There is a moment at many services that feels almost ordinary: someone stands near the entrance, hands folded around a small stack of cards, and quietly offers one to each person as they arrive. It can happen at a traditional funeral, a memorial service, a visitation, or a celebration of life. And yet those small cards often become the one “piece” of the day that people keep for years.
If you have been wondering about cards handed out at funerals, you are likely trying to do two things at once: honor the person who died, and make practical decisions while your mind is already full. The terms can blur together—funeral memorial cards, funeral prayer cards, holy cards, bookmarks, thank-you notes—so this guide will slow it down and make it clearer. We’ll walk through the types of funeral keepsake cards families often hand out, what belongs on each, and how to decide how many to print, when to distribute them, and when it makes more sense to mail them later.
Why These Cards Matter More Than They Look Like They Should
In grief, your brain tends to remember sensations and small anchors: the scent of flowers, the warmth of a hand on your shoulder, a hymn line that catches in your chest. A card can hold that same kind of anchor. It gives people something to hold while they sit, something to look at when words are hard, and something to take home when they leave.
Funeral.com’s guide to what happens at a funeral service notes that guests often take home small tokens—memorial cards and printed tributes—because remembrance doesn’t end when the service ends. That is the real point of these cards: they extend the memorial beyond the room.
Memorial Cards and “In Memoriam” Cards
Families sometimes ask, what is a memorial card, and the simplest answer is this: it’s a small keepsake card that carries the identity of the person who died—usually a photo, their name, dates, and a short line of meaning. In some traditions, memorial cards and prayer cards overlap. In others, memorial cards are intentionally nonreligious: they might include a quote, a short poem, or a few words that sound like the person.
You may also hear the phrase in memoriam cards. These are essentially memorial cards that lean more formal in wording, sometimes using “In Loving Memory” or “In Memoriam” on the front. If your family wants something classic and timeless, that wording can feel right, especially when you do not want to overthink tone.
What Belongs on a Memorial Card
The best funeral card wording is usually the most true. You do not need a perfect quote or a line that sounds like literature. You need something that feels like them. Practically, memorial cards tend to include:
- A clear photo that reads well at small size (usually a head-and-shoulders image or a simple portrait)
- Full name (including nickname if that is how most people knew them)
- Birth and death dates (or years only if privacy feels important)
- A short line of meaning: a quote, verse, poem line, or a simple phrase like “Forever loved”
- Optional service details (date/location), if you want the card to double as a reference
If you are torn between what to include on the card versus what belongs in a program, think of it this way: programs guide a ceremony; memorial cards keep a person close afterward. If you want help deciding what information families typically share publicly, Funeral.com’s how to write an obituary guide can also be a calming reference for tone, key facts, and what is optional.
Prayer Cards and Holy Cards
Funeral prayer cards are a specific kind of keepsake card tied to faith practice. In Catholic funerals and many Christian traditions, prayer cards often include a devotional image, a prayer, a scripture passage, or a hymn line. Holy cards may look similar but tend to feature sacred imagery or saints more explicitly. In everyday conversation, families and funeral homes often use the terms interchangeably—especially when the card includes both a photo and a prayer.
If you are weighing whether prayer cards are typically provided through a funeral home, Funeral.com’s article Do Funeral Homes Provide Prayer Cards? walks through what is commonly included, how personalization works, and what to expect if you want templates or custom designs. Reading that can help you decide whether you want to keep it simple through the funeral home, or handle design and printing elsewhere.
Memorial Card vs Prayer Card
When families debate memorial card vs prayer card, they are usually debating tone more than format. A memorial card can be secular or faith-based; a prayer card is explicitly devotional and is often designed to be used during the service itself. If your family includes people from multiple faith backgrounds, one gentle solution is to choose a memorial card with neutral wording, and include a prayer in the program or spoken portion of the service. Another is to create a prayer card that includes a short, widely comforting line—something simple enough that it does not exclude guests who do not share the same tradition.
If you feel stuck, here are examples that often work because they are short and respectful:
“In loving memory of [Name]. Forever in our hearts.”
“May you find peace, and may love hold you.”
“Lord, grant [Name] eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”
Funeral Bookmark Cards
Funeral bookmark cards are exactly what they sound like: longer, narrow cards designed to sit inside a book, Bible, or journal. Many families choose bookmarks when they want more room for text—perhaps a longer poem, a prayer, a favorite hymn, or a short story-like tribute that feels too long for a traditional wallet-size memorial card.
Bookmarks are also practical for services where guests will hold printed materials. They can be placed inside programs, tucked into hymnals, or offered at the guestbook table. Because they are meant to be used (not just stored), they often become one of the most “kept” formats—especially when the design is simple and the photo is clear.
If your family wants a bookmark to feel timeless, keep the design uncluttered: a single photo, readable typography, and generous margins. If you include a long passage, choose a font size that does not force people to squint in a dim sanctuary.
Thank-You Cards After the Funeral
Thank-you cards are not typically handed out at the service the way memorial cards or prayer cards are. They come later, after the crowd has gone and you begin the quieter work of noticing who showed up, who sent flowers, who brought food, who donated, who called when you could not talk, and who simply sat beside you without needing to fix anything.
Families often worry about timing, wording, and whether they “have” to handwrite everything. Funeral.com’s guide to thank-you card etiquette after a funeral can be helpful here, especially if you are sending notes in waves over time. The core truth is that sincerity matters more than perfection. A short note that names what someone did—“Thank you for the meal,” “Thank you for the donation,” “Thank you for being there”—is often enough.
