A burial invitation card in Nigeria tells guests whose life is being remembered, which events are happening, and exactly where and when each one holds. Start with the full name and years of the deceased, list each event (wake keeping or service of songs, funeral service, interment, reception) with its own date, time and venue, add directions to anywhere hard to find, name the family who is inviting, give the colour for the day, and finish with a contact for questions. The samples below cover an elderly parent's burial, a younger person's funeral and a fidau prayer, each with a WhatsApp version.
What a burial invitation card should say
- A heading that sets the tone. For an elderly parent many families write "Celebration of life" or "Thanksgiving for a life well spent". For a young person, or a death that was sudden, "Funeral service of" or "In loving memory of" is more fitting.
- The full name of the deceased, with titles if the family uses them, and their years: "1938 to 2026", or "aged 88".
- One line about them, if the family wants it: their town, their church, what they did.
- Each event as its own block: wake keeping or service of songs, funeral service, interment, reception. Date, time and venue for every one.
- Directions. A landmark, a bus stop, a map link or a short "how to get there" line for a village burial. Guests come from other states and the last kilometre is where they get lost.
- The family inviting: "The Okafor family", or the names of the children.
- Colour or aso ebi for the day, if there is one.
- A phone number for enquiries, ideally someone who is not the chief mourner.
Leave the full order of service, the hymns and the biography for the funeral programme, which guests receive on the day. There is a copy-ready one in our funeral programme template.
Sample 1: an elderly parent (Christian)
Celebration of life
With gratitude to God for a life well spent, the family of the late
Pa Gabriel Olusegun Adeleke 1938 to 2026 retired headmaster, Ilesa
invite you to his funeral ceremonies
Service of songs Thursday 19 November 2026, 5pm Family house, 12 Ayeni Street, Ilesa
Funeral service Friday 20 November 2026, 10am St Peter's Anglican Church, Ilesa
Interment follows at the family house
Reception Friday 20 November 2026, 1pm Ilesa Civic Centre (opposite the post office)
Colour of the day: navy blue and gold Enquiries: 0803 000 0000 (Tunde)
WhatsApp version:
The family of the late Pa Gabriel Olusegun Adeleke (1938 to 2026) invite you to his funeral. Service of songs Thursday 19 November, 5pm, family house, 12 Ayeni Street, Ilesa. Funeral service Friday 20 November, 10am, St Peter's Anglican Church, Ilesa; interment follows at the family house. Reception 1pm, Ilesa Civic Centre, opposite the post office. Colours: navy and gold. Enquiries: Tunde, 0803 000 0000.
Sample 2: a younger person
When the death was early or sudden, keep the language plain and leave out celebration and colours unless the family asks for them.
In loving memory
The family of
Chinedu Emmanuel Eze 1989 to 2026
invite you to his funeral service
Saturday 28 November 2026, 10am Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Enugu
Interment follows at the family home, Nsukka
Enquiries: 0805 000 0000
Sample 3: a fidau prayer
Islamic custom is to bury the dead quickly, so a Muslim burial itself rarely has a printed invitation. Many Yoruba Muslim families hold a fidau prayer some days after the burial, often with a reception, and that is the event the card invites people to.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The family of the late
Alhaja Sidikat Abeke Lawal 1946 to 2026
invite you to the fidau prayer for her repose
Sunday 22 November 2026, 10am Lawal family house, 5 Oke Ado Road, Ibadan
Reception follows Enquiries: 0806 000 0000
Practice differs between families and communities. Check the wording, the day and the order of events with the family and the imam before it is printed.
Burial invitation card with directions
Village burials are where guests get lost. If the venue is a family compound, add a directions line under the venue:
From Ilesa garage, take the Ijebu-Jesa road, turn left after the second filling station, the house is the third on the right with white canopies.
On WhatsApp, add a map link as well. On a printed card, a small map on the back does the same job.
Sending burial invitations on WhatsApp
Many burial invitations now go out on WhatsApp, forwarded through family groups. Send the text version above, not only a picture of the card, because text can be searched in a chat weeks later and a picture often cannot. Keep one person as the contact for enquiries so the bereaved are not answering the same question all week. For broadcast limits and the risk of a ban when you send to hundreds of numbers, see our guide to sending invitations on WhatsApp.
Access passes for a burial reception
Large burial receptions have the same gate problem as weddings. More guests arrive than were invited, and the food runs out before family friends are served. Some families now use access cards for burials too. A printed card can be copied; a QR access pass is scanned once and stops working. We priced both in wedding access card prices vs a QR pass.
On Comtev, a planner collects the guest list from the family on WhatsApp, sends each guest an invitation with their own QR access pass, and door staff scan them in at the reception. See how it works.
FAQs
What do you write on a burial invitation card?
The name and years of the deceased, a heading that fits the family's wishes, each event with its date, time and venue, directions for hard-to-find venues, the family who is inviting, the colour of the day if there is one, and a phone number for enquiries.
How do you write a burial invitation message for WhatsApp?
Put the name of the deceased, each event with its day, time and venue, the colours, and one contact person, in plain text rather than only an image, so guests can search for it later.
What is the difference between a burial announcement and a burial invitation?
An announcement tells people that someone has died, usually soon after the death. An invitation, often sent weeks later, asks people to attend the funeral events on set dates.
Do Muslim families send burial invitation cards?
The burial itself usually happens quickly, so there is rarely a card for it. Many families send invitations for a later prayer, such as a fidau, and its reception.
Should a burial invitation card include the funeral programme?
No. The card gives the events, dates and venues. The order of service, hymns and biography belong in the programme guests receive on the day.