What to Write in an Unveiling Programme
An unveiling programme is a small booklet with a big job: it names the day, holds the order, and goes home in handbags and Bibles as the keepsake of the morning. The wording is simpler than people fear. The cover carries one line and a name; the inside carries the order; the back carries the family's thanks and the invitation to eat together. This page gives you wording for each part that you can lift as-is or bend to your family's voice.
The cover
The cover needs four things: the ceremony line, the full name, the dates, and the day's details. The traditional ceremony line is "Unveiling of the Tombstone of the Late…" — and if you build the programme in isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana or Afrikaans, the builder sets this line in your language, following common published-programme usage while native-speaker review is under way. Clan praises (izithakazelo / iziduko) sit under the name, where they belong.
The inside pages
The order of proceedings carries the day. Each line is an item and, where helpful, a name: who reads, who speaks, who unveils. If the family is printing a hymn or a reading in full, it goes at the back — the order stays clean.
The back page
The back page belongs to the family's thanks and the practical lines: where refreshments are served, and any word of acknowledgement to those who helped with the stone. Keep it warm and short — three sentences carry further than ten.
Wording you can use
Lift any of these as they are, or bend them to your family's voice. On a phone, press and hold to select and copy.
Unveiling of the Tombstone of the Late Margaret Nomvula Dlamini 1948 – 2025
The Dlamini family gathers for the Unveiling of the Tombstone of the Late Margaret Nomvula Dlamini
A year has passed, and love has not. Today we set her name in stone, as it is already set in us.
We dedicate this stone in memory of a life that blessed ours. May her rest be peaceful and her name be honoured.
Often read aloud by the leader as the cloth is lifted.
The family thanks everyone who stood with us from the day of her passing to this day. Your prayers, your presence and your kindness carried us. Please join us for refreshments at the family home.
More on the unveiling: The unveiling kit Invitation wording The Order of Proceedings at a Tombstone UnveilingScripture Readings for an UnveilingWords of Dedication at the StoneAnnouncing the Unveiling on WhatsApp
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Common questions
What is the traditional wording on an unveiling programme cover?+
"Unveiling of the Tombstone of the Late [full name]", with the dates beneath. Families who prefer a softer line use "In loving memory of [name]" with "Unveiling ceremony" as a subtitle.
Should the programme name who unveils the stone?+
Yes, if the family has decided — it honours the person and prevents graveside uncertainty. A line like "Unveiling of the stone — Mr S. Dlamini (brother)" is enough.
Can the programme be bilingual?+
Many families run the ceremony in two languages. A clean approach is headings in one language with items named in the language each part will be spoken in. The builder lets you rename every line.
What goes on the back page?+
The family's acknowledgements, the refreshments invitation, and sometimes a short verse or the inscription text. The builder's acknowledgements box feeds the back page directly.
How many pages should it be?+
A folded A5 of 4 pages covers almost every unveiling: cover, order, remembrance or photos, and the back page. Larger gatherings sometimes use 8 pages with the full hymns printed.