A celebration of life flyer tells friends, coworkers and neighbors where and when to gather, and it gets shared in the family group chat, on Facebook and on the church board. Getting every name, date and address right matters more than any design choice. Start with the checklist. Then come wording for four kinds of gathering, the difference from a funeral program, and steps for putting the details on a photo in Toybox AI's Smart Editor.
What to put on a celebration of life flyer
Gather these before you design anything, and have a second family member check them:
- The name people knew. Full name with a nickname in parentheses: "Margaret (Peggy) Ellis".
- A photo. One that looks like them in recent years, in good light, with the face clear.
- Dates of life. "June 4, 1941 to September 14, 2026", or just the years.
- One line about them. "Teacher, gardener and grandmother of seven."
- The kind of gathering. Celebration of life, memorial service, funeral service or graveside service.
- Day, date and time. "Saturday, October 17, 2 PM."
- Venue and street address. "Quenridge Park Garden Pavilion, 88 Orchard Lane."
- Reception or repast. "Light lunch to follow in the fellowship hall."
- Flowers or donations. "In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Quenridge Public Library."
- Optional details. A dress note ("Wear something green, her favorite color"), a favorite verse or quote, a livestream link, parking.
- A family contact. A relative's phone or email for questions. List the venue, not the family's home address.
Which service name goes in the headline
The name of the gathering tells guests what to expect, from a formal service to a relaxed afternoon of stories, so pick it before you write anything else. The National Funeral Directors Association's consumer site describes the three this way:
| Gathering | What it usually means | Headline wording |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral service | The casketed body is present, with a formal service; the casket may be open or closed | "Funeral Service for Amos Kettering" |
| Memorial service | The body is not present, though an urn may be; held soon after or weeks or months later | "Memorial Service for Robert Hale" |
| Celebration of life | Often more informal, at a park, a backyard or a favorite restaurant | "A Celebration of Life for Peggy Ellis" |
If the family holds a private funeral first and a larger celebration of life later, the public flyer is for the second one. A flyer for a celebration of life can sound warm and informal; a funeral or memorial notice usually stays formal.
Celebration of life flyer wording and ideas
Each set gives two or three headlines, one or two supporting lines and a closing line. Names and details are fictional; replace them with your own.
Celebration of life
- Headlines: "A Celebration of Life for Peggy Ellis", "Join Us to Celebrate Peggy", "Remembering Peggy: A Celebration of Her Life"
- Supporting lines: "Share a story, a photo or a favorite recipe." "Casual dress. Bring your memories."
- Closing: "Please RSVP to Karen at 555-0152 by Wednesday, October 14."
Memorial service flyer
- Headlines: "In Loving Memory of Robert James Hale", "Memorial Service for Robert Hale"
- Supporting line: "Service at 11 AM, followed by a reception in the chapel hall."
- Closing: "In lieu of flowers, please give to the Hollin Creek Food Pantry."
Funeral service announcement
- Headlines: "Funeral Service for Deacon Amos Kettering", "Homegoing Service for Deacon Amos Kettering"
- Supporting line: "Viewing 10 AM, service 11 AM. Burial at Ashvale Memorial Gardens to follow."
- Closing: "Repast in the fellowship hall after the burial. All are welcome."
A flyer for a funeral held at church follows the same rules as other church flyers: lead with the service name, follow with the weekday, date and time, and finish with the church address and where to park.
Repast or reception
- Headlines: "The Family Invites You to a Repast", "Lunch and Fellowship to Follow"
- Supporting line: "Fellowship hall, 1 PM, immediately after the burial."
- Closing: "Friends are welcome to bring a dish; call Denise at 555-0167."
Fundraiser for funeral costs
A benefit dinner or car wash to help a family with funeral costs needs its own flyer. The fundraiser flyer page covers that wording. Leave "tax-deductible" off a flyer that raises money for one family, and let the church or charity treasurer decide any tax wording.
When the family gathers again months later, a "Remembering Those We Lost" photo table fits naturally on a family reunion flyer.
Celebration of life flyer vs. funeral program
A flyer announces the gathering in advance; a funeral program is handed out at the door and follows the service. A program can hold the cover photo, name and dates, the order of service (music, readings, the eulogy, prayers), a short life story, pallbearers, the family's thanks, and burial and repast details. A simple format is one letter sheet folded in half, which gives four 5.5 x 8.5 inch pages.
