Simple. Put the QR code up, everyone scanned it, photos appeared. No app, no password, no one asking me how it works at the bar. Exactly what I wanted on the day
Ciara B. · Galway, IEVerified couple · October 2025
A calm planning guide
Celebration of Life Photo Display Ideas for boards, tables and walls
How to display photos at a celebration of life, from the first box of prints to the last candle on the memory table.
The short answer
Pick one anchor, a large portrait on an easel, then add one or two supporting pieces: a photo board, a memory table or a slideshow. Plan about 20 to 30 prints per foam board, gather photos from family a week ahead, and leave space for guests to add their own memories.
Memory tableFramed photos, candles and white flowers, set outside at dusk.
01Eight display ideas
Which celebration of life display ideas work best?
These are the funeral photo display ideas families come back to, from a single photo board for celebration of life to a wall guests help fill. Most gatherings need one or two of them, not all eight. The same pieces work at a church, a funeral home or a gathering at home, so they cover memorial service photo display ideas too.
Photo board with an anchor portrait
The classic funeral picture board: a foam board of prints on an easel, with one large portrait beside it to draw the eye. Some families add a celebration of life banner with the name and years above it.
EffortAn afternoon
SuitsEvery venue with an easel
Timeline wall
Prints run left to right along a wall or hallway, grouped by decade or chapter with a small label for each. Guests walk the line and stop at the years they shared.
EffortA full day
SuitsHalls, homes, long entryways
Hanging photo line
Prints clipped to twine across a branch, a window or a frame. Black and white copies make a mixed set of old and new photos look like one collection.
EffortTwo to three hours
SuitsHomes, outdoor gatherings
Memory table
Framed photos from around the house, set with things that were theirs: a hat, a book, a recipe card, garden tools. It gives people a place to stand together and talk.
EffortAn evening to gather items
SuitsFuneral homes, halls, restaurants
Memory jar
A jar with blank cards and pens next to the photos. Guests write a memory or a story the family may never have heard, and the cards go home with the family.
EffortUnder an hour
SuitsAny venue, any size
Slideshow on a loop
A screen that cycles through far more photos than a board can hold, often with quiet music. It works best when it runs during the gathering, not as a single showing.
EffortA day to sort and build
SuitsVenues with a screen or TV
Digital photo frame
A small frame on the memory table that cycles through a few dozen photos. A good fit when there is no screen to borrow and the table has room for one more piece.
EffortAn hour to load
SuitsHomes, small rooms
Guest memory wall
A space where guests add their own photos: a blank board with tape, or a QR code card that opens a shared album on their phone. It brings in photos the family has never seen.
EffortUnder an hour to set up
SuitsLarger gatherings
The photo board, done well
Funeral picture board ideas
A photo board is the easiest place to start: it is cheap, stands anywhere and can go home with the family afterwards. These funeral picture board ideas keep it from looking like a pile of prints.
- One board per chapter of life, such as childhood, family, work and later years, so a long life does not crowd a single board.
- The anchor portrait in the center and smaller prints around it, with some empty space so each photo can be seen.
- A board for the thing they loved most: the garden, the fishing trips, the team they coached, the kitchen at holidays.
- Small handwritten captions with names and years, so younger relatives and newer friends know who is who.
- An empty corner with pins or removable tape, where guests add a photo or a short note during the service.
- A small QR card in that corner, so guests can add the photos on their phones to a shared online album that stays up after the board comes down.
HOW GUESTS ADD PHOTOS
Scan. Add a photo.
It lands in one album.
Watch how a guest scans a QR code and adds photos to one shared album from the phone browser, with no app and no account. At a memorial, the card sits on the memory table.
Remembering RuthScan to add a photo of Ruth
9:41
SHARED ALBUM
Remembering Ruth
Example album
AllServiceMine
Add your photosNo app needed
02Counting prints
How many photos do you need for a celebration of life display?
Work backward from the boards. The table below is plain math for 4x6 prints placed upright, edge to edge or with a one inch gap. The gap version is the one that looks calm on the day.
20 to 30prints per 24 x 36 inch board
Our math from the board sizes below, with room to breathe.
40 to 80images for a slideshow
“For most gatherings, somewhere between forty and eighty images works well,” says Legacy Options.
