Funeral Wishes Template: What to Write Down for Your Family

Can your family answer this today: burial or cremation? Most cannot. When someone dies, relatives often make a dozen decisions within days, while grieving, and guess at what the person wanted. A one-page funeral wishes document removes the guessing.

You do not need a lawyer to write down your wishes. You do need to put them somewhere your family will find them quickly. Do not rely on your will alone, because wills are often read after the funeral. See funeral wishes vs your will.

The template

Copy these headings into a document and fill in what you know. Leave blanks where you have no preference. A partial list is still useful.

1. About me

Full name, date of birth, and the name I’d like used at the service
Faith, culture or traditions I’d like respected

2. Who to contact first

Executor or main contact, with phone number
Two or three people who must be told personally
Whether I’d like a death notice, and where

3. Body and ceremony

Burial or cremation (or “no preference”)
Where I’d like to be buried or where ashes could go
Open or closed coffin, and any clothing or items I’d like with me
Whether I’d like a funeral director, a celebrant or a religious leader, and any names I’d suggest

4. The service

Where: church, chapel, home, a favourite place
Tone: formal, relaxed, a celebration, small and private
Music I love, and music I’d rather not hear
Readings, poems or prayers
Who I’d like to speak, and who I would not want to be put on the spot
Flowers, donations to a charity instead, or neither
Dress code, if any

5. Afterwards

A wake or gathering, and the kind of food or drinks I’d like
Photos or a short life story I’d like shared. See writing your life story
A letter or message for someone to read. See letters to loved ones

6. Money and paperwork

Whether I have a prepaid funeral plan or funeral insurance, and with which company
Where my will, super details and key documents are. See the documents checklist
Passwords and accounts: where my list is stored. See digital accounts after death

Where to keep it

Keep the original somewhere safe and easy to reach, not only in a locked safe deposit box.
Give a copy to your executor and at least one other trusted person.
Tell your family it exists. A perfect document nobody knows about does not help.
Review it every year or after a big life change.

A note on cost

Funeral costs vary widely by state, provider and choices. Ask for itemised written quotes and compare. Our guide to planning a funeral on a budget covers questions to ask.

Make it easy for your family to find

Lifebook Memories lets you record your funeral wishes, store key documents, and add photos, letters and stories in one place, then choose who can see what and when.

General information only, not legal or financial advice. Rules and costs differ across Australian states and territories. Speak to a solicitor or licensed funeral director for advice that fits your situation.

Before publishing

Add a downloadable one-page PDF of the template (lead magnet, collects emails).
Add FAQ schema: “What should I include in my funeral wishes?” and “Do funeral wishes have to be in my will?”
Check the “Do funeral wishes have to be in my will” answer with a solicitor or celebrant before publishing; I have kept it general.
Link to Posts 1 to 10 and add reciprocal links in older posts.
Use original imagery with alt text.

Queue (next 3)

How to talk with a grandparent about their life story
Memory book ideas for a funeral or memorial service (Australia)
What is a celebrant and how do you choose one in Australia?

Biggest unresolved risk

[Likely] Publishing, then Australian backlinks. Pitch two funeral directors, one aged-care blog and one estate-planning solicitor with the template as a free resource. Reply “published” with URLs and I will track them. Connect Search Console and I will replace guesses with data.