Funeral Order of Service: The Complete UK Guide to Planning, Designing and Printing

Somewhere between choosing the hymns and confirming numbers for the wake, someone in the family gets handed the order of service. It's rarely the celebrant or the funeral director — usually a son, daughter or close friend, already stretched thin, now working out what a funeral order of service needs to contain, how many copies to print, and where to get it done properly with only a week or two's notice.

That scramble is exactly why this guide exists. As a commercial printer based in Croydon, serving families across London and the UK, I YOU PRINT prints order of service booklets every week, and the same questions come up each time — what goes in it, what size it should be, how many to order, and how early. This guide answers all of it in one place.

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A funeral order of service is the printed booklet handed to guests at a funeral, cremation or memorial service. It sets out the running order — hymns, readings, tributes, music — and doubles as a keepsake many guests take home. Depending on where you're based in the UK, you'll hear it called a funeral order of service, a funeral programme, or a funeral booklet — the same thing, with terminology varying by region and generation.

Its job is twofold: it guides the congregation through the service in real time, and gives the family a lasting, printed tribute.

What Goes in a Funeral Order of Service Booklet

Most UK order of service booklets share a consistent core:

• Cover page — full name, photograph, dates of birth and death, often with a short epitaph.
• Welcome or introduction — a brief opening line from the celebrant or officiant.
• Order of the ceremony — hymns, readings, prayers and music, in sequence.
• Eulogy or tribute details — who's speaking, sometimes a printed excerpt.
• Readings, poems and hymn lyrics — printed in full where the congregation joins in.
• Committal wording — a short passage marking burial or cremation.
• Closing words and exit music.
• Acknowledgements — a short thank-you from the family.

Not every booklet needs all of these — a short, non-religious service might run to a single folded sheet, while a longer church service naturally runs longer.

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Getting the running order right matters more than people expect — celebrant, family and guests are all following the same printed sequence.

This holds broadly true across church funerals, crematorium services and celebrations of life — the content changes, not the shape.

Planning the booklet usually runs alongside planning the ceremony itself. In practice, families and funeral directors tend to work through it in this order:

1. Confirm the ceremony structure with the celebrant or funeral director — the booklet should mirror exactly what will happen, in order.
2. Choose the hymns, readings and music, and decide whether lyrics print in full or just get referenced by title.
3. Decide who is speaking, and whether a tribute appears in the booklet or is just credited by name.
4. Select a cover photograph — ideally high-resolution, since low-resolution photos stretched across a cover tend to print poorly.
5. Draft the wording for the welcome, committal and closing sections. Wording deserves its own detailed guide, which we'll cover separately — for now, keep it warm and simple.
6. Proofread as a family — names, dates and hymn titles are the details most commonly caught late.
7. Send the final file to your printer with a clear deadline, since UK funeral timelines are typically tight — often one to three weeks from death to service.

Format is one of the first practical decisions — it affects how much content fits and how the booklet feels in someone's hands.

For a traditional service with several hymns and readings, an A5 order of service is usually the natural fit. Where there's more content, or the family wants larger, easier-to-read text, an A4 order of service gives more room per page. For a shorter, more understated service, a folded order of service keeps things simple without losing the sense of occasion.

This is the part families rarely think about until they're choosing between options — and it's where a printer's experience shows.

Most booklets use a heavier stock for the cover, commonly silk or matt-laminated paper in the 170–250gsm range, with a lighter 120–170gsm inner stock for the running order and readings. [VERIFY: confirm I YOU PRINT's exact standard paper weights and finish options]. Matt tends to suit funeral stationery better than gloss — it reads more respectfully and doesn't glare under crematorium lighting.

Binding depends on page count. Booklets of eight or more pages are typically saddle-stitched, the same method used across most booklet and brochure printing — it lays flat and holds up to being carried through the service. Shorter, four-page orders of service are usually a single folded sheet, keeping costs down without needing any binding.

A well-chosen cover photograph does more to personalise a funeral order of service than almost any other decision. For the sharpest result, images should be at least 300dpi at the printed size — a modern phone photo used near its original size will usually print cleanly, while an old, heavily cropped or enlarged one often won't.

Many families also add a small collage or "in memory" page alongside the eulogy, showing two or three further photographs from the person's life — a small addition that turns the booklet into something guests genuinely keep.

The booklet's content flexes by service type, though the core shape — welcome, ceremony order, tributes, committal, closing — stays consistent:

• Christian, Catholic and Church of England funerals typically follow set prayers, hymns and scripture readings in the church's own liturgical order.
• Humanist and secular services usually swap prayers and hymns for readings, music and personal tributes, giving more space to the eulogy.
• Cremation services tend to be shorter and more time-boxed, often suiting a concise single-fold booklet.
• Burial services may include committal wording specific to graveside proceedings.
• Celebration of life services often lean more personal, with photographs and memories over formal liturgy.

None of this changes how the booklet's printed — only what goes inside it.

How Many Order of Service Booklets to Order, and When

A reasonable rule of thumb: print for expected guest numbers plus roughly 10–15% extra, to cover last-minute attendees and leave the family a few spares. Running out mid-service is far more disruptive than having a handful left over.

Timing matters more than most expect. UK funerals are typically arranged within one to three weeks of a death, leaving a genuinely tight window for wording, numbers and artwork. [VERIFY: confirm I YOU PRINT's standard turnaround time]. The earlier a proofed file reaches your printer, the more room there is to fix a wrong hymn title or misspelled name before it's too late.

What Does Funeral Order of Service Printing Cost in the UK?

