Written by Claire Robertson, Office Manager:
October is synonymous with pumpkins, conkers, and dried foliage – and we have seen some stunning autumnal floral arrangements featuring all three over the years. Gold, brown, red and orange blooms also make fitting tributes at this time of the year, and Dahlia’s in particular are popular right now as they are perfectly on trend (having featured heavily in the 2017 gardening trend for growing flowers specifically for cutting). Dahlias also symbolise a ‘lasting bond and commitment’, making them a poignant funeral flower.This month, we’re also talking about innovation in the funeral industry – so I wanted to share my 3 favourite examples of the new and creative ways people are using flowers at the funeral, and beyond:
- Seed cards or tree seedlings – rather than having a floral tribute on the day, some families are now choosing to give each funeral guest a seed card of tree seedling that they can plant to remember their loved one.
- Posies – rather than leave the tribute at the crematorium or burial site, some families now disassemble the flowers and re-group them into posies which can then be given to guests as a way of thanking them for their support. Posies arranged from flowers that can be dried form a lasting tribute that can be enjoyed by the recipient for years to come.
- Jewellery and keepsakes – I’ve seen some lovely examples of funeral flowers being turned into all sorts of jewellery and keepsakes such as bookmarks and paperweights which you could also share with family and friends. A florist can do this for you – or you could even have a go yourself! Here’s an easy tutorial for making clay jewellery beads.
If you’d like to discuss your idea for a floral tribute, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can speak to our trusted florist partners to find you the perfect solution.