Plan the funeral without carrying every detail in your head.
Start with the decisions that affect everything else, then use the tools below for the service, food, costs, people and printing.
Decide what must happen to care for the person who died, who has authority to make arrangements, what kind of disposition is wanted, and the rough size and type of gathering. Many smaller choices become much easier after those four questions are clear.
Funeral planning checklist
A prioritized list from immediate decisions through the service and the weeks afterwards. Your checks save on this device.
Open checklist โMeal, shopping and contribution planner
Work out quantities, build a shopping list and create practical things to ask family, church members or friends to bring.
Plan the meal โOrder of service maker
Create a simple program with the person's name, service information, readings, music and tributes, then print it.
Make the program โUnderstand funeral costs and your rights
Know what the FTC Funeral Rule says about price lists, optional goods and services, caskets and cremation alternatives.
Read before you buy โObituary helper
Turn the basic facts, family details and memories into a warm first draft you can edit.
Write the obituary โFuneral budget planner
Set a real spending ceiling, enter quotes and see what remains before agreeing to extras.
Plan the budget โThank-you note helper
Simple wording for food, flowers, donations, practical help and people who took part.
Find the words โEulogy outline builder
Find a clear shape for what you want to say without trying to summarize an entire life.
Build an outline โContribution planner
Track money, food, flowers, transport and practical jobs people have offered.
Track contributions โIf the death has just happened
Return to the first-step guide if you are not yet at the point of planning the service.
See first steps โShape the service
A straightforward structure for a funeral or memorial that can be adapted for religious, secular or family-led services.
See a service outline โA funeral service does not need to be complicated to be meaningful.
A simple structure can help people know what to prepare. Adapt it to the person's faith, culture, wishes and the venue.
- Arrival and welcome.
Music, photographs or quiet space as people gather. - Opening words.
A welcome, prayer, reflection or acknowledgement of why everyone has come. - Remember the person.
Obituary, eulogy, family stories, photographs or a short tribute. - Readings and music.
Scripture, poetry, meaningful texts or songs that genuinely fit the person. - Response.
Prayer, reflection, silence, shared memories or a chance for people to participate. - Closing and next steps.
Final words, committal if appropriate, and clear information about the cemetery or reception.
Details people often discover too late.
Reception logistics, public wording, flowers and donations, and the photo slideshow can all become last-minute work unless somebody owns them.
Reception planner
Venue, serving, helpers, leftovers and cleanup.
Announcement wording
Simple text, social and service-detail examples.
Flowers & donations wording
Clear ways to explain what the family prefers.
Photo slideshow planner
Collect, sort, test and delegate the presentation.
Decisions, documents and the day itself.
Questions for a funeral home
Prices, optional services, embalming, cremation and third-party fees.
Open questions โBurial or cremation
Wishes, beliefs, cost, place and long-term considerations.
Compare options โFuneral day timeline
Family arrival, service, burial, reception and handoffs.
Build timeline โThe questions that usually appear after planning has already begun.
Complete funeral planning pack
One working document for the family.
Open pack โChildren at funerals
Prepare, include and give them a real exit.
Read guide โLivestream planner
Testing, links, privacy and a failure plan.
Plan stream โMemorial table
Create a focused photo and keepsake display.
Plan display โBelongings after a death
What is urgent, what can wait and what needs legal authority.
Read guide โThe first weeks afterward
Move from emergency mode into a slower rhythm.
See next steps โViewing / visitation
What happens and how to prepare family members.
Understand it โCasket or urn guide
Start with budget and actual requirements.
Compare calmly โBurial-day checklist
Transport, access, weather and the transition afterward.
Open checklist โ