Celebration of Life Guest List
Everyone who should be there, in one place.
Planning your own farewell? List the people you want in the room, so nobody is forgotten and nobody has to guess.
Planning for someone you love? Start with who they would have wanted, then add who needs to be there for you.
What the guest list does
A celebration of life usually comes together in days, not months. A guest list does three jobs in that window:
- It tells you who to reach, so no one hears about it secondhand.
- It gives you a headcount, so food, chairs, and printed programs are close to right.
- It spreads the calls across several people, so one grieving person is not on the phone all week.
How to build it in 30 minutes
Start with names, not details. Write every name that comes to mind. Phone numbers can be filled in later by whoever knows them.
Group them. Family, friends, work, faith community, neighbors. Groups make it easier to hand a section to a helper.
Decide how each person hears. Some people need a call. Some are fine with a text. Older relatives may want a card, even a late one. The template has a column for it.
Track replies. Yes, No, Maybe, No reply. The sheet totals it for you and estimates headcount, counting Maybes at half.
Assign the reach-out. The second tab lets you write "Aunt Carol calls the cousins, Ben texts the softball team." Nobody makes forty calls.
Ask for help by name. The third tab lists every role a celebration needs, from eulogy to cleanup. People want to help and do not know how. Ask early and be specific.
Who to include
- Immediate and extended family, including estranged relatives if the person would have wanted them told. A phone call is a kindness even if they do not come.
- Close friends from every chapter: childhood, school, work, hobbies, faith.
- Caregivers, doctors, nurses, hospice staff, and aides. They often want to come.
- Neighbors and the people from daily life: the barber, the coffee shop, the dog park.
- Coworkers and former coworkers. Ask one person from the workplace to spread the word.
- Anyone the person named in their own plan, if they left one.
A note on privacy
This template holds phone numbers and addresses. Keep it in your own Google Drive or on your own computer, and share it only with the people helping you.
Preview the template
Free to use. Tell us where to send it, and the editable copy and the PDF arrive by email.
Related resources
Find help near you
If you would rather hand the whole day to someone, a Celebration of Life Planner can build the guest list with you. Find Celebration of Life Planners