Preserving Flowers from a Funeral Service.

A funeral service is a significant life event, not unlike a wedding……

I visited a family home just last week to make the funeral arrangements for a woman in her 90’s.  I sat with her children and went through the statutory details of her life for the relevant notifications we make as your funeral director.  We then started the planning of the funeral service and all the tiny details and additions to make a beautiful celebration of the life of this wife, mother, grand-mother, great-grand-mother and great-great-grand-mother!!

We spoke of music, photos, cars, order of service booklets and of course flowers.

At this time, the eldest daughter bought out a round ‘hat box’.  There was a change in the reverence from the family at this time.  Whatever was enclosed was of the highest importance.  Even the young children, playing on the floor of the lounge room came to view the contents.

Inside, perfectly dried, was Mum’s wedding bouquet from nearly 70 years earlier!!

The roses had been carefully and lovingly dried and rebound in the ribbon from this hugely significant day.  Carried by this lovely woman as a significant memory for the rest of her life, and now a priceless keep sake for her future generations to cherish.

Understandably, the family wanted these to be displayed on Mum’s casket on the day of the funeral and returned to them afterwards.

We also chose a casket cover of fresh roses in the same colour that she had carried on that special day from September 1952.

The following generations had all done the same in the proceeding years and had their own wedding bouquets or some of their flowers dried and kept too.  It was a tradition started years before that and one that has become a significant stitch in the fabric of this family.

Going on from this, The family have decided to preserve some of the flowers from the casket cover in various ways.  Some are being dried in the traditional way, being hung upside down and cared for over a number of months, others are being set into resin to maintain their colour and vibrancy.

Either way, it is a beautiful way to commemorate a life of significance and importance for this family and one that I thought was worthy of sharing with you all.

Images of Naomi Claire Art's beautiful work https://www.facebook.com/Naomi-claire-art-1695865120505576/