Graveside Service Order of Service Template

The order of service

1. 01Gathering

   5 min

   Guests assemble at the graveside. Seating is usually provided only for immediate family, so expect most people to stand.

2. 02Opening words

   1 to 2 min

   The officiant welcomes everyone in a few sentences. Outdoors, brevity matters more than at any indoor service.

3. 03Scripture or reading

   Psalm 23 is the most frequently used. A short poem or passage works equally well for a secular service.

4. 04Brief remarks

   3 to 8 min

   A short reflection or one memory. If this is the only service, allow five to eight minutes and one or two speakers.

5. 05Committal words

   The formal committal, spoken as the casket or urn is lowered or placed. This is the moment the service exists for.

6. 06Prayer or moment of silence

   A closing prayer, or a silence introduced as an invitation for anyone to use as they wish.

7. 07Flowers or earth

   3 to 5 min

   Guests are invited to place a flower, or a handful of earth, on the casket. This gives everyone something to do and is often what people remember.

8. 08Closing and reception

   2 min

   The officiant closes and states clearly where guests should go next, including the address.

Committal wording you can copy

Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details. Every block below is free to copy and use.

Graveside Service for
[Full Name]
[Birth date] – [Date of death]

[Cemetery name]
[City, State]
[Date] at [time]

We commit the body of [Name] to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

We return [Name] to the earth, in gratitude for the life [he/she/they] lived and for the time we were given together. What [he/she/they] gave us does not end here.

We place the ashes of [Name] in this ground, and we leave behind nothing that matters. What mattered, we are taking with us.

You are invited to come forward and place a flower. Take as long as you need. When you are ready, please join us at [location] for [meal or reception].

How this fits on a folded program

A standard funeral program is a single sheet folded once, giving four panels. Here is where each part usually goes.

• A single folded card is usually enough; a four-panel program is unnecessary for a graveside-only service
• Front: name, dates, cemetery, and date
• Inside: the short order of service and the reading or committal text
• Back: reception address and the family's thanks

Practical notes

• Print on heavier card stock. Single sheets are difficult to hold outdoors and become unreadable in light rain.
• Tell guests in advance about terrain, grass, and distance from parking. This matters enormously to older attendees and to anyone with mobility limits, and it is easily forgotten.
• Cemeteries usually have a firm schedule. Confirm your allotted window, because running long can genuinely affect the next family's service.
• If this is the only service, plan for slightly more content and arrange some seating and shade if the cemetery permits it.

Questions families ask

How long is a graveside service?

Fifteen to thirty minutes is standard. A committal following a full funeral is often closer to ten or fifteen minutes. A graveside-only service, where no other ceremony is held, typically runs closer to thirty.

Do we need a program for a graveside service?

It is optional and many families skip it. A single folded card works well when there are readings guests may want to follow, when the family wants a keepsake, or when the graveside service is the only ceremony being held.

What if the weather is bad?

Ask the cemetery about a committal shelter or tent, and confirm the plan the day before. Most cemeteries can shorten or relocate a service in severe weather, and funeral directors do this routinely. Tell guests directly if the service will be abbreviated so nobody is caught unprepared.