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Resource Guide • Templates • Editing • Printing

Funeral Program Templates: A Complete Guide for Families

Planning a funeral or memorial often happens within just a few days, at a time when emotions are intense and details can feel overwhelming. A printed program offers gentle structure, welcoming guests, listing participants, and preserving important dates and memories in a keepsake that can be revisited in the months and years ahead. Rather than starting with a blank document, many families gain confidence by working from professional funeral program templates that provide a clear, familiar framework.

The Funeral Program Site creates layouts that are straightforward to edit yet refined enough for both church and chapel settings. Page sizes, margins, and fold lines are already in the correct positions, which means you can focus on choosing photos, fine-tuning wording, and highlighting meaningful moments instead of wrestling with formatting. The guide below explains how these templates work, how to pick the best format, what to include, and how to get your finished program ready for print or digital sharing.

What a funeral program template is

A funeral program template is a predesigned document created specifically for funerals, memorials, and celebrations of life. The file opens with page layouts, headings, and photo areas already in place so you do not have to design from scratch. Your role is to replace placeholder text with your loved one’s name, dates, service schedule, and tribute content, then insert photos that best represent their life and personality.

These templates typically follow classic formats, such as a folded bulletin or multi-page booklet, that guests recognize and feel comfortable holding. Within those layouts, there is space for essentials like the full name of the deceased, dates of birth and passing, the service date and location, and a short or extended life story. Many designs also include areas for scriptures, poems, songs, and a closing message of thanks, helping you stay organized while you write.

Why families choose templates

In the days just before a service, most families are balancing calls, travel plans, and important decisions while also processing grief. Creating a polished program entirely from scratch can quickly feel like another heavy task. Templates reduce that stress by providing a structure that has already been tested for readability, balance, and printing, so every edit you make builds directly toward a finished, professional-looking piece.

Templates also help maintain consistency between printed and digital versions of your program. The same carefully arranged design can be handed out at the venue, saved as a PDF and emailed to friends, or uploaded alongside an online obituary so distant relatives can follow along. When everyone sees the same wording and layout, whether they are near or far, the service feels more unified and thoughtfully prepared.

Choosing the right template format

One of the first decisions is which overall format works best for the amount of content you wish to include. If the service is relatively brief, with a simple order of events and a concise obituary, a bifold program printed on one sheet of paper is often enough. When you plan to include multiple readings, song lyrics, several photos, and longer written tributes, a booklet-style design with additional pages offers more room and keeps the text easy to read.

Before committing to a layout, it helps to gather your content into a basic text document, even as a rough draft. List the names of speakers, outline the order of service, paste in scriptures or poems you are considering, and type an early version of the obituary or life sketch. Seeing everything in one place makes it easier to judge how many panels or pages you need and prevents last-minute scrambling to fit too much text into too little space.

Video guidance

Funeral program template format comparison

Different formats suit different types of services and content amounts. The table below summarizes how three of the most common layouts are usually used so you can match your needs to the right structure. Considering folding style, page count, and the number of photos or readings you plan to include will guide you toward a format that feels both comfortable and practical.

Format Best For Typical Use Notes
Bifold Most funeral and memorial services Order of service, obituary, single or small group of photos Simple, traditional layout that prints easily on letter-size paper; ideal when content is moderate and you want a classic church-style bulletin feel.
Trifold Short services with minimal text Condensed service details, brief obituary, and a few highlighted quotes or scriptures Panel positions must be checked carefully; always test-fold a sample to confirm that the cover, inner panels, and back panel appear in the correct order.
Booklet Services with more readings or photos Extended obituary, multiple images, lyrics, prayers, and acknowledgments Provides additional space for storytelling without shrinking fonts; ideal for celebrations of life that include several speakers or keepsake-style content.

Design and editing tips

Once you have chosen a format, you can refine the look and feel of your program to reflect your loved one’s style and the tone of the gathering. A clear, readable font for body text combined with a slightly bolder font for headings often feels polished without being distracting. Gentle borders, soft colors, or subtle background elements can enhance the design, but it is important that every word remains easy to read, even in softer lighting.

Photos often carry the deepest emotional impact within a program. Many families select one favorite portrait for the cover that offers instant recognition for guests as they arrive. Inside, smaller photos can highlight different life stages, family gatherings, travels, or hobbies, helping to tell a fuller story at a glance. When cropping images, keep faces centered and avoid cutting off important details so expressions remain clear at the size you plan to print.

Content to include in a program

Most programs follow a familiar structure that you can adapt to your own needs. The front typically includes the name of the person being honored, dates of birth and passing, and sometimes a short phrase, verse, or quote that feels especially fitting. Inside, the order of service lists the main elements in sequence—welcome, readings, songs, eulogy, reflections, and closing—so guests can follow along comfortably and know what to expect.

