Funeral and memorial guides

If you have been asked to put together the slideshow, choose the music or write a few words, these guides answer the questions families ask us most. Each one starts with the short answer and lists its sources.

Looking for music first? See the funeral song lists, by country, part of the service, faith and decade.

• Best songs for a funeral slideshow (UK and US)

  Songs that work under a funeral slideshow: the UK's most requested funeral music, picks by decade and mood, and how many photos each song carries.

• How many photos for a funeral slideshow?

  A simple formula for choosing how many photos to use in a funeral or memorial slideshow, with timings for the service, the wake and venue screens.

• How long should a memorial video be?

  Memorial video length for the funeral service, the wake and sharing online, based on real crematorium slot times and what funeral video makers advise.

• How to make a celebration of life video

  A step-by-step plan for a celebration of life video: gathering family photos, a story shape, music, length, and sharing it with people far away.

• Hymns for funerals: popular choices by tradition

  Funeral hymns families choose in the UK and US, grouped by Church of England, Catholic and gospel traditions, with where each fits in the service.

• Will it play at the funeral home? Video formats, USB sticks and music rules

  Make sure a memorial video plays on the day: the safest file format, USB stick settings, venue upload systems, a test checklist and music licences.

• What to write on a memorial card: wording ideas and examples

  What goes on a memorial or prayer card, with ready-to-adapt wording for the front, the back and the verse, for religious and non-religious families.

• Funeral order of service: what to include and example wording

  What goes on each page of a funeral order of service, a typical running order for church and crematorium services, and example wording you can copy and adapt.

• Funeral poems: well-loved readings, religious and not

  Funeral poems and readings families choose most, for religious and humanist services, with notes on length, who should read, and printing in-copyright poems.

• Eulogy examples and a simple way to write one

  Three short eulogy examples you can adapt — for a mother, a father and a friend — plus a five-part structure, opening and closing lines, and tips for the day.