How I Help

Flourish meeting

How I can help you with your special service 

In this tough and often overwhelming moment it is my privilege to meet with you to help you plan a service / ceremony that truly honours and celebrates your loved one’s life, legacy and memory going forward.

It is good to meet up as soon as possible so that we can ensure that together we create a service that reflects both you and your loved that you will feel comfortable with on the day.

Prior to our meeting it would be great if you could have thought about:

  • The “Essence” of your loved one i.e. their character, personality, special stories, interests… their ‘originality’
  • Their Eulogy / Life Story i.e. their parents, schooling, dates, upbringing, contribution, volunteerism, interests, work, sport, family holidays, special characteristics. Who will give this?
  • What are their ‘gifts’ that family and friends will carry  forward eg courage, great sense of humour,  ‘can-do’ attitude …………
  • Tributes from family and friends. Do you want open tributes?
  • Your loved one’s view on life – their Spiritual anchors / beliefs

And whether you would like to include:

  • Poems / prayers / readings (I have a wide resource that I can help you with if need be)
  • Photo or photos for pre service
  • A photo montage with music embedded [eg 50-70 photos for 5 minutes]
  • Music: songs / hymns / instrumental pre-service, during and for committal
  • Lighting a candle/s for remembrance
  • Special memoriablia for casket eg a photo/ sport or clothing items/ their craft work
  • Symbolic action/s or symbols eg packets of seeds for guests to plant, releasing balloons, wearing / bringing a colour, pieces of music, recipes

I really encourage you to be as creative as you like as you celebrate your loved one and the fullness of their life.

In this meeting we also discuss how we manage the ceremony on the day and will work out a contingency plan for things you may be concerned about e.g should someone go over time or you suddenly feel too overwhelmed on the day to speak.

After that first meeting I will come back to you with:

  • DRAFT Service Sheet Details to go with the photos you are preparing for the Funeral Director. When you are happy with the details I send them to the Funeral Director copying you in and they liase with you from there for your ‘sign off’ of the Service Sheet
  • A DRAFT service for your loved one in full, asking you to add or edit as you see fit. I am never precious about my words – the important thing is that the service reflects both your loved one and yourselves.
    We will work with the service until you are happy with it.

Throughout this time I will be liasing with the Funeral Director to ensure a smooth overall flow of events on the day.

I really appreciate you considering me for this role. It would be a real privilege and joy to create and facilitate a service that honours and celebrates your loved one, and also to be present with you and to ‘hold’ the moment as your family and community grieve, celebrate and say goodbye, creating a place of trust and safety for you to do this.

Need help? Contact me for more info

Please call me on the number below if you want to talk more about a ceremony, or alternatively you can email me on jennie@flourish.family

Thank you for everything you did to make Mum’s funeral the celebration that it was. Not only is Jennie beautiful – she is gracious, eloquent, patient and empathetic. She has a deep faith, respect for the family’s wishes and is relaxed in the midst of loss and sadness. Although there is time pressure when preparing for a funeral, Jennie organises everything with dignity and inspiration.
— Joanne Wills, Auckland