Amanda-Louise Funeral Services : second generation lady independent funeral directors, Amanda-Louise and Alice ensure every burial is personalised, carefully created and feels ‘right’.
Bespoke & Traditional Burial Funerals
A professional and respectful bespoke traditional service for your loved one, arranged with care. One of the biggest choices you will need to make is whether you want a cremation, traditional or natural burial for the final step of the funeral. With us by your side, our full, flexible support and options. enables you to have a meaningful farewell, whatever your tone, style and venue to honour a life.
.jpg)
Bespoke Traditional Burial Funeral | Amanda-Louise Funeral Services
To be faced with planning a funeral – whether a death is expected or not – can feel overwhelming. Where do you start?
At Amanda-Louise Funeral Services, Amanda-Louise and Alice, are a well established independent funeral directors helping families in Minehead, across Somerset and if requested, further afield.
Who chooses a personalised traditional funeral?
· People who want a personalised funeral held at a church followed by the graveside or if prefer less funereal setting, an alternative ceremony venue then graveside
· People who want a traditional format, or a military with honours, one that is as unique as the person we are commemorating.
· People who want a full service in format and time, where there is no restriction to numbers of mourners attending.
.jpg)
Who Chooses Amanda-Louise Family Funeral Directors? People who...
· feel comfortable with our friendly, open, non judgement and caring approach with our women's understanding, knowing that our lady funeral directors are the people whom personally look after your loved one, as well as being the family's contact; keeping a continuity for all.
· want our classic black and royal claret motorised hearse with our professional bearers, along with our funeral director, immaculately dressed, ensuring a smooth, dignified and respectful farewell.
· want alternative hearse provisions to convey the coffin of your choice, and limousine(s) to transport family and friends to the funeral and back home or to a reception, to even a vehicle collecting family from the railway station if thats helpful.
· want a funeral directors that are quality assured - we are inspected regularly by the trade body for independent funeral directors (SAIF). Our own robust governance and compliance policies and procedures are regularly reviewed.
· feel assured knowing we are awarded (second place Funeral Director of the Year Award 2025 open up to independent and corporate funeral directors across the UK, Finalists again in 2026 awards (awaiting results), Finalists in Women Business of Year awards 2026 (awaiting results), plus other relevant awards over the years recognised in all that we do and are.
· want assistance in choosing and purchasing our temporary and permanent headstone selection at the appropriate time for burials as well as our beautiful memorial keepsakes aimed at bringing comfort in the days moving forwards.
· feel supported that our doors never close after the day of the funeral offering a variety of grief and bereavement support.
About This Choice £2,842+
This package includes the full and flexible support from Amanda-Louise and Alice, from handling all arrangements to assisting families who prefer a more hands-on role.
Our step by step approach means we will guide you through the legalities and advice.
.jpg)
"With no limits on the possibilities for the funeral or ceremony, we offer a comprehensive range of options to enable you to create a fitting service for your loved one, whether that’s a traditional formal, informal, religious or personal tone and style. We offer as many meetings as needed to create an unique farewell, we can open you up to a world of possibilities such as exploring types of order of service booklets, music and visual tributes, floral arrangements, hospitality to alternative funeral ceremony locations and vehicles and so on.
As you would expect from our caring approach, you are welcome to help care for your loved one whilst as our guest (from washing, applying makeup and hair styles, fingerprints to applying perfume) or asking us to place a favoured item in their coffin, if thats important to you." - Amanda-Louise & Alice
.jpg)
Want To Find Out What’s Included in More Detail and Pricing?
We welcome you to visit us in our modern funeral home, and you can contact Amanda-Louise or Alice via phone or email to discuss any of the choice or decisions you need to make. You can also leave us a message using our contact form and we’ll get back to you via email as soon as possible.
Alternatively scroll down to our full pricing details:
More Services We Offer
Can't find what you are looking for?
Whether you want to talk through our funeral services or need help choosing from our range of funeral products. Get in touch with us today.