1anchor portrait, 8x10 or larger
Scan it at 400 to 600 dpi if you plan to enlarge it.
| Board | Edge to edge | With 1 inch gaps | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 x 30 inch foam board | 25 prints (5 x 5) | 16 prints (4 x 4) | One chapter of life, or a small table display |
| 24 x 36 inch foam board | 36 prints (6 x 6) | 25 prints (5 x 5) | The usual main board on an easel |
| 36 x 48 inch tri-fold board | 72 prints (12 x 6) | 45 prints (9 x 5) | Stands on a table when there is no easel |
20 x 30 inch foam board
Edge to edge25 prints (5 x 5)
With 1 inch gaps16 prints (4 x 4)
Good forOne chapter of life, or a small table display
24 x 36 inch foam board
Edge to edge36 prints (6 x 6)
With 1 inch gaps25 prints (5 x 5)
Good forThe usual main board on an easel
36 x 48 inch tri-fold board
Edge to edge72 prints (12 x 6)
With 1 inch gaps45 prints (9 x 5)
Good forStands on a table when there is no easel
Counts are 4x6 prints placed upright, 4 inches wide. A board with mixed sizes, captions or a printed name holds fewer. For more on slideshow length, see how many photos for a funeral slideshow.
03Gathering the photos
How do you gather and scan old photos for a memorial?
The display is the easy part. The harder part is finding the photos, which sit in albums, shoe boxes and phones across the whole family.
- Step 1
Ask early, and ask everyone
Send one message to family, old friends and coworkers about a week before the service. Legacy Options gives good advice for this stage: "Resist the urge to judge each photo as it arrives, because sorting comes later."
Source: Legacy Options
- Step 2
Give them one place to send photos
Photos scattered across texts and emails get lost. One shared album, or a QR code that opens one, keeps everything together. Pix Wedding is one option: relatives upload from the phone browser with no app or account, and the first 20 guest uploads are free.
- Step 3
Scan prints at the right resolution
The Library of Congress suggests 300 dpi for 4x6 and 5x7 prints, and 400 or 600 dpi for any print you plan to enlarge to 8x10 or bigger, such as the anchor portrait.
Source: Library of Congress
- Step 4
No scanner? Use a phone app
Google PhotoScan removes glare by having you move the circle over four dots on the print. Take prints out of plastic sleeves first, and keep the flash on.
Source: Google PhotoScan help
- Step 5
Label originals so they go home
Write the owner's name on each envelope or the back of a sticky note before anything is scanned. After the service, every print goes back to the person who lent it.
Shared albumPhotos of RuthIllustrative example
Add a photoNo app, no account
Illustrative shared album. Relatives add photos from their own phones, and the family downloads them all at once.
Scanning resolution
What dpi to scan old prints at
4x6 or 5x7 print, printed at its own size300 dpi
Print you will enlarge to 8x10 or bigger400 to 600 dpi
35mm slidesaround 1,900 dpi
Source: Library of Congress, Scanning Your Personal Collections. For the full gathering process, see how to collect photos for a memorial.
From a cousin
Found this in a drawer
Gathering photos from the whole family?
One QR code on the invitation, the email or the memory table. Relatives upload from their phones with no app or account, and every photo lands in one album you can download. The first 20 guest uploads are free.
A message for the family
Point your camera
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
9:41
UPLOADING
Saving your moment
9:41
THE ALBUM
Remembering Ruth
Example album
146 photos · 31 guests
AllMomentsMine
★
Add photosShare your moments
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
04Layout by venue
How to display pictures at a celebration of life, by venue
The room decides more than the theme does. Whether you are displaying pictures at a funeral home, setting up a memorial service photo display at a church or a table at home, the same rules hold: put the display where people wait, ask what the venue can lend, and keep walkways clear. A funeral home and a backyard look very different, so start from the row that matches yours.
| Venue | What usually works | Ask ahead | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funeral home | An easel with the main board and the anchor portrait near the guest book, a memory table along one wall. | How many easels and tables they can lend, whether there is a screen, and whether tape or pins are allowed on the walls. | Setup time before visitation can be short, so arrive with the board already built. |
| Church or chapel | Displays in the gathering space or entry, where people wait before and after the service. | What may stand near the front, and whether open candles are allowed. | Keep aisles clear. LED candles are the safe fallback when flames are not allowed. |
| Family home | Framed photos gathered on a side table, a hanging photo line along a hallway, a digital frame in the kitchen. | Where people will stand and walk when the house is full. | Candles and loose prints within reach of children and pets. |
| Outdoor or park | Framed photos rather than loose prints, weighted easels, a table under a canopy or tree. | The park or venue rules on easels, tables and amplified sound. | Wind and direct sun. Glossy prints glare in bright light, so matte prints read better. |
| Restaurant or hall | A memory table by the entrance and a slideshow on the room's screen. | Which cable or input the screen takes, and how many tables are free for displays. | Staff may clear tables at the end, so name one person to pack the display. |
Funeral home
What usually worksAn easel with the main board and the anchor portrait near the guest book, a memory table along one wall.
