Director's Insight Magazine | Page 14

> FLASHY FUNERALS: FLEETS OF LIMOS, ROLLS ROYCE HEARSES AND £20,000 CASKETS - HOW THE SUPERRICH CONTINUE TO SPLASH THE CASH AFTER THEY DIE In life they were accustomed to having the finer things so it is perhaps no surprise that the uber wealthy continue to splash the cash after their deaths. A new documentary has lifted the casket lid on just how much is spent by the country’s wealthiest families when one of their nearest and dearest dies. From fleets of luxury limos to $20,000 gold-plated coffins, no expense is spared to ensure a loved one is seen off in style. Britain’s top funeral directors reveal on the show how they will endeavour to meet any request - no matter how outlandish - so a grieving family can give a loved one a lavish remembrance service. The program explores the challenges these funeral directors face as they organize some of the biggest funerals of their careers, pulling out all the stops, with just one chance to get it right. One of them is Matthew Lymn, the company director of AW Lymn in Nottingham. He said: ‘Sometimes it is surprising just how much people are willing to spend on a funeral which you could argue is not necessary, we could all be laid to rest in a cardboard coffin with a very simple service. ‘People expect so much more today and what may have been considered outrageous in the past is now considered a fitting and proper way to say goodbye to their loved one.’ At one recent funeral for a travelling family, Matthew provided a fleet of Rolls Royces and a double decker Routemaster bus to transport the family to the service. Once there, they wanted farmyard animals grazing outside and a red carpet laid out. Another mother-of-three planning her funeral requested a glass coffin because she wanted it to emulate Snow White and have a fairytale theme. Matthew said no request is too big for his clients and it is the traveling community who often make the most outlandish requests, with everyone they know chipping in to cover the expense, from funeral cars to the casket and flowers. Matthew said: ‘If a family asks for something unusual we don’t just say no. If a client wants PAGE 14