Funeral Flowers

Funeral flowers are many things - a tribute to the deceased, a comfort to the bereaved and a source of joy for all at a sad time. The challenge is to design sensitive, personalized creations for the client at a competitive price. This book is full of ideas and inspiration for the client to select, for the funeral director to use and for florists to follow. This beautiful and practical book sets out many options for the florist so their funeral work can provide a personalized and thoughtful tribute. It starts with a visual feast of designs, organized by season and colour, and then explains in detail how to make key floral tributes, to best serve the client and to build a successful business. It showcases over a hundred full-colour floral tributes, and demonstrates twenty step-by-step examples of how to make key arrangements. It explains how to create original designs, from initial planning and sketching to final ideas. Finally, advice is given on efficient ordering and costing for profitability and reduced wastage, as well as environmental considerations. Written by a leading florist, it demonstrates tenderness and care in every aspect of a sensitive and emotional final journey, so that funeral flowers can best mark the loss and celebrate the life of a loved one.

Tina Parkes joined the floristry industry at sixteen, straight from school onto a youth training scheme and fell in love with floristry. Advancing from trainee to manager to lecturer to floristry school head, she is now a director at the British Academy of Floral Art, along with her business partner Julie Collins. They offer the complete training package from beginners to masters. The Academy has allowed Tina to teach and demonstrate around the UK and the world including Sydney in Australia, Boston and Los Angeles in America, Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia, and Essen in Germany. With various accolades and gold and silver medals from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to her name, Tina believes in sharing her knowledge and inspiring new thinking and creativity in floral design. Funeral work has always been her specialism and she believes in inspirational, personalized and quality designs.