Cost is driven mainly by quantity, paper stock and finishing. A larger print run brings the per-unit cost down noticeably, which is why it's worth ordering slightly more than the bare minimum rather than reordering later at a rush rate. Colour throughout, heavier stocks and a laminated cover all add cost over a simple mono booklet on standard paper. [VERIFY: insert current price ranges, or link a dedicated pricing guide once published]. It's worth requesting a quote against your real numbers and format rather than estimating from a generic list.

What Information Do You Need Before Printing a Funeral Order of Service?

Before requesting a quote or sending over artwork, it helps to have the following gathered in one place. Most delays we see happen when a detail gets confirmed halfway through proofing rather than settled at the start:

• Full name — exactly as the family wants it on the cover, including any preferred nickname.
• Dates of birth and death — the two dates that anchor the cover page.
• Funeral date, time and location — the church, crematorium or venue, and the start time.
• A cover photograph — ideally recent and high-resolution (see the photo guidance above).
• The order of the ceremony — confirmed with the celebrant or funeral director.
• Hymns and music — titles, and lyrics if they need printing in full.
• Readings and poems — the full text, or just the reference if only the title is needed.
• Tribute or eulogy details — who's speaking, and whether an excerpt appears in print.
• Acknowledgements wording — the family's thank-you message to guests.
• Wake or reception details — venue and time, if these are being printed inside the booklet.
• Number of copies — your expected guest count, plus the spare margin covered above.

Once these are confirmed, the next step is a final check before anything goes to print.

Funeral Order of Service Checklist Before You Send to Print

Before sending your order of service to print, run through this list — it's the same set of checks worth confirming on any funeral order of service before a proof gets signed off:

? Name spelling ? Date of birth ? Date of death ? Funeral date and time ? Venue ? Photograph quality and resolution ? Hymns and readings finalised ? Speaker names correct ? Page order matches the ceremony ? Wake or contact details included ? Number of copies confirmed ? Final proof approved by the family

Once every box is ticked, you're ready to print — not before.

Funeral Order of Service Printing Options

Once the content's settled, these are the main choices left to make:

• Format — A5, A4 or a simple folded booklet, depending on service length and content.
• Page count — from a single folded sheet up to a full multi-page booklet. [VERIFY: confirm actual maximum page count / page increments offered].
• Colour — full-colour printing throughout, not limited to the cover. [VERIFY: confirm colour options offered].
• Personalisation — a cover photograph, with the option to add photo or memory pages inside.
• Paper — a choice of paper weight and a matt or silk finish. [VERIFY: confirm exact stocks offered].
• Quantities — printed to your exact guest numbers, without rounding up to a large minimum order. [VERIFY: confirm actual minimum order quantity, if any].
• Artwork and proofing — send finished artwork or work from a template, with a proof to approve before print. [VERIFY: confirm proofing process and number of proof rounds included].
• Turnaround — [VERIFY: state actual turnaround time, e.g. "X working days" or any express option], to suit the typically tight timeline of a UK funeral.

Professional Funeral Order of Service Printing, Handled With Care

Everything above is the planning side. The printing side is where the real pressure sits — unlike almost any other print job, there's no flexibility on the deadline. The service happens on the day it happens, whether or not the booklets are ready.

That's the problem our funeral order of service printing service is built around: accurate proofing, no unnecessary back-and-forth, and print runs handled with the seriousness the occasion deserves. Browse the full range of order of service printing to compare A4, A5 and folded formats and see what's included — whether that's a simple single-fold booklet or a fuller multi-page one.

Ready to Move From Planning to Printing

Once the wording's confirmed and the guest count settled, the print itself shouldn't add stress to an already difficult week. If you've got a draft ready — or just a photo and a rough headcount — our order of service printing team can talk you through format and turnaround, and get proofs back quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Funeral Order of Service Printing

What is a funeral order of service?

It's the printed booklet given to guests at a funeral or memorial service, setting out the running order of hymns, readings, tributes and music. It also works as a keepsake many guests take home as a lasting memory of the person and the service.

What should be included in a funeral order of service?

At minimum: a cover with name and dates, a welcome, the order of ceremony, any readings or hymn lyrics, committal wording, closing words, and a short thank-you from the family. Longer services often add a printed eulogy and photographs.

How many order of service booklets do I need?

Print for your expected guest numbers plus roughly 10–15% extra, to cover unexpected attendees and leave the family a few spares. A handful left over is far less disruptive than running short mid-service.

Should a funeral order of service be A4 or A5?

A5 is the most traditional, widely chosen size — easy to hold during the service. A4 suits longer services or larger print for older guests; a folded order of service suits shorter, simpler ceremonies.

How much does funeral order of service printing cost in the UK?

Cost depends mainly on quantity, paper weight and finishing such as lamination or colour throughout. Larger runs bring the per-booklet cost down significantly, so it's best to request a quote against your real numbers.

How far in advance should I order?

As early as possible once wording and numbers are confirmed. UK funerals are typically arranged within one to three weeks of a death, so getting a proofed file to your printer promptly leaves room to fix last-minute changes.

Can I add photographs to a funeral order of service?

Yes — a cover photograph is standard, and many families add a small collage or memory page inside too. Photos print best at 300dpi or higher at their printed size, so a recent, unstretched image gives the cleanest result.

What's the difference between a funeral order of service and a eulogy?

The eulogy is the spoken tribute delivered during the service, usually by a family member. The order of service is the printed booklet guiding the whole ceremony — it may reference the eulogy, but covers the entire running order, not just the tribute.