families add the service date, time and place on the cover or just inside.
02
Order of service
The flow of the service from processional to recessional — each song, reading, tribute and speaker, with names. It helps guests follow along and know when to stand.
03
Obituary
The story of their life: where they came from, the people they loved, the work and faith and joys that shaped them, and the family they leave behind.
04
Photos
A collage or a page of favorites across the years — childhood, young adulthood, family, the everyday moments people will recognize.
05
Acknowledgments
A short note from the family thanking friends, church members, caregivers and everyone who called, visited, cooked or prayed.
06
Poem or scripture
A passage that meant something to them or brings the family comfort — often on the back cover or facing the obituary.
07
Pallbearers
The names of pallbearers, and honorary pallbearers if there are any.
08
Repast details
Where and when family and friends will gather after the service to share a meal, with the address.
Not sure how to word any of it? See our wording examples, or our poems and scriptures.
A few practical tips
Start with the order of service. It decides how much space everything else gets — a long service may need a booklet rather than a bifold.
Ask one person to check every name. Spellings of grandchildren, in-laws and pallbearers are the most common things families want corrected.
Photos don't have to be perfect. Older and phone photos can usually be cleaned up. Send the ones that feel most like them.
Order a few extra copies. Programs are often kept, mailed to family who couldn't attend, and tucked into Bibles and albums.
Printable checklist
- Full legal name, plus any nickname they went by
- Birth date and place; passing date
- Cover photo (the clearest, most "them" photo you have)
- Service date, time and location
- Officiant's name
- Order of service with each participant's name
- Song titles and who will sing or play
- Obituary text
- Photos for the collage or photo page
- Acknowledgment / thank-you note from the family
- Poem or scripture
- Pallbearers and honorary pallbearers
- Interment (burial) location, if shared
- Repast location, time and address
- Funeral home name, if you'd like it included
- Number of copies needed
We'll design it for you.
Share what you have — photos, names, dates, whatever's written so far — and we'll build the program around it.
Free funeral program template
Short on time? Let us design it for you