.jpg)
Bespoke Traditional Burial Funeral Service
£
PERSONAL MESSAGE TO YOU FROM AMANDA-LOUISE
“I built my independent family run funeral business on kindness and experience with our desire to provide you with every aspect for you to arrange a funeral that reflects how you wish to say goodbye. So, I offer choice,support and value and am not rigid in our approach, so you only pay for what you want and need.Not all funerals are the same and no two funeral directors are the same either. Some funeral directors charge additionally for many aspects of the funeral elements. We care about the living and the departed and know how daunting it can be to arrange a funeral. So, with my heartfelt offering, below is my 10 point gift to support you in your important life decisions, warmly Amanda-Louise”
1. Our Pledge – your loved one remains in our local facilities
2. Our Compliments No Charge (if desired) - Collecting clothing in the local area, our flower placed on coffin if desired as sentimental touch, and delivery of ashes in the local area
3. 'Our Compliments No Charge - A Funeral Notice' online service
4. The ability - for Amanda-Louise Funeral Director to personally come out to your home locally to discuss arrangements in detail
5. Our Compliments No Charge - Choice is very important to us, so you have the option for your gentle funeral ceremony to be conducted by Amanda-Louise (celebrant capacity - subject to availability)
6. Our Pledge Our Heart is Local – we prefer to use only local crematoriums or cemeteries (and not take you out of our region)
7. Our Compliments No Charge - We believe that arranging a meaningful funeral can be a healing experience to support your grief journey. Amanda-Louise will personally support you and guide you through the practical aspects and offer to help you create a fitting ceremony and celebration of life. Our in-house trained bereavement support for adults and children, and open invitations to join us for our bereavement coffee sessions after the funeral enabling a comfortable space and shared experiences
8. Our Partnerships - Access to specialist bereavement counselling for those needing therapeutic structured support
9. Our Pledge for the Planet – we dedicate towards planting a tree in memory of your loved one and our unique way to benefit our environment for future generations by offering a variety of eco-friendly funeral procedures, arrangements, and products too
10. Our Pledge to Ease the Burden – we offer to provide everything you may want or need for a funeral, memorial or celebration of life under our one roof helping to remove some of the stress from your shoulders. From floristry, vehicles, orders of service and ceremony accessories, catering to venue provision and memorabilia and keepsakes
What’s Included In Our Bespoke Traditional Burial Funeral Service
Our professional services - £
· Collection of your loved one who has died during office working hours (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) and within a 25 mile radius of our local branch. Additional charges will apply for out of hours collection, from a non-mortuary location, and any additional mileage.
· Care of your loved one in our funeral home in our onsite secure clinical mortuary. Additional charges will apply if over 21 nights.
· Standard Size Coffin – An oak veneered wood with engraved name plate (or choose upgrade at additional cost - eco-friendly coffin will be needed for natural burials)
· Option to have your loved one dressed in their own clothes - we can collect clothing if local.
· Arrange for personal items to be placed in the coffin, should you wish. Our complimentary message cards available for you to write a message to your loved one.
· Option to have as many visits to see your loved one as you wish, whilst in our care in office hours.
· As many meetings as needed to create a unique ceremony - this will include exploring the many types of order of service ideas, designing bespoke floral arrangements, presenting options for hospitality after the service for example.
· Organising music, photo, slideshow and video tributes if required
· Support organising flowers if required .Flower charge will apply.
· Support with wording, to have funeral notice in newspaper. Their charge will apply.
· Choose what coloured ties our team will wear at your farewell.
· You decide on date, time and venue subject to availability.
· Our online death/funeral notice to share with family and friends.
· Our Iin memory seed packets for mourners attending funeral.
· Collection and administration of monies in memory to charity, ifrequired.
· Saturday morning attended funerals (where offered).
· Our classic black and royal claret hearse to travel from funeral home to cemetery or crematorium via mutually agreed route. Additional charge if over 30 miles.
· Our 4 professional bearers. Additional charge if more required.
· Support to have temporary and or permanent headstone at additional cost (traditional burials only).
· Our advice and support following the funeral (if required) : access to our bereavement support groups in Minehead, our grief lending library and attendance of our memorial annual service.
· Third Party advice and support following the funeral (if required): provision of complimentary grief after care and advice provided by SAIF Care, and/or access to therapeutic bereavement counselling and Mindfulness specialist.
Third Party Disbursements
· These are personal choices so NOT included and priced separately
All arrangements are handled by our experienced team, and we only conduct 1 funeral a day as a mark of respect to your loved one
Take the Next Step
Alternative hearse, additional vehicle(s) and more are priced separately - see breakdown Example Funeral Plan below or Breakdown Calculator below
You choose the time, date and location of funeral (i.e. crematorium, place of worship, burial ground) these are priced separately - see breakdown Example Funeral Plan below or Breakdown Calculator below
Ask for your personal quotation with Amanda-Louise or Alice by calling 01643 800335 or email at office@amandalouisefuneralservices.co.uk
The Breakdown of Costs - Funeral Calculator
This tool of drop down boxes is designed to be transparent helping you make informed decisions. Ask us to provide you with your personal quotation.
