Funeral Order of Service: Free Template and Examples
What a funeral order of service is, the usual running order for a religious, a non-religious and a graveside service, what to print on the booklet, and a worked example, with a free template you can print and fill in.
By Chris K, reviewed by Kate B · Last updated 5 October 2026 · Editorial standards
Key points
- The order of service is both the plan for the day and, often, a printed keepsake for guests.
- Most services follow the same basic shape, whether they're religious or not.
- Your celebrant, minister or funeral director will usually help you put it together.
- A typical service runs 30 to 60 minutes, so check how long the venue is booked for.
- Print the booklet a few days early and ask someone else to proofread names and dates.
On the day of a funeral, almost nobody wants to be wondering what happens next. An order of service solves that. It's the running order for the service, and for many families it also becomes a printed booklet that guests take home and keep. This guide explains what usually goes in it, gives typical running orders for different kinds of service, and ends with a worked example and a free template you can print.
What Is a Funeral Order of Service?
What is a funeral order of service? It's the running order of the funeral, listing each part of the service from the welcome to the closing music. It's often printed as a booklet for guests, with a photo of the person, their dates and the words of any hymns or readings.
It does two jobs. For the people running the service (the celebrant or minister, the funeral director, the speakers and whoever is looking after the music), it's the plan. For the guests, it tells them what to expect and gives them the words they'll need for anything they're asked to read or sing together.
Who Puts the Order of Service Together?
Who writes the order of service? Usually the family, with help from the celebrant, minister or funeral director. They know what fits the venue and the time, and they'll often draft the running order for you to change.
You don't have to start from a blank page. Tell them what matters to you (the music, who'd like to speak, any readings or rituals) and let them suggest how it fits together. Then use the template at the end of this page to collect your choices in one place.
How Long Is a Funeral Service?
How long is a typical funeral service? Most services run for 30 to 60 minutes. Crematorium chapels often book in set time slots, so check how long you have before planning the readings, tributes and music.
As a rough guide, each song takes three to four minutes, a reading takes one to three, and each spoken tribute takes three to five. Add a few minutes for people to arrive and settle, and a few more at the end for everyone to leave. If the running order is looking long, a reading can be printed in the booklet instead of being read aloud.
What Is the Usual Running Order?
Most funerals follow the same basic shape, whether they're religious or not. Here's a typical running order, with a note on each part.
| Part of the service | What happens | Usually led by |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Music plays while guests arrive and take their seats | Funeral director |
| Entrance | The coffin is carried or wheeled in, or is already in place; family come in | Funeral director, pallbearers |
| Welcome | A few words about why everyone is here and what the service will include | Celebrant or minister |
| Opening reading, prayer or song | Sets the tone for the service | Celebrant, minister or a family member |
| Eulogy | The main speech about the person's life | Family member or friend |
| Tributes | Shorter words from other family or friends | Family and friends |
| Reflection | A song, a slideshow or video, or a quiet moment to remember them | Celebrant |
| Reading, prayer or poem | Often a favourite of the person | Family member or minister |
| Committal or farewell | The formal goodbye, sometimes with the curtain closing at a crematorium | Celebrant or minister |
| Thanks and invitation | Thanks to everyone, and details of the wake | Celebrant or family |
| Closing music | People leave, often walking past the coffin or the family | Funeral director |
You won't need every part. A short, simple service might have a welcome, one eulogy, one song and a farewell, and that's enough.
How Does a Religious Service Differ?
A religious service follows the same broad shape but includes the prayers, hymns and readings of the person's faith. In a Christian service, for example, there will usually be one or two Bible readings, prayers, a hymn or two, and sometimes a short address by the minister. A Catholic service may be a full funeral Mass, which runs longer.
The minister or faith leader will usually explain what's expected and which parts the family can choose. Ask early, because some churches have their own rules about music and who can speak.
What About a Non-Religious Service?
A non-religious service, often led by a civil celebrant, keeps the same shape but replaces prayers and hymns with poems, songs and personal rituals. Because there's no fixed liturgy, the family has more freedom to decide what happens and in what order.
Many families add something personal, such as lighting candles, placing flowers on the coffin, playing a song the person loved, or asking guests to share a memory. Our guide to non-religious funeral ideas has more on what you can include.
What About a Graveside Service?
A graveside service is shorter, often 15 to 30 minutes, and takes place at the cemetery. It might be the whole funeral, or it might follow a service held somewhere else.
A typical graveside running order is:
- Welcome
- A short reading or prayer
- A few words about the person, or a short eulogy
- The committal, as the coffin is lowered
- A moment for family to place flowers or soil
- Thanks and details of the wake.
Keep the printed booklet short and practical for a graveside service, and think about the weather. Guests will be standing, sometimes in the sun or rain.
Where Does a Memorial Video or Slideshow Fit?
A photo slideshow or memorial video usually sits in the reflection part of the service, after the eulogy and tributes. It gives people a few minutes to remember the person quietly, often to a song that mattered to them. Some families also play it on a loop as guests arrive or at the wake.
If you're planning one, check with the venue early about screens and the file format they need. Our complete guide to creating a memorial video covers the practical side.
What Goes in a Printed Order of Service Booklet?
