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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
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