Funeral flowers in the UK can cost anywhere from around £25 for a simple posy to £350 or more for a full casket spray, and most people have no idea where on that scale their tribute should sit until they are suddenly faced with ordering one. This guide sets out realistic price ranges for each common arrangement type, explains what actually drives the cost, and offers some practical, respectful ways to keep spending in check. Prices vary by region and florist, so treat these figures as a sensible guide rather than a quotation.
For context, flowers are usually a small part of the overall cost of a funeral. SunLife's 2026 Cost of Dying report puts the average simple attended funeral at £3,828, with optional extras such as flowers and catering taking a typical send-off to around £5,140. A thoughtful floral tribute sits well within that picture, and there is no expectation that it should be expensive.
Typical UK prices by arrangement type
Florists price funeral flowers by the style of arrangement, its size, and the flowers used. The ranges below reflect what most UK florists charge, with the lower end representing smaller or simpler versions and the upper end covering larger arrangements with premium flowers.
Posies: £25–£60
A posy is a small, rounded arrangement, usually displayed flat or in a low container. Posies are among the most affordable tributes and are a common choice for friends, neighbours, colleagues, and grandchildren. Despite the modest price, a well-made posy looks complete and considered rather than cheap.
Hand-tied bouquets: £30–£100
Hand-tied bouquets are gathered and tied stems, often wrapped, and they double as sympathy flowers sent to the family's home as well as tributes for the service. The price climbs with stem count and flower choice; a bouquet built around roses or lilies will sit at the upper end, while seasonal mixed stems keep costs down.
Funeral sheaves: £40–£120
A sheaf is a flat-backed bundle of flowers designed to rest against or on top of a coffin. Because sheaves use no floral foam or container, they are often better value than wreaths of a similar visual size, and many families choose them for their natural, gathered-from-the-garden appearance.
Wreaths: £60–£200
The classic circular wreath remains the most recognised funeral tribute. A simple 12-inch wreath in seasonal flowers starts at around £60, while larger wreaths in roses or other premium stems can reach £200. The circle's symbolism of eternal life makes it appropriate from almost anyone.
Standing sprays: £80–£250
Standing sprays are larger, fan-shaped arrangements displayed on an easel beside the coffin during the service. Their size and the volume of flowers required place them firmly in the mid-to-upper price bracket. They are usually chosen by close family or by groups clubbing together.
Floral hearts: £80–£200
Heart-shaped tributes, whether solid flower hearts or open outlines, typically come from immediate family or a partner. Solid hearts use considerably more flowers than open ones, which explains much of the variation within the range.
Casket sprays: £150–£350
The casket spray sits on top of the coffin itself and is almost always chosen by the immediate family, often the surviving partner or the deceased's children. As the centrepiece of the funeral flowers, it is the largest and most expensive single arrangement, and full-length sprays covering most of the coffin sit at the top of the range.
Floral letters: roughly £35–£60 per letter
Letter tributes spelling out names or words such as MUM, DAD, NAN or GRANDAD are priced per letter, so a three-letter tribute typically costs £105–£180 in total. Family members often share the cost, with each person or household covering a letter.
What drives the price
Understanding why one wreath costs £60 and another £180 helps you ask the right questions when ordering.
Flower choice
Premium stems such as roses, lilies, orchids and calla lilies cost significantly more than chrysanthemums, carnations and seasonal filler flowers. A tribute built mostly on chrysanthemums with a few feature roses can look every bit as dignified as an all-rose design at a fraction of the cost. Florists do this routinely and will not think you are cutting corners by asking.
Seasonality
Flowers in season locally or in the main European growing regions are cheaper and fresher. Asking your florist to work with what is best that week, rather than insisting on a specific out-of-season flower, usually improves both the price and the quality of the finished tribute. Prices also rise around peak floral dates such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, when wholesale costs increase across the board.
Size and complexity
Size is the most obvious cost driver: a 16-inch wreath uses far more flowers than a 12-inch one. Labour matters too. Solid shapes such as filled hearts and letters take longer to make and use dense quantities of stems, while looser, natural designs are quicker and lighter on materials.
Delivery
Most florists deliver locally for £5–£15, and many include delivery to nearby funeral directors in the price. Deliveries to crematoria, distant venues or at very specific times may carry a surcharge. Ordering from a florist near the funeral venue, rather than near you, usually keeps delivery simple and cheap.
Who pays for what, by convention
There is no rule book, but convention in the UK runs broadly as follows. The immediate family, usually the partner, children or parents of the person who died, arrange and pay for the casket spray and any named letter tributes, often through the funeral director. The cost of family flowers is frequently settled as part of the overall funeral account. Extended family typically send their own wreaths, hearts or sprays. Friends, neighbours and colleagues send smaller tributes such as posies, bouquets or modest wreaths, and workplaces often organise a collection for a single shared arrangement. Nobody outside the immediate family is expected to contribute to the main coffin flowers unless invited to.
How to keep costs down respectfully
Spending less does not mean caring less, and there are several ways to manage the budget without the tribute looking sparse. Choose seasonal flowers and let the florist lead on variety. Pick a sheaf instead of a wreath, or an open heart instead of a solid one. Go one size down, the difference between a 12-inch and 14-inch wreath is barely noticeable at a service but real on the invoice. Club together: a single generous arrangement from "all her friends at the allotment" is more striking than several small ones, and the card matters more than the size. Finally, give the florist a budget rather than a shopping list; a good florist will design to the figure you name.
If money is genuinely tight, remember that many families now request charitable donations instead of flowers, and a heartfelt sympathy card costs almost nothing. Nobody at a funeral is auditing the flowers.
Supermarket, local florist or online?
Supermarket flowers are inexpensive and fine for taking to a home or graveside, but supermarkets do not generally make formal funeral tributes or deliver to funeral directors, so they are rarely suitable for the service itself. A local florist offers made-to-order tributes, advice on what suits the venue, and direct liaison with the funeral director, usually the safest option for anything appearing at the funeral. Online national relay services are convenient when you are ordering from a distance, though part of what you pay goes to the network rather than into the flowers, and the arrangement is made by a local member florist you have not chosen. If you can identify a well-reviewed florist near the funeral venue and phone them directly, you will usually get better value than ordering through an intermediary.
Whatever you spend, the gesture is what registers. A modest posy delivered on time with a thoughtful card does its job perfectly.
Sources and further reading
- SunLife Cost of Dying report, the UK's long-running annual study of funeral and send-off costs, for the wider context above.
- Our guide to wreaths, sprays and casket arrangements, to match the tribute to the role you are playing.
- Funeral flower etiquette, for who conventionally pays for what.
- Alternatives to funeral flowers, if a donation would suit the family better.