I am an independent florist specialising in floral arrangements for funerals and celebrations. I work closely with my clients to ensure that the finished arrangements reflect their own ideas and wishes.
I am with you each step of the way, from the very beginning, when you may not even be sure which flowers you like or which colours would be best, through to providing photographs of the finished arrangements after your special event.
Did you know that floral arrangements can be created to reflect someone’s personality, special interests or design preferences?
Read on to find out more…
Funerals
When you have lost a loved one and need to arrange their funeral, you will find yourself facing many tasks. I know from my own experience, having lost my Dad and Father-in-Law within four months of each other, that sometimes you may feel efficient and capable and at others you may feel overwhelmed. You may not want to be out in the ‘real’ world.
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 tribute to your loved one, however much or little you would like to be involved.
Guidance
If you feel more comfortable staying at home, I will visit you. You are also very welcome to come to my home, and, depending on the weather, we can spend time in my garden. 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.
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.
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.
“Janet created the flowers for my Mums funeral and throughout the process she was really kind and patient with us while we decided what to have. She gave us helpful suggestions as what would look lovely and how to keep to our budget too. The flowers were of a very good quality and kept well in the heat. The arrangements were beautiful and I feel Mum who was a keen gardener was honoured by Janet’s work. I thoroughly recommend her to you.”
