The months after a funeral, and what people ask us for

The week of a funeral has its own momentum. There are cards to print, an order of service to get right, and a number of people to feed. Nobody is thinking past Friday, and they should not have to.

What we notice is that families come back. Usually somewhere between a month and a year later, often around a birthday or an anniversary, and usually for something small rather than something grand.

Acknowledgement cards

Acknowledgement cards are the first of them. There is no rule about when they go out and nobody is counting, but most people want them away within a couple of months, and having a printed card to send is easier than writing sixty letters.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are the next. They cost very little, they go in a missal or a book, and they are the thing that gets handed to cousins and neighbours who were not at the removal. People order them in larger numbers than they expect to need.

Something for the house

After that it is usually something for the house. A photograph on slate for the hearth, a framed print for the hall, or a plaque for the grave. These are not urgent and they should not be rushed, which is why we would rather talk them through than sell them off a page.

Keep the original photograph

One practical thing. Keep the photograph you used for the order of service, and keep it at the size you had it. Everything afterwards tends to use the same image, and starting again from a phone screenshot of a printed card costs quality every time.

Call in or ring and we will go through it at whatever pace suits. There is no hurry on any of it.