You might be surprised to learn that a funeral program is a very important part of any funeral ceremony. Or perhaps you already knew that and are panicking because you’ve been asked to design one. Either way, you will want to make sure that the program is as good as it can possibly be, and that it is made fast. There is often not much time between the days someone dies and their funeral, so it’s vital that you get it done quickly. You can certainly ask the funeral home to perform this service for you. However, they will charge you a fee and it might feel less personal if you do. The question is, how do you take the task on yourself? Lucky for you, here is the answer. Follow these steps to make sure that your funeral program design is perfect to honor your loved one.
Choose a Funeral Program Template
When you first get asked, you may start to dread having to actually come up with a design for the program. Should there be a picture on the cover? What information is needed? How many pages should it be? All of these questions are important, but you can get answers to them pretty easily. Navigate to a site like MyCreativeShop to choose a template for your program. They have templates specially designed for funeral programs, so you don’t have to worry about designing one all by yourself. All you have to do is choose the one you like the best, and fill in the information and photos that you’ve chosen to include. It’s that easy.
Decide on What You Want In the Program
A funeral program can have many different things inside of it. At its most basic, it should have some information about the deceased. This usually includes their full name, maiden name, date of birth and death, and other basic personal information. It should also include a listing of everything that attendees should expect during the ceremony, from speakers, to religious passages, to songs that will be sung. On top of that, there are many different options for what you can include. Do you want to have images of the deceased or their family? You could also have a listing of all of their favorite things, such as musicians, movies, television programs, or hobbies.
Gathering the information may be difficult, or you may not know enough about their hobbies and favorite things. Don’t be shy about asking others for help with this. There may be people that enjoy similar things who can fill in some of the blanks. If you do ask others for help, make sure that they understand there’s a deadline so that everything is printed on time.
Include the Obituary
It’s always a good idea to include a space for the obituary in your funeral program design. This provides a good general biography of the deceased and fills in the details of their life. Family members will appreciate being mentioned, and it will make sure that people have a copy of it as a keepsake when they go home.
Make the Template Unique
Just because you are using a template does not mean that you can’t make it personal and unique, such as by highlighting a cremation urn. Do what you can to add in splashes of your own creativity and care. To truly honor a loved one, you can have bits of flair that reflect who they were. Use clipart of flowers, or other beautiful imagery to set the mood, but also intersperse images of things they enjoyed. Perhaps a baseball or a crochet needle. Whatever it is, you can quickly make the program more about the deceased and not just about what will happen at the ceremony.
Proofread Everything
You might be running around and trying to get things finished, but always take some time to proofread everything and to look the program over before printing. Check for every detail. This includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, and spacing. Make sure that your font is appropriate for the occasion, and that it is clear and legible. All your photos should be properly cropped without any embarrassing aspects that you might have missed, and make sure not to remove anyone’s head in the process. Only after you have made sure that nothing is out of place and everything is perfect, you can go ahead and print them off.
After taking all of those steps, it’s just a matter of deciding whether you will print them yourself at home or take it to a printing service. You might think that at home would be easier and more affordable, but paper and ink still cost money. Plus, you could end up running out of either one, which would just mean wasted time going to the store. Whatever you choose, make sure to leave yourself enough time to print everything well before the ceremony and to include time for mistakes and delays.
Being asked to design the funeral program doesn’t have to keep you up at night stressing out. Follow these steps, and you will design a funeral program that will honor your loved one and that everyone will appreciate.
Image Source: BigStockPhoto.com (Licensed)
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