Essential Provision In Our Care
Funeral Director Professional Fees £ includes:
· Collection of your loved one who has died during office working hours (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) and within a 25 mile radius of our local branch. Additional charges will apply for out of hours collection, from a non-mortuary location, and any additional mileage.
· Care of your loved one in our funeral home in our onsite secure clinical mortuary. Additional charges will apply if over 21 nights.
· Standard Size Coffin – An oak veneered wood with engraved name plate (or choose upgrade at additional cost)
· Option to have your loved one dressed in their own clothes (we can collect clothing if local).
· Arrange for personal items to be placed in the coffin, should you wish. Our complimentary message cards available for you to write a message to your loved one.
· Option to have as many visits to see your loved one as you wish, whilst in our care in office hours.
· As many meetings as needed to create a unique ceremony - this will include exploring the many types of order of service ideas, designing bespoke floral arrangements, presenting options for hospitality after the service.
· Organising music,photo, slideshow and video tributes if required
· Support organising flowers if required (flower charge will apply).
· Support with wording, to have funeral notice in newspaper (theircharge will apply).
· Choose what coloured ties our team will wear at your farewell.
· Youdecide on date, time and venue subject to availability.
· Our online death/funeral notice to share with family and friends.
· Our In memory seed packets for mourners attending funeral.
· Collection and administration of monies in memory to charity, ifrequired.
· Saturday morning attended funerals (where offered).
· Our classic black and royal claret hearse to travel from funeral home to cemetery or crematorium via mutually agreed route. Additional charge ifover 30 miles.
· Our 4 professional bearers.
· support to have temporary and or permanent headstone at additional cost(traditional burials only).
· Our advice and support following the funeral (if required) :access to our bereavement support groups in Minehead, our grief lending library and attendance of our memorial annual service.
· Third Party advice and support following the funeral (if required): provision of complimentary grief after care and advice provided by SAIF Care,and/or access to therapeutic bereavement counselling.
Add on church, cemetery, crematorium, officiant fees (found under Third Party Costs)
Possible (if relevant) Additional Support In Our Care
· Bringing the person who has died into our care from private home or care home : £250
· Bringing the person who has died into our care outside of office hours : £250
· Over25 miles on collection in our private ambulance : £1.50 per mile
· Over 21 nights in our care - £15 per night
· Our removal of any electrical device ie pacemaker : £150 (cremation only)
· Additional fee if service is to be held in a church before the crematorium: £400
· Each additional bearer (if required) : £85.00
· Additional fee if mileage on funeral hearse is over 30miles :£2.50 per mile
· Family transport (limousinecarries 6 people and will wait to end of service to either go on to the wakevenue or return to the family home): Limousines from £295 /Chauffeur driven car from £250
· Attendance at place of worship before proceeding to the crematorium during office hours : £400.00
· If coffin exceeds 6’2 x 22 (ie bariatric requirements) then additional cost may apply
Optional (if wanted) Additional Support In Our Care
These services depend on the choices you make
· Additional fee if service held weekends : £400
· To visit your loved one whilst in our care, out of hours : £100
· Alternative Coffins : Willow from £675 / Solid Wood from £975(lots of other choices available) - click here to see choices
· Order of Service design and print (priced per copy, minimum 25copies): from £127
· Custom Book of Remembrance – tailored made to same design as your Order of Service : From 50
· Custom Attendance Cards : £60
· Memorial Pins (min10) : 10 pins = £30, 20 pins = £55, 30 pins = £85, 50 pins = £135
· Canvas (custom made with photo size 20”x30”) : £98 / Canvas Easel Hire : £10.00
· Off set the carbon footprint of your funeral byplanting a tree in memory : £10.00 each
Flowers
Flowers At Number 3 are our inhouse florists (click here for their funeral flower choices)
Pop into their store next door to us and talk to the team, or ask us for their funeral flower brochure) or telephone Flowers At No 3 on 0164 3800340
Alternative Coffins (a eco-friendly coffin is essential for a natural burial)
Click here for choices and additional costs
Alternative Hearse Vehicles
1. Modern all black hearse : £450.00
2. Motorcycle hearse (Triumph) : From £1295.00
3. Motorcycle hearse (Harley Davidson) : From £1365.00
4. Horse Drawn hearse : From £1,400.00
5. Alternative Hearse: VW, Tractor, 4x4, Morris Minor, Multi Coloured Hearse, Tank : Contact us
Personal Touches After The Funeral
These items depend on the choices you make
· Memorial keepsakes – contact us - click here to see our selection