Toybox's Flyer Maker and Smart Editor each make one image per run, not a folded booklet. For a program, set two 5.5 x 8.5 inch pages side by side on a landscape letter sheet in your word processor, or ask the funeral home whether it prints programs, and use the photo flyer as the cover image.
Design tips for celebration of life flyers
Pick the photo before anything else. A clear, recent face does more than any border or flourish. A group photo cropped down to one face can come out blurry at letter size, so use a single portrait when you have one.
Use their colors. A favorite color, a garden green, a team color or plain cream and navy. Soft colors suit a formal memorial, and a joyful celebration of life can be bright.
Set the time and address large. Older relatives will read it too, so the date, time and address should read at arm's length without glasses.
Leave the life story for the obituary. The flyer holds one line about them. Longer tributes belong in the program or the obituary.
Put the details in the post text too. When you share the flyer image on Facebook or in a group text, type the day, time and address in the message as well, so people can copy the address into a map app.
Celebration of life flyer sizes and printing
Print a letter copy for the venue entrance and church board, and share a 4:5 image on Facebook, in group texts and by email.
| Size | Pixels at 300 DPI | For |
|---|---|---|
| Letter, 8.5 x 11 in | 2550 x 3300 | Venue entrance, church board, funeral home |
| Half letter, 5.5 x 8.5 in | 1650 x 2550 | Handouts and program covers |
One file can do both jobs. A 4K result in Smart Editor's Social (4:5) shape measures 2,560 x 3,200 pixels. It looks sharp on a phone and prints at 300 pixels per inch across the full width of a letter sheet, with a 1/3-inch white margin at the foot. Paper sizes beyond these two are listed under flyer paper sizes.
How to make a flyer for a funeral in Smart Editor
Smart Editor takes one photo and a plain-language instruction, so the service details can be set around your loved one's picture. It's available on Pro plans and higher.
- Add the photo in Smart Editor under "Your image" (JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB). A scan of a printed photo works.
- Write the flyer text in "What should change?" Put every name, date, time and address in quotes, and close with "don't change her face or anything else".
- Open "More options." Choose Social (4:5) under Shape for a flyer, or keep Original if the photo's own proportions suit you, and 4K under Quality for printing.
- Press "Apply edit" and allow about 30 seconds. Smart Editor currently charges 85 credits for HD and 110 for 4K.
- Hold the result next to the original photo. Every edit redraws the entire image, so small features can shift. If anything looks different, switch to "Original photo" and try again. If it still changes, use the untouched photo and add the text in a word processor instead.
- Have two relatives check every word: the spelling of each name, the dates of life, the weekday and date, the time and the address.
- Correct one detail at a time. With "Latest result" selected, type the fix ("change 11 AM to 10:30 AM") and apply the edit once more.
Make this photo into a celebration of life flyer. Keep her face, hair, smile and clothing exactly the same as in the photo. Place the photo in a soft oval frame in the upper half, on a cream background with pale green leaves. Add this text in elegant dark green type: "A Celebration of Life", "Margaret (Peggy) Ellis", "June 4, 1941 to September 14, 2026", "Saturday, October 17, 2 PM", "Quenridge Park Garden Pavilion, 88 Orchard Lane", "Wear something green, her favorite color. RSVP to Karen at 555-0152". No other text.Make this photo into a memorial service flyer. Keep his face, glasses and suit exactly as they are in the photo. Put the photo on the left half and the text on the right, on a navy background with a thin gold border. Text: "In Loving Memory", "Robert James Hale", "1952 to 2026", "Memorial Service, Friday, October 23, 11 AM", "Hollin Creek Chapel, 19 Ashford Street", "Reception to follow in the chapel hall", "In lieu of flowers, please give to the Hollin Creek Food Pantry". No other text.Use this photo to make a funeral service announcement. Keep his face and smile exactly the same as in the photo. Photo centered at the top on a white background with deep purple and silver accents. Text: "Homegoing Service for Deacon Amos Kettering", "March 2, 1947 to September 20, 2026", "Saturday, October 10. Viewing 10 AM, Service 11 AM", "Wrenhaven Baptist Church, 520 Pine Street", "Repast to follow in the fellowship hall", "Questions: call 555-0184". No other text.For a notice without a photo, such as a church bulletin announcement, Flyer Maker is open to Free plan accounts, and one flyer currently runs 80 credits: choose the Elegant style with Light or Pastel colors and Minimal pictures, and add the church logo with "Add your logo".