Using Funeral Templates Will Help With Planning Funeral or Memorial Services

Whether you’re planning a funeral or a memorial service, funeral templates for programs and services will help you get through the planning process a lot easier than if you’re starting from scratch without really knowing what to do.

The Order of the Funeral or Memorial Service

Funeral services and memorial services really aren’t much different from each other, except that the deceased is not laid out in the casket at the front of the funeral home chapel or church.

Instead, the loved one may already have been cremated and a decorative urn sits in the casket’s place.

And while funeral services may take place anywhere from three to five days following the death, memorial services can be planned for months after the death as the deceased has probably already been cremated.

The reasons are quite varied as to why families may plan a memorial service instead of a funeral, but regardless of the type of service, it’s usually a good idea to start with different types of funeral templates to help plan the service.

Funeral Templates for the Order of Service

There are a variety of services that can be planned, most of which depends on the religious faith of the departed and the family.

Different faiths conduct different types of services so it’s a good idea to speak with the church clergy, whether it be a priest, minister, rabbi or other. They will assist you with planning the order of the services.

If you’re not planning a religious service, there are still a variety of funeral templates you can use to prepare the service. Basically, the service will follow something like this…

• • Greeting by the minister or presenter. This will include an opening message and on behalf of the family, thanking those who have attended to pay their respects. This presentation may also include scripture readings or a secular recounting of events in the loved one’s life but not necessarily from a religious aspect.

• • Offers of remembrance from guests. Time is usually allowed for friends, associates, coworkers, neighbors, anyone in attendance, to present a story or special moment that was shared with the deceased. Some presenters also express their heartfelt condolences to the family personally at this time.

• • Special Music. Musical interludes can be presented after the initial greeting and before the other guests make their presentations. They can follow special readings and they can also be played just before the minister or presenter makes his closing presentation.

• Closing presentation. In the case of a traditional funeral and burial, the closing presentation often includes information about the interment and an open invitation by the family to attend a reception following interment.

Funeral Templates for Service Programs

Many times there will programs made up and either handed out or available to pick up as guests arrive at the church or funeral home. These folded pamphlets include the order of the service, which is what you have planned to take place and the order in which it will take place.

Often these funeral program templates do not include set time frames other than the time that the actual service is scheduled to start. In addition to the items mentioned above in the order of the service, funeral programs may also include the location of interment and information about the reception that is being held for guests.

Along with the order of events, there is often a special poem or verse and a photo printed on the programs and they may include an obituary as well. There are some funeral templates that provide an area where certain people are mentioned such as pall bearers, soloists, musicians who have played special pieces.

Funeral or memorial programs, if you’re having a memorial service, are simply pieces of 8.5″ by 11″ paper that are printed on both sides and folded in half.

Programs can also be printed on 8.5″ by 14″ paper, or legal size paper, and then tri-folded for a brochure sized program. Either way is fine. It just depends on how much information you decide to include in your program.

There are actually many other designs and sizes of programs that a funeral director will help you with. You can also shop online with a variety of sites that specialize in helping you to design programs and will have many funeral templates for programs available for you to choose from.