Funeral Checklist: Practical Steps for Planning a Service

When you are planning for yourself or arranging a service for someone you love, a checklist can make the next steps feel more manageable. Use this guide to organize immediate arrangements, funeral service details, and the personal touches that help honor a life.

Create a funeral program online when you are ready to add service information, photographs, and memorial content.

Immediate arrangements

• Contact the appropriate local authority. If the death occurs outside a hospital or nursing home, contact the appropriate authorities. They can advise on the next required steps, which may include contacting a coroner depending on the circumstances.
• Notify close family and friends. Let the people closest to the deceased know as soon as you are able, especially anyone who may need time to make travel arrangements.
• Keep key details together. Write down decisions, names, phone numbers, and questions as they arise. This can make conversations with family and the funeral director easier to follow.

Many of the decisions below can be made with a funeral director. Keeping this checklist nearby can help you remember the details that matter to your family.

Funeral service planning checklist

• Consider whether embalming is desired.
• For a traditional burial, choose clothing and jewelry. This step may not be needed for cremation.
• Choose burial or cremation. For burial, consider a cemetery plot or vault and whether the casket will be open or closed.
• Decide on visitation or viewing hours at the funeral home, if desired.
• Choose the date, time, and location for the funeral or memorial service.
• Share relevant family relationships with the funeral director to help with ceremony seating.
• Select flower arrangements and let mourners know any floral preferences.
• Gather photographs or create a photo album to share memories and meaningful moments.
• Choose who will write and deliver the eulogy.
• Arrange pallbearers. Traditionally, this may involve four to six people.
• Plan transportation for family members to the gravesite, if applicable. Funeral homes generally arrange transportation for the deceased.
• Choose a grave marker or headstone, if applicable.
• Decide whether to hold a wake, reception, or other gathering.

Create a funeral program online

A funeral program can help guests follow the service and provide a keepsake for family and friends. QuickFuneral offers tools to design a funeral program online.

1. Select a background image from the Background tab. You can also upload another background image.
2. Upload a photo of your loved one using the Image tab. Mask effects are available to adjust its appearance.
3. Add a front-cover sentiment, such as “In Loving Memory.”
4. Add readings or funeral poems from the Text tab.
5. For custom wording, select “Simple Text Box” from the Text tab.
6. Move to the inner page and add the service details.

Start a funeral program

Print or download your funeral program

Before finalizing your program, go to the Download tab and select “Download Sample PDF” to review a test copy. You can also view a sample page.

When the content looks right, select “Download PDF” or “Purchase PDF.” Both options open a payment dialog for the applicable service charge through a secure payment gateway. QuickFuneral does not store payment information. If you encounter an error in the sample PDF, use Quick Live Chat at the bottom of the page for support.