Funeral Stationery

Funeral stationery is a useful tool in the funeral planning process, but it can also become a keepsake. Cards, bookmarks and orders of service can act as a poignant and meaningful reminder of your loved one long after the funeral has passed. 


Funeral Stationery

Whether funeral stationery serves to notify your family and friends of a loved one’s death, help organise the funeral proceedings or thank your guests for attending, we have a range of funeral stationery options for you and your family to choose from.


Funeral Order of Service Booklet

A funeral order of service is is a booklet that acts as a programme for the funeral service proceedings. It outlines the introductions and speakers at different points during the service, and in which order they will happen. Funeral order of service booklets are usually put together in collaboration with family members and the person leading the service itself, such as a minister or non-religious celebrant.

Funeral order of service booklets can be customised according to your specific needs and ideas. Many families choose a funeral order of service booklet of 4 pages. This includes one piece of card with a middle fold, with more pages added if there are several hymns or poems form part of the service, or lots of photos.  It’s possible to have a fold-out 6-page booklet, or an 8 or 12 page.

Creating your funeral stationery or funeral order of service booklet is a collaborative process, and there is no definitive method or order. However, if you have never written or designed an order of service before, here is what a funeral of order service sheet might contain: 

Funeral order of service front page

  • An illustration such as a photograph or picture, usually of the deceased
  • Name of Deceased
  • Dates of birth to death
  • Location and date of the service and the name of the person leading it

Funeral order of service middle pages

A list of the service elements and which people might be reading them. A typical list of service elements may include:

  • Entry music
  • Welcome and introduction
  • Religious or philosophical readings 
  • Eulogy (or life story)
  • Tributes (stories and anecdotes)
  • Hymn titles and sometimes lyrics 
  • Poems and prayers
  • Reflection music
  • Place of the “committal” (actual cremation or burial site) if elsewhere to the funeral service
  • “Committal” prayer or poem
  • Closing words, Final words 
  • Exit music

If you are being helped by a minister or celebrant they will design an order of service with you, and if you are observing a religious service, your own faith websites will take you through their traditional formats in advance of meeting your priest. Examples of this include:

Funeral order of service back page

  • Space for a photograph if wanted
  • Details of any in memoriam charitable donations
  • Thanks to particular people or organisations
  • Invitation and address of funeral reception

We offer a range of beautiful designs that you will be able to choose from when creating your booklets. However, if you feel that we do not offer a design that reflects your loved one perfectly, we can also create a bespoke design using your favourite images and photos. 

Having collaborated on the design and contents of your funeral order of service booklet, we’ll produce a typeset draft within a day or two, and pass on a draft to you either by hand or email. By seeing the funeral order of service sheet ahead of time, you and your minister or celebrant will be able to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the material. 

On the day of the funeral, the booklets are placed on chairs in the service hall before mourners enter. We also collect any leftover sheets to give to the chief mourner at the end of the service,


Other Kinds of Funeral Stationery 

As well as funeral order of service booklets, Harold Wood Funeral Services provides a range of other funeral stationery: 

Mourning Cards

Informing family, friends, or even close neighbours of funeral arrangements can be a stressful experience. It can be particularly challenging if you expect many people to attend, or your family do not live close by. 

Posting Mourning Cards in envelopes are one way to communicate the sad fact of a death, along with the date, time, place and other details of the funeral to wider family and friends without the added anxiety of making lots of phone calls, or the impersonal feeling of communicating this information online.

As with all of our funeral stationery, we can help design mourning cards in the same style as your funeral order of service booklets, or you can choose a completely new design. 

Thank You Cards

Thank You cards are a wonderful way to extend gratitude to your family and friends for sending cards, donations, flowers or having attended the funeral, and can be customised.

Thank You Cards can include a photo of your loved one or a favourite image or illustration, as well as some personal words of thanks. 

Memorial Cards

Memorial Cards are funeral stationery items are often printed as keepsakes. They are designed to pay a lasting tribute to your loved one that can be carried in a wallet or purse at all times. 

They usually contain a photo of your loved one and date of birth and death.  They can also have poems, song lyrics, hymns or other meaningful or sentimental words written on the back of the card. 

Bookmarks

A variant on memorial cards is the bookmark, which can also be designed as a keepsake for family members and friends after a funeral. These can be handed out on the day of the funeral service, or posted out to family and friends after the funeral is over.