Personalising a Funeral

Often people will want to include an order of service as part of their ceremony, this is a small booklet that will include images of your loved one, an itinerary of the service itself, copies of any hymns or readings and personal messages or thanks from the next of kin.

Here at Dillamore, we have a number of trusted print suppliers we use for Orders of Service. However, it is essential that we have instructions as early as possible in order to prepare a draft for approval, prior to the funeral. The finished copies will then be delivered to the church or crematorium by our staff, cutting down on any extra tasks for the next of kin to remember at such a difficult time.

We have the option for next of kin to place announcements in local and national newspapers, and would be pleased to help compile obituary notices with you and place them on your behalf.

Whilst Dillamore do not organise or provide floral arrangements for funerals, we are happy to help you source a florist and have a list of local companies that we can provide for you to make your own choice from.

Floral tributes may be sent to our office on the day of the funeral. These can then be placed in position before the hearse leaves for the funeral.

Flowers are sometimes a very personal and important part of the process; we are always happy to help make those selections or share ideas from our experience.

Religious ceremonies will often include specific points to have hymns sung by the congregation or a choir, an officiant will take readings from religious texts and you can work with them to choose ones that suit your loved one’s wishes.

On the other hand, humanist funerals do not include hymns or prayers, though readings from loved ones are popular. The music and readings you choose to include do not need to be sad, you can choose any feeling or genre that you feel suits you and your loved one. If you are looking for inspiration, why not tell us about your loved one’s likes and dislikes and we’ll happily suggest a selection of songs for you, as well as readings that might be of interest to you.

Some families prefer donations in lieu of flowers, which can be arranged through our office. Any charity is suitable and can be set up for you to donate to.

Cheques should be made payable to the nominated charity, with the name of the deceased and donor written clearly on the back. We usually collect donations for four weeks at which time we will provide a list of donors and the overall total collected to the person who has arranged the funeral.

You can view our recent notices and donations online.

Dillamore will make all payments to Clergy, Crematorium or Cemetery, Doctors, and Newspapers as required or instructed, and attribute to you in your itemised invoice. We find this reduces the amount of extra payments and paperwork for our customers.

A consideration we often start with is which type of coffin you will choose for your loved one; Dillamore offers a wide range of traditional wood finish, painted, colourful and eco-friendly coffins and are happy to discuss your individual requirements.

We understand that budgets can sometimes be a factor in your choice, but if you don’t want to compromise on your wishes, we can help you find a way to fulfil both needs.

At Dillamore we understand the importance of marking your loved ones’ final resting place appropriately and are more than happy to help families with memorials.

The company we work with is Quince Memorials, based in Biggleswade. Quince have been making, fixing and supplying memorials to the local area for over 40 years and are able to offer expert advice about your requirements.

There are many ways to transport both your loved one and the attendees to a ceremony; a hearse and limousines with chauffeur, maybe a traditional horse-drawn carriage and procession, a narrowboat, a procession of vehicles, a cortege of motorbikes and sidecars. Whatever your loved one would have wanted, had a passion for or indicated they wanted, we will be able to support their needs.

Limousines and other transport are charged separately, ensuring that a family is not charged for something they may not need.