It's Ashley here from Shropshire Petals, what I want to talk about isn't easy but it's something that's important to me and I imagine it's important to you too. Back in July my Nanna, June Moore, passed away. She was feisty, outspoken, loving and so much fun! She taught me how to bake, fold bedding sheets, and once chased me around the house with a crab. She'd had a wonderful long life surrounded by the people she loved.
Doing something special at a difficult time
For my Nanna's funeral, my family and I really wanted to make sure she had the absolute best send off. When my Grandad was alive he used to call her Daffodil all the time, so we put together an Order of Service themed with daffodils. When it came to making the graveside special I didn't want to use dirt or earth to throw over her coffin to say my last goodbye, I wanted to do something different, something she would have loved. I created a beautiful mix of petals to scatter over her coffin after the ceremony. It was a combination of creamy white Icing Sugar delphiniums and bright yellow Honey'b calendula petals. We call this mix Sunshine Kisses.
When I'd mentioned to my family what I had planned, they all wanted their own too. I pre-filled a sealed glassine packet with beautiful petals for each family member. Each packet had a sticker with a wreath of bright daffodils around it and my Nanna's name, year of birth and year of passing. We placed them in a basket so everyone could take their own.
Scatter petals
The funeral ceremony was hard, we cried, we laughed (her eulogy was full of crazy stories) and when it came to saying our last goodbye everyone took out their little packets filled with my mix of biodegradable petals and scattered them one by one. The petals elegantly fluttered down without a noise, unlike dirt would have. It was beautiful, the wind caught a few of the petals and they looked as if they were dancing for a while. It was so graceful and colourful. My Nanna would have wanted to celebrate her life, and I feel we did that for her.
For her socially distanced wake we scattered 2 litres of yellow Golden Slumber rose petals on the tables, to carry on our bright yellow celebration of life theme for my Nanna.
I know my Nanna would have truly loved all the finishing touches we did to make her funeral and wake that extra special. Due to Covid-19 we weren't able to have all the friends and loved ones we would have normally had, but those little extra details made me feel we'd given her the best send-off possible.
Celebrate life
So many of my family members said how moved they were, and using the petals to scatter after the funeral was such a thoughtful way to mark the passing of a loved one. It occurred to me that there would be others in the same position, that wanted to do something extra for their loved one, to say goodbye in an elegant way that celebrates life.
If you're thinking of having scatter petals for a loved one's funeral or memorial, take a look at our 1 Litre of memorial scatter petals (that's enough for 10-12 handfuls), choose a colour that they'd love and scatter on the day.
I hope you are lucky enough to not lose a loved one, but know that if you are faced with this difficult time, that you can celebrate their life and cherish their memories for the rest of your life.
All my love, Ashley from SP xx
