How to Write an Order of Service
A Gentle Guide for Families
If you've never organised a funeral before, staring at a blank page and trying to write an order of service can feel impossibly overwhelming. You're exhausted and grieving, and suddenly someone is asking you to make decisions you're not equipped to make right now. Where do you even start?
This guide is here to help. It won't be prescriptive, because there's no single right way to farewell someone you love. But it will give you a clear starting point, and hopefully make one part of an incredibly hard week just a little bit easier.
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What is an Order of Service?
An order of service is a printed or digital guide that helps guests follow along during a funeral, memorial, or celebration of life. Think of it as a gentle map of the service, it tells people where they are and what comes next, so they can focus on being present rather than wondering what happens after the first reading.
It's also one of the few keepsakes from that day that people tend to hold onto. Guests tuck them into drawers, slide them between the pages of books, frame the front cover on a bedside table. More than they expect, it becomes something they treasure.
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What to Include
The essentials:
Full name of your loved one, along with their dates of birth and death. Sometimes families include a short phrase beneath — a nickname, a quote they loved, a simple line like 'Beloved husband, father and friend.'
The order of proceedings:
This is the sequence of events during the service. A typical structure might look something like this: a welcome by the celebrant or officiant, a musical piece as people settle in, an opening reading or poem, the eulogy (or multiple tributes), a favourite song, a moment of reflection or prayer if relevant, and a final piece of music as people leave. There's no rule that says you must follow this format, many families choose something quite different, but it gives you a foundation to work from.
Personal touches:
This is where an order of service becomes something more than a schedule. Include a photograph they would have liked. Slip in a short poem they loved, or one that simply feels right. If there's a particular reading being spoken, include the full text so guests can follow along. Add a few lines about who they were: what they did, what they loved, what made them laugh.
Practical information:
If there are refreshments or a wake following the service, the order of service is a natural place to note the details, where it's being held, whether family would love people to attend. You can also include a brief acknowledgement of the people delivering tributes, or a note thanking guests for being there.
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What Size Should It Be?
Orders of service typically come in a few formats. A 2-page card (printed on both sides of a single sheet) suits simpler, shorter services beautifully. A 4-page booklet (a folded A4 sheet) gives you space for a lovely cover image, the full running order, and a poem or personal note. But in my experience, most families find that 8 pages gives them just the right amount of room — enough space to include some beautiful memories alongside the service information, without feeling like there's too much to fill.
At The Farewell Studio, I can help you work out the right format for your service once I understand what you'd like to include. We'll always start with the content and let that guide the size.
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Do You Need a Designer?
Plenty of families create their own order of service, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you have the time, the energy, and the creative confidence, DIY can feel meaningful.
But for many families in the thick of grief, organising logistics, managing extended family, making dozens of small decisions every hour, handing this one piece to someone else is a relief. A good designer will do more than make it look beautiful. They'll help you think through what to include, suggest ways to personalise it, and make sure the final result feels like the person it's honouring rather than a template pulled from a filing cabinet.
If you'd like help, I'm here. There's no pressure, no complicated process. You share what you can, and I'll take it from there.
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If you'd like to talk through your service or get started on an order of service booklet, you're welcome to reach out at any time through the Get in Touch page. I understand that time is often short, and I'll always do my best to work quickly and carefully.