Ask aheadHow many easels and tables they can lend, whether there is a screen, and whether tape or pins are allowed on the walls.
Watch forSetup time before visitation can be short, so arrive with the board already built.
Church or chapel
What usually worksDisplays in the gathering space or entry, where people wait before and after the service.
Ask aheadWhat may stand near the front, and whether open candles are allowed.
Watch forKeep aisles clear. LED candles are the safe fallback when flames are not allowed.
Family home
What usually worksFramed photos gathered on a side table, a hanging photo line along a hallway, a digital frame in the kitchen.
Ask aheadWhere people will stand and walk when the house is full.
Watch forCandles and loose prints within reach of children and pets.
Outdoor or park
What usually worksFramed photos rather than loose prints, weighted easels, a table under a canopy or tree.
Ask aheadThe park or venue rules on easels, tables and amplified sound.
Watch forWind and direct sun. Glossy prints glare in bright light, so matte prints read better.
Restaurant or hall
What usually worksA memory table by the entrance and a slideshow on the room's screen.
Ask aheadWhich cable or input the screen takes, and how many tables are free for displays.
Watch forStaff may clear tables at the end, so name one person to pack the display.
Watch it set up
A memory table and memory board, start to finish
A four minute walkthrough of setting up a table for a memorial service, with memory board ideas you can borrow for a celebration of life.
Video by Handmade & Beyond By Eden on YouTube.
Display ideas
Tables, easels and signs that keep the focus on them.
05Size and placement
How big should a memorial photo display be for the room?
Size the display to the gathering, then place it where people can stand in front of it. The table is a rule of thumb, not a standard. Print counts per board are in section 02.
| Gathering | Main piece | Add | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, under about 25 people | A memory table with framed photos, or one 20 x 30 board | A digital frame running a slideshow | One spot everyone can reach, often a side table at home |
| Medium, about 25 to 80 | One 24 x 36 board on an easel, plus the anchor portrait | A slideshow, if the venue has a screen | Near the guest book, where people wait |
| Large, more than about 80 | Two boards on separate easels, one chapter of their life each | A slideshow on a loop | Spread apart, so people do not queue at one board |
Small, under about 25 people
Main pieceA memory table with framed photos, or one 20 x 30 board
AddA digital frame running a slideshow
Where it goesOne spot everyone can reach, often a side table at home
Medium, about 25 to 80
Main pieceOne 24 x 36 board on an easel, plus the anchor portrait
AddA slideshow, if the venue has a screen
Where it goesNear the guest book, where people wait
Large, more than about 80
Main pieceTwo boards on separate easels, one chapter of their life each
AddA slideshow on a loop
Where it goesSpread apart, so people do not queue at one board
Height
Set the center of the board at about 57 inches from the floor, the eye level height museums use for art. Treat a board full of prints as one piece and center the whole board, not each photo. If most guests will be seated, go a little lower.
Source: The Arts Commission and Toledo Museum of Art, Hanging Artwork
Viewing distance
4x6 prints are read up close, so leave room for two or three people to stand in front of the board, out of the aisle. The anchor portrait, 8x10 or larger, is the piece people see from across the room, so put it where the door or the seats face.
Light
A window behind the board turns prints into glare and silhouettes. Keep windows to the side, turn the board, or add a small lamp that lights it from the front.
Next to the casket or urn
At a funeral or visitation, the anchor portrait usually stands on an easel beside the casket or urn, and the photo board goes where guests wait to greet the family. Ask the funeral home which side keeps the aisle clear.
06The funeral home
How do you work with the funeral home on the photo display?
Many funeral homes are used to family photo displays and can lend an easel or a table. Four questions, asked a few days ahead, save most of the stress on the day.
Where the display goes
Ask where the display can stand, whether that is a table or an easel, and how much space there is. Get the measurements, so the board you build fits the spot.
When you can get into the room
The setup window before visitation can be short. Ask for the exact time you can start, and arrive with the board already built.
