When is a car

March 24, 2023

When is a car

not just a car?

When is a full coffin spray, not just a coffin spray?

When the 2 are combined...

Whilst I know a lot of people believe in the week leading up to Mothers Day we are just sitting around waiting for customers to call us to place an order; the reality is that Mothers Day is additional work on top of our usual every-day work and the week prior to this year was no exception.

We had a funeral for the Friday directly before, for a tribute that wasn't a run-of-the-mill regular style. We (that's the 'Royal We' for I am the only one who actually does any of the floristry - the guys just deliver, and occasionally do a spot of DIY for me) had a bespoke tribute to make. A stock car is what we were asked to create but unlike every car I've made before, this one was also to be incorporated into a full coffin spray as well.

Going back to when I first started in the trade the height difference between a coffin and the roof of the hearse was 9 inches; this meant anything that was going to be sitting atop had to below this height. Even today a lot of cars still only allow a minimal amount. This meant there was a chance the tribute would be way too high for it to sit atop. Challenge accepted!

A chat with the customer saw her agree that the car could travel at the back of the hearse but was to be atop once the coffin was removed from the car and carried into the chapel. My next challenge was how to ensure the car was secure once back on top where it needed to be. The last thing anyone wanted was for it to come toppling off as the pall bearers carried the coffin. It also had to be easy enough for the funeral directors themselves to be able to remove, then replace. The spray itself also had to look like a spray in it's own right before the car was placed back among its flowers.

Thankfully, as you can see I found a way and as I have heard nothing to the contrary I am assuming it stayed exactly where it was meant to.

Thanks go to Chris as well for making the front/back bumpers, side runners and front grill.

First pic is of the spray...