Funerals

When you have lost a loved one and need to arrange their funeral, you will find yourself facing many tasks. Having lost my Dad and Father-in-Law within four months of each other I know that sometimes you may feel able to deal with preparations and at other times you may feel overwhelmed.
For some clients, thinking about funeral flowers is a welcome relief and they find it comforting to plan and discuss the tributes. Others feel it is just one more task to be faced at a difficult time. I am here to help, whether it all seems too much to think about or you want to focus on flowers to help you through. I will help you create the perfect parting flower tribute to your loved one, however much or little you would like to be involved.

Guidance

One memory that has stuck with me for years was a time when I bumped into a gentleman leaving a florists, clearly upset at the loss of his mother; it was not long after I had lost my own father so I could immedately relate and sympathise with him. It was clear to me that not everyone wants to quickly pick their tribute from a magazine of standarized arrangements over the counter. Personally I would rather someone sit with me in a welcoming environment, so I can feel comfortable talking about my recent loss and how to best convey it in flowers.

I appreciate you might not want to be out in the ‘real world’, so if you feel more comfortable staying at home, I will visit you. You are also very welcome to come to mine and we can have a chat over a cup of tea. My service is completely tailored to you, and I will help you to make the right choices, even if you know little or nothing about flowers.

More than flowers

I am a specialist funeral florist, but my service goes beyond creating floral tributes. Working with flowers can be remarkably therapeutic and my clients often find their consultations with me, focussing on flowers, foliage and design, can provide solace and relief during a painful time. The process of discussing a loved one, telling me about their life, interests and passions, and, with my guidance, making decisions about beautiful and personalised floral tributes, can be an important part of the grieving process.
As I specialise in this field, as well as drawing on my own personal experiences of bereavement, I am also able to discuss the funeral process with clients in a relaxed environment. I often help with advice and answers to questions they didn’t feel able to ask the Funeral Director.
Following a funeral, I provide pictures of the flowers to my families. These pictures can be an enduring source of comfort, a memory of a beautiful part of a difficult day, perhaps. Some clients like to make ‘memory boxes’ and include these photos as a lasting memento.

Your involvement

Everyone grieves in their own way. For some, it can be helpful to have some practical involvement in the funeral arrangements, and funeral flowers offer a perfect opportunity for this. When circumstances allow, clients are welcome to visit while I am working on the arrangements. It may help simply to see the arrangements prior to the day of the funeral, or they may wish to take some part by placing a flower in the coffin spray, for example. Please feel free to ask if you would like to do this.

Personalised tributes

Did you know that floral tributes can be created to reflect the personality, life experiences or interests of your loved one? Funeral flowers can be comforting and therapeutic, but they can also say something about the person you are remembering. I ask my clients about their loved ones’ favourite flowers, colours, interests and passions, and then I help them decide on arrangements that reflect their personality. For example, football team colours are very popular. For both my father and my father-in-law I created arrangements in the colours of their favourite teams. Tributes can reflect a hobby: for someone who loved knitting, I have adapted an arrangement to incorporate a ball of wool and knitting needles. And I am often asked to include butterflies or feathers, especially when these objects hold special meaning for the family.

Compostable Funeral Designs

I use mainly home grown flowers and foliage as well as local and national growers produce for my designs.  When UK materials are limited or unavailable I may include imported flowers to meet your needs.

My aim is to provide an alternative to traditional tributes; that are fully compostable, so in turn are acceptable on green burial sites and leave less of an impact on the environment.  Please take a look at some of my designs below or if you have an idea in mind, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your wishes further.

Living Funeral Flowers

Clients often request something a little unique from the usual foam based chrysanthemum letters and wreaths and for this reason I now provide sustainable alternatives; Living Flowers. These handcrafted wire and moss frames include (depending on availability) seasonal plants and bulbs supplemented with cut flowers and greenery. These lasting flower tributes can be taken home and left to flourish in the garden or replanted as an ongoing memory.

Living funeral flowers can be made up as wreaths, hearts, posies and letters (currently limited to 3 due to weight). If you would like to consider a living arrangement, do give me a call, I'll be happy to discuss your requirements.