6 Funeral Invitation Wording Examples

When a loved one has passed it is important to ensure that everyone who knew and loved them has the opportunity to say goodbye and pay their respects at the funeral service. Funeral invitations are a crucial part of funeral stationery as they not only inform guests of the service but in some cases, break the difficult news. For this reason, the way funeral invitations are worded is incredibly important.

The tone of your funeral invitation should be considered carefully and capture the tone of the service. Of course, most invitations will be sombre and formal, breaking the difficult news. However, if you choose to have a funeral focusing on celebrating life, the wording may be slightly different and convey a different message.

Some things you may want to include:

• ‘In loving memory of’

• Picture of the one who passed

• A line from their favourite poem/hymn/prayer/song

• Contact details for RSVP

• The deceased’s name/date of birth/ date of death

• Funeral stationery such as memory boards or welcome boards

• Special requests such as flowers, donations to a charity, etc.

Sombre examples

“In loving memory of [name], who sadly passed [date] following a short illness.

The family would like to invite you to the funeral service, which will take place at [place, date and time].

There will be a small reception held afterwards at [place & time], which you are warmly invited to. Flowers/condolences can be sent to [address]. We would like to request any condolences be in the form of donations to [charity] which was so dear to [name]’s heart.”

“We regret to inform you of the sad news that [name] has passed away, following a long battle with illness. They were loved immensely till the end.

They were a loving wife/husband, mother/father, and cherished friend. The funeral will take place at [time and date], to which you are invited.

A small reception will be held at [place & time] to celebrate the life and happy times of [name]. All are welcome.”

Warmer examples

“We are sorry to break the news that [name] has passed after a long and happy life. [Name] was a valued friend and cherished mother, daughter, and sister. They will be missed dearly.

We would like to invite you to the funeral service, held at [date, time, place]. We request that all guests wear [colour] to remember [name], as it was their favourite. Please bring tissues and cherished memories of [name] to9 share with friends and family.

It will no doubt be an emotional day, but we would like to ask everyone to come with a smile as [name] would have wanted. The service will be to celebrate their life and all they contributed in their lifetime.

Following the service, we will be holding a gathering at [place and time] to celebrate their life and raise a glass (or so) in their honour. You are warmly invited.”

“The family of [name] would like to sadly inform of you of their passing. We would like to invite you to their funeral service, held at [place, date, and time].

The service will be conducted in the spirit of celebrating the long and happy life of [name]. Please wear something bright and cheery to commemorate such a kind and warm person.

Celebrations will be held afterwards at [name, time] to commemorate [name]’s life. There will be refreshments, drinks and happy memories flowing so please bring your favourite memory of [name].

Donations for [charity] will be collected in their honour.”

Other examples

“In loving memory of [name], the family regret to inform you of their passing.

The funeral service will be held at [place, date, time]. We would like to ask that any donations be made to [charity] in their name.

Following the service, we will have a small, intimate reception at [place, time], which you are invited to.”

After a lengthy and brave fight, it is with great sadness that we must announce [name] passed away in hospital on [date].

He/she appreciated all the flowers and every visit that helped keep his/her spirits up and fighting till the end.

“The funeral will be held on [date], [time] at [location].

The burial will follow at [cemetery location]

Please let anyone who knew [name] know and that they are welcome to be there to celebrate and remember his/her life.”

Aside from the funeral invitations, other forms of funeral stationery can be important on the day of the funeral. The funeral order of service for example should also take some consideration when writing. The order of service should also reflect the tone of the event and should be worded accordingly.

For order of service examples, you can browse our funeral order of service templates, here.