Hospitality Support After The Service
Hire of funeral reception venue such as church halls, hotels or historic houses
Contact us
Catering - venues such as church halls, hotels or historic houses may charge room hire plus a cost per head
Contact us
Hire of our Chapel Hall for funeral ceremony and/or reception (up to 4 hours) to include tea, coffee, water (up to 45 people)
£400.00
Catering – in our Chapel Hall for funeral reception, buffet menus start from
From £10 per head
Services After The Funeral
Interment of Ashes – our funeral director to organise internment of ashes, liaising with all those involved, admin duties, and our attendance (we can officiate words of farewell and committal if you wish or leave that to minister)
£150 for our services + church fees + ground preparation fees
Interment of Ashes (used other funeral director for cremation) – our funeral director to organise internment of ashes, liaising with all those involved, admin duties, and our attendance (we can officiate words of farewell and committal if you wish or leave that to minister)
£250 for our services + church fees + ground preparation fees
Essential & Optional Provision - Third Party
Funeral Venues:
Church Cemetery Fees (these will vary depending on location) - example costs: Church - £244, Organist £70-£150, Verger £40, Lighting & Heating £40, Burial fee following service £425, Ground Preparation £600
Natural Burial Site (these will vary depend on location) - example costs: £1,500
Funeral Professionals To Officiate a Ceremony
Religious Minister
£240.00 (plus mileage if applicable)
Professional Celebrant or Humanist
£250.00-£350.00 (plus mileage if applicable)
Other Funeral Professional Services
Professional funeral photographer
Contact us (click here for details of our inhouse funeral photographer)
Professional external video of funeral and procession
Contact us
Musicians, bands, bagpipers, choirs or other performers
Contact us
Doves, butterflies, balloon release
Contact us
More services we offer
What to expect from us
The enduring strength of women
We care for you and your family
As your Lady Funeral Directors, Amanda-Louise or Alice can meet you in the comfort of your own home, or in our peaceful office, or via video call if you'd prefer. We will never tell you how 'things should be done', or rush you, but support you to understand and consider your choices, so that you can decide what is right for you and your family and friends.
We will listen to you, and can help you plan a funeral ceremony. We'll respect your personal beliefs, values and culture and ensure your requirements, and those of the person that has died, are reflected in the funeral. You may prefer a religious funeral, a more secular service or might want to include a number of different religious and spiritual perspectives within the same service.
We can help you to reflect on the life of the person who has died and enable you to create some positive memories to support you at a time when people can often feel sad and alone. We can support you to have a farewell that you desire - so we will support you to understand the wide range of options such as visual, musical, floral, donations, readings/poems for example, as well as organising venue and/or hospitality for your after funeral wake or reception, if you wish.
Importantly, we will be flexible to your needs and wishes and give you our time to help put your ideas into action. You can take as much control as you like. We are able to support families from across Somerset, Devon and beyond, are not regionally restricted, we can help you create an event at a time and place that is best for you.
Amanda-Louise is also a trained Celebrant, who can also personally deliver a heartfelt celebrant led (religious or non religious) service on your behalf should you wish, or we can recommend other talented professional ceremony leaders including religious ministers, celebrants and humanists.
We work hard to support the wellbeing of every family we support (adults and children).We can also provide a wealth of practical bereavement information for adults and children, and we'll ensure the funeral is meaningful for you, which helps in coming to terms with loss too.
We care for the person who has died
In our care you have trusted us to look after your loved one and we take enormous pride in treating people with respect and dignity. From the very moment the person who has died comes into our care, to the moment they leave, we will treat them with compassion, kindness and consideration. We see this as part of the cycle of life
We reach out and support people from 15 to 50+ miles away from us, as we safely transfer the deceased into our facilities. We'll care for the person entrusted into our funeral home with compassion and dignity, and treat everyone as guests in our home. Or we can assist if you prefer the deceased to remain at home or liaise with a repatriation company for deaths abroad.
We provide a comprehensive range of coffins in different materials, including coffin accessories to suit all tastes. This is a very personal choice, so we happily talk about them or can show you the differences.