How Many Memorial Cards to Print (Without Regretting It Later)
The keyword question families type into search engines is often how many memorial cards to print, and it makes sense: you do not want to run out, and you also do not want boxes of leftovers that feel like an emotional burden. The most practical approach is to plan for two groups: people attending in person, and people who will want one afterward.
As a general rule, many families print more cards than the seat count because guests often take a card for a spouse, a sibling, or a friend who could not attend. If you expect 75 guests, printing 100–125 is usually safer than printing exactly 75. If you expect 200 guests, printing 250–300 often prevents the awkward moment of running out near the end of the visitation line.
Also consider your own future self. Many families want extras for grandchildren, for a memory box, for a framed memorial corner, or for anniversaries. That is not sentimental excess; it is simply how grief works over time.
If the service will be livestreamed or if many people live out of state, you can print a modest amount for the service and plan a second small batch later. That second batch is often less stressful because you are no longer racing a service date, and you have more clarity about how many people actually want a card.
Photo and Wording Tips That Keep the Card From Feeling “Off”
The most common regret families have is not choosing the “wrong” card style. It is choosing a photo that does not feel like the person, or wording that sounds generic when the person was anything but. If you can, choose a photo with open eyes, good light, and a simple background. A photo that is slightly imperfect but deeply familiar will usually land better than a formal portrait that feels distant.
On wording, think in one honest sentence. If you feel pressure to include a quote, ask yourself: would they have said this out loud? If the answer is no, it may not be the right line. Many families find comfort in using a phrase they actually heard the person say, even if it is not poetic. It makes the card feel like them.
If you are using funeral card templates from a funeral home or print vendor, try to personalize one detail that matters: a specific photo, a meaningful line, a small symbol, or a font that fits the person’s personality. Templates are meant to reduce stress, not erase individuality.
Etiquette: Handing Them Out at the Service vs Mailing Later
Most families distribute memorial cards, prayer cards, or bookmarks in one of three places: at the entrance as guests arrive, on seats before the service begins, or at the guestbook/memory table. None of these is “more correct” than the others; it depends on your service flow.
If the card is meant to be used during the ceremony—especially a prayer card—offering it as guests arrive helps. If the card is meant to be a keepsake only, placing it at a memory table can feel gentler and less transactional. Some families prefer to hand out cards after the service, as guests leave, because it mirrors the idea of taking remembrance with you when you walk back into ordinary life.
Mailing later is often best when the guest list is large, geographically scattered, or when you want to include a more personal note. A mailed memorial card can also accompany thank-you notes, especially for people who could not attend but supported you in other ways.
Nonreligious Keepsake Ideas Guests Actually Keep
If faith-based language does not fit your family, you are not limited to a blank memorial card. Nonreligious keepsakes can still be deeply meaningful, and often feel more emotionally accurate for the person who died. A few approaches tend to work well:
- A simple memorial card with a photo and a line of meaning (a quote, a favorite saying, or a “known for” phrase)
- A bookmark with a short poem, a list of “things we loved about them” in one tight paragraph, or a story fragment
- A small “memory prompt” card with a gentle invitation: “Share a favorite story,” “Write what you will miss,” or “Tell us what you learned from them”
- A recipe card if the person was known for a specific dish, paired with a photo and a date line
These options are still funeral keepsakes to give guests—they simply match a different worldview. The goal is not religious or secular; the goal is connection.
When Printed Cards Become Part of a Larger Memorial Plan
For many families, the card handed out at the service eventually lives near a photo, a candle, or a small shelf of remembrance. Increasingly, it may also sit beside an urn or a keepsake piece, especially as cremation becomes more common. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025. The Cremation Association of North America reports a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% in 2024. In other words, many families are building memorials that live at home, not only at a cemetery, and the printed card often becomes part of that space.
If your family is navigating ashes and memorialization at the same time, Funeral.com’s guides can help you choose options that match your plans and values. For a scenario-based approach, How to Choose a Cremation Urn That Fits Your Plans walks through home memorials, burial, scattering, travel, and sharing. If your family is considering keeping ashes at home, the guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally can help you think through placement, household comfort, and practical considerations. And if a ceremony at sea or near a shoreline is part of your plan, Funeral.com’s water burial guide offers a grounded explanation of what to expect.
From there, families often choose a primary urn and, if they want to share, a few smaller pieces. Funeral.com’s cremation urns for ashes collection includes a wide range of styles for a central memorial. For shared remembrance, small cremation urns and keepsake urns can allow multiple people to have a tangible connection.
Some families also choose cremation jewelry as a private kind of keepsake—something wearable for days when grief surfaces unexpectedly. Funeral.com’s cremation jewelry and cremation necklaces collections are designed for holding a small portion of ashes. If you want a gentle, practical explanation before you choose, Cremation Jewelry: A Gentle, Practical Guide can help you understand how families use jewelry alongside a primary urn.
For pet families, the same idea applies: a card, a photo, and a small memorial space can be deeply grounding. Funeral.com’s pet cremation urns, pet figurine cremation urns, and pet keepsake cremation urns collections give families options that feel personal, not generic.
All of this can sound like “more decisions,” and that is not the intention. The intention is the opposite: to reassure you that you can choose a simple path. A memorial card can be enough. A prayer card can be enough. A bookmark can be enough. Even a single photo printed on a small card can be enough—because it lets people take a piece of the memory with them.
In the end, the right card is the one that feels like the person. If you keep that as your compass, the format becomes less intimidating, the wording becomes more honest, and the number you print becomes just a practical detail—not a test you can fail.