Power and the screen
For a slideshow, ask where the nearest outlet is, whether they have a screen or a TV on a stand, and which input it takes. Test the file on it before the day if you can.
One family contact
Name one person to talk to the funeral director about the display, so setup questions do not land on the closest family on the day.
07Planning timeline
A one week checklist for the photo display
This plan assumes about a week before the service. If you have longer, stretch the first two steps. If you have less, keep one board and one slideshow and let the rest go.
- 1
A week before
- Choose one or two display pieces from the ideas above
- Ask the venue what it can lend (easels, tables, a screen)
- Send the photo request with one link or QR code
- 2
Five to four days before
- Sort photos into chapters of their life
- Pick the anchor portrait
- Scan or photograph the prints you need
- 3
Three days before
- Order prints and the enlargement, and confirm the pickup time
- Buy boards, photo corners or removable tape, frames
- 4
Two days before
- Build the board and write short captions
- Build the slideshow and test it on the screen you will use
- 5
The day before
- Pack the kit: easels, tape, frames, LED candles, an extension cord, cards and pens for the memory jar
- Print the QR card if guests will add photos
- 6
The day of the service
- Arrive early to set up
- Ask one person to look after the display and pack it at the end
- 7
After the service
- Return the original prints to their owners
- Collect the memory jar cards
- Download a copy of every shared photo
Day of
The day of the service, hour by hour
- Two hours before guests arriveSet up the board and the table, then walk the room and check the display can be seen from the door and from the seats.
- Thirty minutes beforeCheck the light on the board, start the slideshow and switch on the LED candles.
- As guests arrivePut the QR card and the memory jar beside the display, where people pause.
- During the serviceOne family member who is not greeting guests stays near the display to answer questions.
- Before anything comes downPhotograph the display, then pack it with the person you named to look after it.
08Common missteps
What should you avoid when displaying pictures at a funeral?
Most problems with funeral photo displays come from rushing. When displaying photos at a funeral, these are the easy ones to prevent.
Keep the originals safe
Photo corners and removable tape let every print go home the way it came.
Only recent photos
People came from every part of their life. Include childhood, work, friendships and hobbies, not only the last ten years. As Legacy Options puts it, "Look for photos that show character, not just dates."
One crowded board
Fifty small prints on one board are hard to take in. Two boards with space between prints, or one board plus a slideshow, read far better.
Blown up screenshots
A photo saved from social media looks soft once it is enlarged. Ask for the original file, or scan the print at 400 to 600 dpi.
Glue on the only copy
Use photo corners, removable tape or copies, so every original can go back to its owner undamaged.
No group photos
Guests look for themselves. Legacy Options suggests you "mix in a few group shots so people can spot themselves."
Building it alone the night before
Sorting old photos is slow and emotional. Share the work early: one person gathers, one scans, one builds the board.
Quotes from Legacy Options, How to Choose Photos for a Celebration of Life.
09Afterward
What do you do with the photos after the service?
Photograph the board
Take one good photo of each board and the memory table before anything comes down. Relatives far away often ask for it.
Return the originals
Use the names on the envelopes. Keep the scans in one folder so nobody has to lend the print twice.
Make a celebration of life photo album
The scans, the memory jar cards and the photos guests shared make a printed album or a photo book for the family.
Download every shared photo
Shared albums are not forever. Pix Wedding plans keep photos for 6 months to 2 years with a ZIP download, so save a full copy soon after the service.
Pix Wedding reviews
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My favorite photo from our entire wedding is one my college roommate took from the balcony of our venue during the first dance. Looking straight down at us, twinkle lights everywhere. Our photographer was on the ground level and didnt get this angle at all. Pix got it for us and now its our desktop background fr
Gavin L. · Chattanooga, TNVerified couple · October 2025
Mountain wedding weekend, three events at three different venues. Pix tied it all into one album and scrolling thru it feels like watching a whole film of our weekend. Ran the slideshow at the farewell brunch and people definately cried including me 🥲
Colton W. · Asheville, NCVerified couple · November 2025
Celebration of life photo ideas that tell the whole story
The best celebration of life picture ideas come from the people who knew them in different parts of their life. A coworker has the retirement party, a cousin has the summer cabin, an old friend has the wedding they stood up at. Ask for those, then sort them into chapters: early years, work, family, friendships, the things they loved doing.
