In Loving Memory Banner Ideas and Wording

What to write on the banner

Begin with the name. Use the name people called them, whether that is the full name, such as Walter Hale, or only Grandpa or Mom. A shorter name prints in larger letters, and that helps guests read it from across the room.

Next come the years. Many families write the year of birth, a dash and the year of death. You type the years yourself, so you can also write full dates or leave them off. If you want a last line, keep it short. One sentence about who they were, or a line of comfort for the guests, is plenty.

Every optional line can be switched off, so a banner with only a name and a photo is complete. The live preview shows the banner exactly as it prints, and the dashed example text you see there is not printed. One more thought: if you may use the banner again, keep the time and place of the service off it. Those can go on a separate text banner or a card.

• Name: the big line, such as Walter Hale or Grandma Ruth.
• Years: the years of birth and death, written as words, such as 1941 - 2026.
• A short line: LOVED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM or A LIFE WELL LIVED.
• A top line: IN LOVING MEMORY, REMEMBERING or CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF.

Choosing the photo

Pick a picture that looks like them, the way the family remembers them. A relaxed, recent photo often feels truer than a formal one. Look for a clear face and good light. If the picture is a group shot, you can zoom in on the one person.

You do not need a scan. Upload a JPG, PNG or WEBP file. A phone photo works, and so does a phone photo of a printed picture. If the only copy is an old print, lay it flat near a window and take the picture straight on. The site finds the faces and frames them in your own browser. You can drag and zoom, and the face stays in place while you zoom. A note tells you how sharp the photo will print. If the note warns you, ask a relative for a larger copy.

Before you order, you tick a box to say you took the photo or may print it. Studio portraits usually need the photographer's print release, so ask the studio first. If a relative took the picture, ask that relative.

At the service or the chapel

A banner near the front of the room tells guests whose life they came to honor, and it gives the family a face to look at during a hard hour. A wide banner suits a chapel, a hall or a funeral home. A 6 x 3 ft photo banner is $71.95, and an 8 x 3 ft one is $95.95.

Venues have their own rules about walls, so ask what is allowed before you plan how to hang it. The banner has hemmed edges and brass grommets, so rope or hooks will hold it. On an indoor wall, removable adhesive hooks rated for the banner's weight are a gentle choice. A 6 x 3 ft banner weighs about 1.6 lb. Our guide on how to hang a banner has the steps.

At the reception or the graveside

After the service, guests gather somewhere softer, and a banner helps them find the right place. A few spots work well, and each one can be a different size.

If the family has a pop-up tent for an outdoor gathering, bungee cords with balls around the frame hold a banner without any drilling.

• By the guest book: the upright design, made for an easel, comes in 2 x 4 ft ($31.95) and 3 x 6 ft ($71.95).
• In the hall: a wide banner above the food table or behind the photo display, 6 x 3 ft or 8 x 3 ft.
• At the door: a welcome banner, which prints WELCOME across the top and leaves two lines for your own words.
• Outdoors: a small 4 x 2 ft banner ($31.95 with a photo, $25.95 with words only) near the gathering.

Wording with faith and without

Families hold many beliefs, and a banner can fit all of them. Some want a line of faith, some want a line about the person, and some want only a name. None of these is more right than another, and the ideas below mix them so you can take the one that sounds like your family.

Faith wording might read In God's Loving Care, Until We Meet Again or Peace Be With You. Wording without it might read A Life Well Lived, Forever in Our Hearts or Loved Beyond Words. A line that sounds like the person can be the warmest of all, such as ALWAYS HAPPIEST BY THE WATER.

If guests come from many backgrounds, a name, the years and a photo say everything that needs saying. A church service may also want a church banner that names the service time, and the celebration of life banners page is the place to start for the photo banner itself.

How much time to allow

Here is the timing in plain words. Your banner ships in 1 to 2 business days after you order, and ground shipping then takes 2 to 5 business days. Together that is roughly 3 to 7 business days. We cannot promise an arrival date, so leave a day or two of room, and order as soon as the words and the photo are settled. Shipping is $9.99, and it is free on orders of $99 or more.

If the service is very close, a banner with words only is the shortest to set up, because it needs no photo. A photo banner can also be saved for the reception, a later gathering or the family home.

If you would rather hand the work to someone else, the Design it for me option is $35. You upload your files and notes, and we email a mockup within 1 business day. You get 2 rounds of changes, and nothing is printed until you say it is right.

Keeping the banner afterward

Many families keep the banner. It can hang at a yearly gathering, in a workshop or a garage that was theirs, or on a porch on the day the family remembers. A relative who lives far away may like to have it.

To store it, roll it with the printed side out, and do not fold it hard, because a hard fold leaves a crease. When you hang it again, the same rope, hooks or zip ties will do.