Funeral Tributes

Choosing a tribute that suits your place in the family

Sending flowers is a meaningful way to honour someone and to show the bereaved family that you share their sorrow. Who you are to the person often decides which kind you choose. Partners and children usually choose the coffin spray, which rests along the lid and is the main piece on the day of the service. Grandchildren, brothers and sisters often send a wreath or a sheaf, while other family and friends, neighbours and colleagues tend to choose a smaller spray or a posy. There are no strict rules, and it can help to talk to each other first so the tributes sit well together.

The main kinds of funeral tribute

• Coffin sprays are double-ended, about 3ft long in the Standard size, and placed on top of the coffin. From £60.49.
• Funeral sprays are a single teardrop on a hidden base, laid on the coffin, beside it or at the graveside. From £49.49.
• Sheaves are a flat-backed bunch with the stems showing, tied with a ribbon, and are often laid at the graveside afterwards. From £43.99.
• Funeral wreaths are a circle of fresh flowers, symbolic of eternal life and part of almost every traditional funeral. From £60.49.
• Posies are small and round, a gentle tribute for a grave or a spot beside larger pieces. From £49.50.

For the wake or the family home, a free-standing arrangement in a container is easier to display and take home.

Making a tribute deeply personal

The best tributes capture the essence of your loved one and reflect the personality they had. Think thoughtfully about the colour they wore most, the flowers in their garden or a favourite bloom. Soft pink suits a gentle nature, lilac and purple are linked with remembrance, and red and white, blue and white or deep red feel strong and classic. Designs such as the Mum Funeral Wreath, Dad Funeral Wreath, Nan Funeral Wreath and Grandad Funeral Wreath were chosen with those relationships in mind, and the card is where you personalise them with a name and your own sentiment.

We do not make a bespoke funeral tribute in a special shape, such as letter tributes that spell out a name, a cushion, or a cross and other religious tributes. If you were thinking of funeral letters, a sheaf, spray or wreath with the name written on the card makes a heartfelt alternative to those personalised tributes.

Delivering funeral tributes before the service

When you are delivering your tribute, the usual place is the funeral director or funeral home, who brings it to the church, crematorium or graveside with the coffin. If the funeral is leaving from the house, we can deliver there instead. Each order is made and delivered locally, Monday to Saturday, from tomorrow onwards, with no deliveries on Sundays or bank holidays. We cannot deliver to AB10 postcodes. Delivery is one charge of £12.49 per order to one address, added at checkout. If you are helping to organise the day, order once the funeral arrangements are confirmed and choose a delivery day before the service, so you have peace of mind that everything is in place at a difficult time.

Sizes, and what may change

Most designs come in Standard, Preferred and Elegant. The larger sizes keep the same design and add more stems of the same flowers. If one flower is not available, it may be replaced with another of the same colour and style, of equal or greater value.

When the family asks for a donation instead

Some families ask people to donate to a charity or other good causes instead of sending flowers. Please respect that wish; giving in their memory is a kind way to pay your respects. If you would still like to send something later, a bouquet, a plant or a memorial candle arrangement to the home gives the family time and space to mourn, and shows that friends and the local community are still thinking of them in their grief. Our sympathy flowers are made for that.

Questions about tributes for a funeral

Is a floral tribute the same as a spoken tribute?

No. A spoken tribute, or eulogy, is the words someone says at the service. Flowers are a tribute too, and many families have both.

What should I write on the card?

A short, sincere message is best: the person's name, how you knew them and a few words of love, gratitude or farewell, or your condolence to the family. Our guide on what to write on funeral flowers has examples.

Can several of us share one tribute?

Yes. Brothers and sisters or grandchildren often share one larger piece, such as a coffin spray or a wreath, and sign the card together.

What happens to the flowers after a cremation?

They are usually taken off the coffin beforehand and laid out at the crematorium, where the family can see them. Some people take a sheaf or posy home to remember the day, or keep the card to cherish as a keepsake.