A memorial photo collage works when it has a center. Put the anchor portrait in the middle, then the chapters around it, and leave some empty space. Legacy Options puts it well: "One large anchor image draws the eye, while smaller prints around it reward a closer look." The same rule holds for most memorial photo display ideas.
Funeral picture display ideas: boards, frames and digital photo screens
Boards and funeral photo frames suit different rooms. A board holds 20 to 30 prints and stands on its own easel. Frames borrowed from home look settled on a memory table and survive wind outdoors. Digital photo display ideas, such as a slideshow or a digital frame, carry the photos that do not fit anywhere else.
Most photo display ideas for funeral services come down to a mix of three: one printed piece people can stand at, one digital piece that keeps moving, and one place where guests can add their own. That holds for a funeral memorial photo display in a chapel as much as for a gathering in the backyard.
- Board: 20 to 30 prints, an easel, photo corners or removable tape
- Frames: 6 to 12 frames from home, grouped on one table
- Digital: a slideshow on the venue screen, or a digital frame
Celebration of life decor around the photos
Celebration of life decor should stay quiet so the photos lead. White or seasonal flowers, LED candles, a plain table runner and a small card with the name and years are enough. Memorial displays feel personal when one or two objects sit beside the photos: the gardening gloves, the fishing hat, the well worn cookbook.
The same ideas work for an outdoor memorial or a gathering at home. Whichever celebration of life picture display ideas you pick, choose fewer pieces and give each one room.
MEMORIAL ALBUM PRICING
One album for every photo of them, paid once.
Family and friends upload from the phone browser with no app and no account. The first 20 guest uploads are free, and each plan is a one-time payment.
REMEMBRANCE
$44one-time
For an intimate service or celebration of life
Unlimited photos & videos
Unlimited family & guests
Original quality (no compression)
3 months upload from the service date
6 months storage + ZIP download
QR code template designs
Multiple admins
Priority support
Pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card.Money back if your guests never upload.
TRIBUTE
$54one-time
For a service and a gathering afterward
Everything in Remembrance
Live slideshow at the service
6 months upload from the service date
1 year storage + ZIP download
Up to 6 sub-albums
Audio guestbook & guest name tracking
Custom script and serif fonts
Pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card.Money back if your guests never upload.
One-time payment, 1 year storage
LEGACY
$84one-time
For a larger family archive
Everything in Tribute
1 year upload from the service date
2 years storage + ZIP download
Approve guest photos before they show
PIN lock for the album
Up to 20 sub-albums
Custom domain for the album
No Pix Wedding branding on guest pages
Pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card.Money back if your guests never upload.
One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.
Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works
FAQ
Celebration of life photo display questions
Straight answers to the questions people ask most about this topic.
Start with one anchor: a large portrait on an easel near the entrance. Then add one or two supporting pieces, such as a photo board, a memory table with framed photos and personal objects, or a slideshow on a loop. Group the photos by chapters of their life rather than strict dates, and leave space for guests to add notes or photos of their own.
A 24 x 36 inch foam board fits 36 4x6 prints edge to edge, or 25 with a one inch gap between them. Plan about 20 to 30 prints per board and start a second board for another chapter of life instead of crowding one.
For funeral photo display boards, a 24 x 36 inch foam board is a good main board on an easel, and 20 x 30 inch boards suit a single chapter or a smaller table. If the venue has no easel, a 36 x 48 inch tri-fold board stands on a table by itself. For the anchor portrait, 8x10 or larger reads well from across a room.
Framed photos from home, the anchor portrait, and a few things tied to who they were: a hat, a favorite book, tools, recipe cards, a team shirt. Add flowers or LED candles, a guest book, and a memory jar with cards and pens so people can leave a story for the family.
Yes. The simplest way is a blank board with removable tape and a small sign inviting people to add prints. For phone photos, a QR code card on the memory table can open a shared album. With Pix Wedding, guests upload from the phone browser without an app or account, the first 20 guest uploads are free, and the Standard plan can show new photos as a live slideshow.
Use both when the venue has a screen. Prints let people stand close and talk, while a slideshow holds far more photos. Legacy Options suggests that somewhere between forty and eighty images works well for most gatherings. With no screen, pair the printed board with a digital frame on the memory table.
Keep reading
More guides for memorial photos
How to collect photos for a memorial How many photos for a funeral slideshow How to make a funeral slideshow Funeral slideshow songs A tribute with a digital memorial Memorial photo sharing
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