Launch New Course for Funeral Flowers
I have been thinking about this course for a very long time.
Funeral flowers have always held a very particular place in my work as a florist. They ask something different from us — not spectacle, not trend, not performance — but presence, sensitivity and a deep understanding of what flowers can say when words are no longer enough. Over the years I have realised how many florists feel unsure when they are asked to create work for a farewell ceremony. Not because they lack skill, but because nobody ever really teaches you how to approach this part of the profession.
That is why, in April 2026, I am launching a new two-day intensive at the Berlin Flower School dedicated entirely to funeral floristry.
This course is very personal to me.
In our industry we speak endlessly about weddings, installations and events. Yet funerals remain one of the most meaningful and constant aspects of floristry — and also one of the most demanding. You are working with families at vulnerable moments. You are collaborating with funeral directors. You are navigating religious traditions, cultural expectations and emotional conversations while still delivering work of the highest aesthetic standard.
I wanted to create a course that finally brings all of these elements together.
Over two immersive days we will work closely in the studio, combining lectures, conversations and hands-on design work. The first day is dedicated to urn arrangements and wreaths. We will speak about symbolism, rituals and religious contexts — not academically, but practically, from the perspective of a working florist. Understanding why certain forms exist and what they communicate changes completely how you design them.
On the second day we move into coffin flowers and smaller personal pieces for mourners at the grave. These designs require technical confidence as much as emotional intelligence. Mechanics, proportion, transport safety and durability all matter — but so does restraint. Sometimes the most powerful gesture is the quietest one.
Across the two days each participant will complete six designs. I work closely with every student, because funeral floristry is not something you can learn from distance or demonstration alone. It requires conversation, reflection and practice.
We will also speak honestly about the professional reality of working in this field: how to communicate with families, how to collaborate with funeral homes, how to price responsibly and how to protect yourself emotionally while doing work that can be deeply moving.
My intention is simple.
By the end of the course you should feel confident enough to step into funeral floristry as a professional discipline — not cautiously or reluctantly, but with clarity and assurance. You will understand how to design, how to communicate and how to position your work within a high-end market where quality and sensitivity matter equally.
Flowers accompany some of the most important moments in life. Farewell is one of them.
I am very much looking forward to welcoming the first group in April 2026.
Love Julia Gauld-Ritterspach
Founder, Berlin Flower School
