A few principles
Say who died, when and where people can come, and what follows the service. Use the name the family uses: "Mom", "our dear father", or a full name. Write times with AM or PM and give the full address with the city. One or two warm lines are enough; the photo and the music carry the feeling. If you are making a video, keep each line short so it fits on a phone screen.
For a funeral service
"With heavy hearts we share that Margaret Ellis passed away on October 12. Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 18, at 11:00 AM at Grace Community Church, 120 Elm Street, Springfield. We would be grateful for your presence." A shorter version for a video: "Join us to say goodbye to Margaret. Saturday, October 18, 11:00 AM, Grace Community Church, Springfield."
For a memorial service
"Please join us as we remember Robert Turner, who passed away on September 30. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 25, at 2:00 PM at Lakeside Chapel, 7 Shore Drive, Fairview." For more on this form, read a memorial service invitation video.
For a graveside service
"A graveside service for Henry Walsh will take place on Tuesday, October 20, at 10:00 AM at Hillcrest Cemetery, Section B, 400 Valley Road, Millbrook. Family and friends are welcome." Add the section or gate if the cemetery is large.
For a reception or gathering afterward
"Following the service, please join us for lunch at the Lakewood Community Center, 300 Park Avenue, until 3:00 PM." Or more simply: "Lunch and stories afterward at the church hall." Give it its own line so the time is not confused with the service.
For flowers and donations
"In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Springfield Animal Shelter." Or: "Flowers may be sent to Oakwood Funeral Home." Only name a charity the family chose. You can also say: "Your presence is the only gift we need."
Closing lines
"Thank you for your love and support." "Mom would have loved to see you there." "We look forward to remembering him together." For a celebration rather than a service, see celebration of life invitation wording. To see these lines in complete videos, look at the funeral invitation video examples, and if you also need to tell people about the death itself, read death announcement wording.
Wording for a visitation or viewing
"Visitation will be held on Friday, October 17, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Oakwood Funeral Home, 18 Cedar Lane, Fairview. The funeral service follows on Saturday at 11:00 AM at Grace Community Church." Give the visitation and the service each their own line, with their own times. If the visitation is for family only, leave it out of the invitation altogether.
Wording for a religious service
"A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Thomas Reilly on Monday, October 20, at 10:00 AM at St. Anne's Church, 55 Oak Street, Millbrook." Or: "A service of remembrance will be held at First Baptist Church." Use the name the congregation uses for the service, and ask the family or the clergy if you are unsure. If the family is not religious, "a service" or "a gathering" is enough.
Wording when family will travel
"We know many of you will travel to be with us. The service is on Saturday at 11:00 AM; please allow time for parking." A practical sentence like this is a kindness to people coming from far away.
Making it fit a phone screen
Wording for a video or text should be shorter than wording for a printed card. Split long sentences into separate lines: the day and time on one, the place on the next, the reception on a third. Leave out words like "respectfully" and "cordially" if they make a line too long; warmth comes through in the family's own line more than in formal phrases.
Check your wording
- Name spelled as the family wants
- Weekday matches the date
- Times include AM or PM
- Full address with city
- Charity named only if the family chose it
About these guides
Written by Funeral Invitations, in plain language, for funeral directors and families. If anything changes about the videos or the price, we update the guides.