A printed booklet is usually a single sheet of A4 folded in half, giving four small pages, or a longer booklet if there are hymns or readings to include.
Front cover
- A photo of the person
- Their full name, and the name people knew them by
- Their dates, for example "4 March 1938 to 2 October 2026", or just the years
- Sometimes a short line, such as "A celebration of the life of..." or a favourite saying
Inside pages
- The date, time and place of the service
- The running order, with the names of the speakers and the titles of the songs
- The words of anything guests will read or sing together
Back page
- A thank-you from the family
- Details of the wake
- A note about donations instead of flowers, if that's what the family would like
- Sometimes another photo, or a short poem
Some families leave the full date of birth off a booklet that might be left behind or photographed and shared online. Showing just the years is a simple way to avoid that, since a full date of birth is one of the details identity thieves look for.
Should You Print an Order of Service?
Do you have to print an order of service? No. Many families do because guests like to keep it, but it's optional. Some show the running order on a screen, share it by message, or simply let the celebrant guide everyone through the service.
If you are printing, a few tips help:
- Ask how many guests to expect, then add ten or twenty spare copies.
- Print a few days early, so there's time to fix a mistake.
- Ask someone outside the immediate family to proofread the names, dates and song titles. People closest to the loss are the least likely to spot an error.
- Check the photo at full size. A phone photo can look fine on screen and blurry in print.
- Ask your funeral director. Many will design and print the booklet as part of their service, or recommend a local printer.
A Worked Example
Here's a running order for an invented service, to show how it all fits together. The service is Thursday 15 October 2026 at 11am, and the venue has booked the chapel for 45 minutes.
A celebration of the life of Margaret Anne Wilson ("Peggy")
1938 to 2026Thursday 15 October 2026, 11am
Arrival music: "Moon River", played on piano
Welcome: Celebrant
Reading: "Remember" by Christina Rossetti, read by her granddaughter Ella
Eulogy: her son David
Tribute: her friend of 60 years, Joyce
Reflection: a photo slideshow to "Que Sera, Sera"
Poem: "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, read by her grandson Sam
Farewell: Celebrant
Closing music: "What a Wonderful World"
The family thanks you for being here today, and invites you to join them for afternoon tea at the Bowling Club. Instead of flowers, Peggy would have liked donations to her local hospice.
That's about 40 minutes, leaving a few spare at each end. Both poems in this example are out of copyright in Australia, so they can be printed in full in the booklet. Our page of funeral readings and poems has the full text of each, along with other readings that are free to use.
When you're writing the eulogy for a service like this, our guide on how to write a eulogy has a simple structure and a free template.
Looking After Yourself
Planning a service means making a long list of decisions in a short time, often while you're still in shock. It's fine to keep things simple, to say yes when people offer to help, and to hand jobs like printing to the funeral director. If the days around the funeral are very hard, our page on grief support in Australia lists free services you can call.
For the bigger picture, our step-by-step guide to planning a funeral in Australia shows where the service fits in everything else that needs doing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a funeral order of service? It's the running order of the funeral, listing each part of the service from the welcome to the closing music. It's often printed as a booklet for guests, with a photo of the person, their dates and the words of any hymns or readings.
How long is a typical funeral service? Most services run for 30 to 60 minutes. Crematorium chapels often book in set time slots, so check how long you have before planning the readings, tributes and music.
Who writes the order of service? Usually the family, with help from the celebrant, minister or funeral director. They know what fits the venue and the time, and they'll often draft the running order for you to change.
Do you have to print an order of service? No. Many families do because guests like to keep it, but it's optional. Some show the running order on a screen, share it by message, or simply let the celebrant guide everyone through the service.
A free order of service template. Print it, or copy it into a document, and fill in the parts you want. Cross out anything you don't need.
Order of Service Template
The service
- Full name: ______________________________
- Name people knew them by: ______________________________
- Dates or years: ______________________________
- Day, date and time: ______________________________
- Place: ______________________________
- Time the venue is booked for: ______________________________
- Celebrant or minister: ______________________________
Running order (write the person and the song or reading next to each part)
- Arrival music: ______________________________
- Entrance: ______________________________
- Welcome: ______________________________
- Opening reading, prayer or song: ______________________________
- Eulogy: ______________________________
- Tributes: ______________________________
- Reflection (song, slideshow or quiet moment): ______________________________
- Reading, prayer or poem: ______________________________
- Committal or farewell: ______________________________
- Thanks and invitation to the wake: ______________________________
- Closing music: ______________________________
For the printed booklet
- Front cover photo chosen: ______________________________
- Line under their name (optional): ______________________________
- Words to print in full (hymns, readings): ______________________________
- Thank-you message: ______________________________
- Wake details: ______________________________
- Donations instead of flowers (optional): ______________________________
Before the day
- Running order agreed with the celebrant or minister
- Speakers know their order and time limit
- Music and any video tested at the venue
- Booklet proofread by someone outside the immediate family
- Booklets printed, with spares
Sources
- NSW Government, ID Support NSW, What is identity theft? (checked 5 October 2026)
About the author
Chris K writes Mixtape Memories' guides on the creative side of a memorial video, covering music, storytelling and what actually belongs in a video that feels like them. The goal is to help families make confident creative choices without turning the process into a production.
Reviewed by Kate B.