First funeral with McCallum & Tritton Funeral Directors

Following on from my last post, I created my first bespoke tribute for McCallum & Tritton last Thursday. 

It was a strange first for me, as normally, I would speak with the family direct and get to know them and background about their loved one. This time around I had no contact with the family and instead had to trust McCallum & Tritton to interpret the family's wishes to me. This was a scary prospect, what if they don't like what I make?, what if it's not what they had in mind? what if it's the wrong colour/shade? or the wrong style? There might be details that I would have picked up to add to make their day easier.....  

But in a leap of faith, I trusted Chloe from McCallum & Tritton, Bootle to discuss the family's requirements and communicate them to me.

Chloe told me the person who had died was a lady, her daughter had chosen a casket and had shown her a picture of a very formal traditional diamond shape arrangement with white roses, gypsophilia, lisisanthus and carnations.  From this information, I could have made the requested item but something didn't feel right - a casket is a wider coffin and so a formal diamond shape would look a bit odd to me. However, Chloe went on to include some additional details that made all the difference: the lady's daughter had told her that her mum loved lavender and that this was one of the main memories of her mum - always smelling fresh lavender around the home and garden. Chloe also advised that the lady's daughter had chosen the picture of the flower design after looking through a few and had gotten upset and simply chose that so that she could leave.

I discussed the flowers and design with Chloe and we agreed that I could have full poetic licence on this design. I centred my whole design around the lavender, as to me, this was a key feature I simply had to include. I knew I had some freshly dried English Lavender from my 'aunty's' garden and so bound little bundles together to add throughout the spray so that the flowers smelt of lavender as they wafted past the family on the lady's casket. To compliment this, I added, Vewronica - similiar cone shaped flower and chose 'Milka' a lavender colour. I also sourced the most amazing lavender coloured roses and carnations from my favourite wholesaler (flowervision lancashire) and contrasted these with gorgeous ivory mondial roses, lisianthus, stallion spray chrysanthemums and finished with sprays of gypsophilia. (Ensuring I had added the original flower choice of roses, lisianthus, carnations and gypsophilia so the family knew I had taken their choice into account).

I started with the tradional diamond shaping, but then soften the lines to make the centre panel wider and added foliage that draped the casket to create a more country garden feel more inline with the lavender. I also added Eucalyptus foliage another favourite of mine for the smell. Finally I added 2 wooden hearts and something the family could take out of the casket spray and keep with the memorial cards, should they wish to do so.

For the graveside, instead of offering the family a rose to throw on the coffin as has become tradition, I made 10 bags of lavender and instead invited family and friends to take a bag home to remember their loved one.

When I arrived on thursday night with the flowers (ready forthe funeral early friday morning), Chloe was blown away. She loved the colours i'd chosen, the flowers i'd chosen, and the attention to detail with the lavender touches. The funeral director himself came and picked up the flowers with the casket and was also so amazed when he asked - is that lavender I can smell and Chloe explained that the lady's daughter had mentioned that it reminded her so much of her mum. Impressed by me attention to detail, he confirmed that I was now their florist of choice for both the Bootle and Crosby branches.

The family were also so pleased that the mum was honoured in such a way that the flowers were made especially for her and not just a spray to use the leftovers. 

I think me and Chloe will make a great time as we both care so much about the people who have died and how best to honour them for their families....