What to Bring to a Funeral in Australia

Not sure what to bring to a funeral in Australia? 

While you may wish to express your condolences somehow, it is not necessary to bring a gift or flowers to a funeral. In fact, some families specifically request that you don’t bring anything to the service.  

If the family has expressed that they don’t want offerings or gifts on the day, there are many other options for showing your support.  

We discuss this in greater detail below, and share some ideas for appropriate bereavement gifts. 

What to bring to a funeral in Australia 

Giving someone flowers or a bereavement gift can offer some comfort or communicate that you are there for someone in the time of mourning.  

However, it is not necessary and often not appropriate to bring that gift to the funeral – unless you’ve spoken to the immediate family or the funeral director beforehand to check if it is ok.  

At Anton Brown Funerals, we also receive a lot of sympathy cards, which we then pass onto the families. 

Ideas for Bereavement Gifts  

Gifts given to someone in mourning: 

• Can communicate your support for them 
• Offer help during their time of grief  
• Honour the memory of their friend of loved one 
   

1. Flowers sent to a home  

Flowers are a common way to express sympathy, but rather than bringing them to the service, it may be better to send them to the family home following the person’s passing or even after the funeral has been held.  

2. Donation to charity on behalf of deceased 

Charitable donations to a pre-decided cause can be a meaningful way to honour the memory of a person – especially if they were particularly passionate about a particular not-for-profit organisation or dedicated time to a specific cause. 

If this is something you would like to consider, check with the family about the charity of their choosing and whose details should be provided when the donation is made. 

3. Food / condolence basket or hamper  

The last thing a grieving person may feel like doing is grocery shopping or cooking, but you can help to ease that burden by providing ready-made dinners, food that can be frozen, or even ordering groceries to be delivered to their door.  

Oftentimes, people are overwhelmed by food offerings directly after their loved one’s death, so it’s a good idea to include non-perishable items or meals than can be frozen, or you may even consider waiting a few weeks before providing your gift. 

4. Gifts to remember the deceased 

There are many personalised presents which may act as treasured reminders of a person who has passed away.  

Some examples include photo books, framed images of the deceased, a mug with their picture or artwork, or a trinket box to house cherished keepsakes like souvenirs from happier times, or items the deceased may have gifted or passed down to the recipient. 

5. Pay for helpful service – I.e. gardener, cleaner  

When in the midst of grief some people will be barely capable of getting out of bed, let alone completing necessary home maintenance tasks like gardening and cleaning.  

So, paying for someone to carry out these services, or even offering to do them yourself, can help to take the pressure off immensely.  

More Information about Funeral Etiquette 

If you’d like to find out more about funeral etiquette, we share some more guidance in our blog here.