New Sympathy Guide from Smithers-Oasis UK
Smithers-Oasis UK is proud to announce the launch of Farewell, a groundbreaking sympathy guide designed to support florists in creating and presenting floral funeral tributes.
This resource is both a practical tool and a source of artistic inspiration, enabling florists and funeral professionals to guide their clients with care and confidence during emotionally challenging times.
The Farewell guide has been thoughtfully curated to showcase floral arrangements that embody beauty, uniqueness, and symbolic meaning. Each design is tastefully photographed in a neutral setting, making it an ideal resource to help clients select their chosen flowers in way that is carefully considerate of their situation.
Renowned florist and UK Floristry Judge Lynda Owen, who was part of the creative team responsible for putting the guide together. said “The new 'Farewell' sympathy guide from Smithers-Oasis is an indispensable resource for florists looking to elevate their range of funeral tribute styles. With a stunning variety of designs, this guide offers traditional tributes, personalised designs, and contemporary styles, ensuring every customer finds the perfect expression of their sentiments.”
The guide presents designs within 12 distinct aesthetic themes ranging from Traditional and Natural to Vibrant and Contemporary. This means florists can offer a wide variety of options tailored to their clients’ preferences and needs - and the wishes of their loved ones. There’s a section on Sustainable funeral flowers too, helping florists to cater to eco requests, and the Bespoke section provides inspiration for more unusual requests, from footballs and fish to handbags and horses.
The Farewell guide is designed to assist florists both in client consultations and in crafting the funeral pieces themselves. The floral designs featured were created by a team of top professional florists from around the UK including Helen Jamieson, Nicola Armstrong, Kerrie Raines and Tina Reddel.
Produced in association with the British Florist Association (BFA), Farewell carries their seal of approval, signifying its reliability and value for the floral community, and a portion of every guide sold will be donated to the BFA to support their ongoing initiatives. Nikki Meader, BFA Chair, has been key to this collaboration, and says she is incredibly pleased with how the guide has come together. “The BFA are proud to support this publication, it offers modern trend designs to assist working florists with their sales. The addition of sustainable options gives florists a great way to talk to their customers and offer a wide selection of designs to suit each client.” By partnering with the BFA, Smithers-Oasis UK aims to give back to the floral industry community, as well as ensuring the Farewell guide meets the highest standards of professional floristry.
The new guide has been a long time in the planning for the Smithers-Oasis team. Marketing and Sustainability Specialist Steph Gillespie remarked “I am delighted to finally have this fantastic new Farewell sympathy guide available. The last guide we created was published over 15 years ago and I know florists really saw the value of using it in their business, because we were still getting asked for it long after it went out of print! We knew we needed an up-to-date version with fresh ideas for today’s florists, and I was keen to incorporate a sustainable section too. We had a wonderful team working on the new guide, and I’m sure you will agree that the floral designs are stunning.”
Different formats available
Each Farewell Sympathy Guide includes two versions: a Shop copy to use front-of-house with clients, and a Workroom Guide designed to help florists when creating funeral designs, and there are a range of packages available to suit different businesses’ needs.
Option 1: Electronic Sympathy Guides
High quality PDF versions of the two Farewell guides. The Shop version is ideal to showcase options to customers on a tablet or screen when they come for a consultation. The Workroom Guide can be referenced on devices behind the scenes, to help floral designers as they create the pieces. (£50)
Option 2: Printed Sympathy Guide Brochures
Two printed brochures on high quality paper, saddle stitched (stapled) to make them easy to browse when open, and durable enough for everyday use. Customers can sit and turn through the pages of the Shop version at their leisure, while the Workroom Guide is kept back-of-house to be used by the florist. (£50)
Option 3: Digital Images
For florists looking to showcase funeral flowers in their own way, the full package of all images used in the Farewell guide is available. These high-resolution copyrighted JPEGs can be used on the florist or funeral directors website, or in promotional material - or the images can simply be printed as inspiration for florists when creating sympathy pieces. (£50)
The Full Package
The best value for money, choosing the Complete Sympathy Guide Package means options 1, 2 and 3 are all included, giving the versatility of both digital and physical resources. (£95)
How to Buy
Farewell is now available from www.oasisfloral.co.uk and printed copies are available via local wholesalers too. Visit www.oasisfloral.co.uk today for more information and to select the package that best suits your needs.