Families often include a written life sketch or obituary that highlights meaningful relationships, milestones, and personal qualities. Even a few concise paragraphs can share a great deal about the person’s character and the way they are remembered. Additional sections can hold scriptures, prayers, poems, or song lyrics that will be used during the service. A closing note of thanks gives you a place to acknowledge the support, presence, and kindness of friends and relatives, and some templates offer optional spaces for listing pallbearers, officiants, musicians, or other contributors.

Printing and paper considerations

A well-crafted template is built with printing in mind so that margins, folds, and image placement line up correctly on common printers. Before printing a full stack of programs, it is wise to create a single proof copy using the same paper you plan to use for the final run. This test copy allows you to verify that colors look natural, fonts are comfortable to read, and no important details sit too close to the edges or fold lines.

The paper itself influences how your program feels in the hand and how it holds up over time. Standard copy paper is often sufficient for simple services and home printers, while a slightly heavier stock adds a more substantial, keepsake quality. For folded designs, especially on thicker paper, pre-scoring or folding carefully along a ruler can prevent cracking and keep edges crisp. Saving your finished design as a high-resolution PDF helps ensure that what you see on screen is exactly what prints at home or at a professional shop.

Digital sharing and remote guests

Not everyone who wants to participate in a service can always be present in person. A template-based program converts easily to digital formats, making it simple to share with those joining by livestream or from another location. Once you finalize your layout, you can export it as a PDF and send it via email, post it with an online obituary, or share it privately in a family group so relatives can download and view it on their own devices.

Providing both printed and digital options is also helpful for accessibility. Some guests value holding a physical program they can tuck into a Bible, journal, or memory box, while others may prefer zooming in on text on a tablet or phone. Because both versions come from the same template, you do not have to maintain separate designs; one carefully prepared file serves all your guests, wherever they are and however they choose to participate.

Audio guide

Audio transcript

Welcome, and thank you for taking a few minutes to learn more about funeral program templates from The Funeral Program Site. This short audio walkthrough is here to reassure you that you can create a beautiful, organized program, even if designing printed pieces is not something you do every day. A funeral program template is a professionally arranged layout that shows you exactly where each part of your information will appear. When you open the file, you will see sample text for the full name of your loved one, important dates, the order of service, and a written tribute or obituary, along with clearly marked spaces for photos. Your role is simply to replace the placeholder wording with real details from your family, while the template quietly manages margins, spacing, and page order in the background. To get started, gather the essentials: names and dates, the time and location of the service, and the names of those who will be reading, speaking, or sharing music. Once these pieces are typed into the template, you will quickly see how much space remains for longer items such as scriptures, poems, song lyrics, or personal messages from friends and relatives. Because the design is structured for you, you can add text with confidence that the overall layout will continue to look balanced and easy to follow. Photos are an important part of many funeral program templates. Families often choose a favorite portrait for the front cover, then add a few additional images inside that capture different seasons of life, special milestones, or quiet everyday moments. The template makes it easy to drop these photos into place and adjust the cropping so that faces are centered and expressions remain clear, even when printed at a smaller size. As you review your completed program, read every line slowly and carefully, paying particular attention to names, dates, and locations. Whenever possible, invite another family member to look it over with you so that more than one set of eyes checks for accuracy. If the pages begin to feel crowded or hard to read, you can shorten a paragraph, move a longer reading to an inside panel, or select a booklet-style template that offers more room. A calm, open layout helps guests stay focused on the words and memories being shared. Before you print a full set of programs, save your finished design as a PDF and create a single proof copy using the paper you plan to use for the entire run. Fold it exactly as you intend to present it and make sure the front, inside, and back panels all appear in the correct order. This simple proofing step can prevent many common issues and helps ensure that your funeral program templates look the way you envisioned when you hand them to guests. After the service, many families keep one or two programs in a memory box, frame, or photo album as a lasting reminder of the day and the life it celebrates. Because the template file is saved on your computer, you can print additional copies later or share the digital version with relatives who could not attend in person. In this way, the care you put into creating the program continues to offer comfort and connection long after the gathering has ended. Most importantly, remember that your program does not need to be elaborate to be meaningful. A simple, clearly organized layout—filled with sincere words and a handful of thoughtfully chosen photos—can become a powerful tribute to a life that truly mattered. The purpose of our funeral program templates is to handle the technical details for you, so you can focus your energy on honoring your loved one with clarity, warmth, and respect.

Helpful links

When you are ready to explore design options or need additional tools, these links provide quick access to core resources from The Funeral Program Site as well as directions for in-person gatherings.

Funeral Program Templates by The Funeral Program Site

The Funeral Program Site offers a wide selection of coordinated designs so families can choose a style that reflects personality, culture, and faith while remaining practical to edit and print. From traditional and formal layouts to scenic, floral, and contemporary themes, each template is crafted to balance visual warmth with readability. Once you select the design that feels right, you can concentrate on the names, stories, and images that best honor the life being remembered, knowing that the underlying structure will help everything come together smoothly.