We can provide the ability for family to spend time with their loved one, and to change clothing if this is important to you. Plus you can be involved in as little or as much of their care as you desire. We will gently prepare them for their funeral following your wishes including hairstyles or makeup, and whilst we do not routinely embalm we can provide this if you desire. We’ll take great care of any person effects, and give them to you ,or they will remain with the person Plus we can arrange for your items to be placed in the coffin if you wish.
We can even support you to keep your loved one at home right up until their funeral if you wish.
%20(1).jpg)
.jpg)
On the day of the funeral
We understand that attention to detail is really important, from considering the way people enter the service to carefully calculating the journey time.
We can provide our professional pallbearers to convey the coffin. We can help you bear the coffin if that's important to you. We can arrange special routes to the funeral if you wish, or alternative hearses and limousines.
We can arrange to collect family from railway station or airport if helpful.
Some families prefer not to hold the funeral ceremony at a crematorium chapel or in church, so we can support you to have a service in a chosen hotel, hall or alternative venue that is meaningful to you.
Amanda-Louise or Alice will be by your side giving you that reassuring presence ensuring everything is going to plan smoothly, and we leave when you are ready for us to go. We can also provide attendance cards so you know who has attended the funeral ceremony service.
After the funeral
We remain connected should you need us. If we collected donations, we will provide you with audit trail so you know they have been forwarded to the relevant people, organisation or charity. We'll collect ashes if that's helpful & deliver them to you. We can arrange for you to scatter them or preserve them if you wish.
We will have spoken to you about the arrangements of the funeral flowers and carried out those wishes. And if required, we can organise graves and headstones to be put in place at a suitable time after a burial or ashes placed.
And we welcome you to stay in touch. Often our clients pop in to talk about how life is treating them, or to attend one of our coffee afternoons as life can be isolating at times following the loss of a loved one. Our kettle is always on, likely biscuits too. Rest assured, we will never stop caring - here for you whenever you need us, wherever you are.
Do you need more help?
.jpg)
"We all felt totally safe opening our hearts to Amanda-Louise and were so impressed in the skills and empathy she has to understand how we all felt."
Bespoke Traditional Burial Funeral Service
Our frequently asked questions to guide you
Can I view the cremation?
Many crematoria’s will allow one or two family members to be present but this will need to be arranged prior to the cremation to accommodate this. There may be an additional fee for this. If you are worried about the process, then talk to Amanda-Louise who will answer all your questions honestly.
Are bodies cremated one at a time?
Yes they are. The chamber only allows for one body at a time, which allows to check the right person is being cremated at the right time, plus the law states this.
Are coffins ever reused?
No. During a cremation the coffin is always burned. At a burial, the coffin is lowered into the ground. Out of respect for the deceased and family a coffin would never be reused under any circumstances.
What is cremation jewellery?
This term is also known as remembrance or memorial jewellery and is jewellery that has incorporated a small amount of the cremated ashes. Popular items such as rings, bracelets and necklaces but there are a variety of other items such as coloured glass ornaments too.
Do you get cremated in the coffin?
Yes, the deceased is always cremated in the coffin or a shroud (if desired). All UK crematories have to follow a very strict code of practice. Once the funeral director has sealed the coffin, no one opens it again. Sometimes you may see a coffin flag or drape over a coffin, and as these can be recycled they are often removed prior to the cremation at the request of the family.
What actually is a direct cremation?
A direct cremation is a cremation with no service or mourners in attendance. Here at Amanda-Louise Funeral Services our ethical approach means we prefer to use local crematoria’s, we still drive to the chapel in a funeral suitable vehicle and take the coffin into the chapel with full honours. As a direct funeral is seen as a no frills no fuss approach, then the deceased is placed into their coffin in clothing they have arrived in and there’s no facility for viewing. The family do not choose the date/time and location of the cremation. Availability at crematoriums is limited for this type of funeral, so the time afforded to us is only 15 minutes maximum. Its usual practice not to inform the family of the details, as we need to obey rules of direct funeral of no attendees. If this is not the option that’s right for you, then we offer a full and flexible funeral service.
Which is more expensive burial or cremation?
Typically, cremations are less expensive than a burial, but there isn’t much in it these days.
For burials, the cost will depend on whether it’s a new plot needed to be purchased, or an existing one that needs to have a stone removed in preparation, plus there is the burial cost on top. Having said that, cremation prices do vary with each crematoria provider, whether you want a funeral ceremony and for how long. Please do talk to us about your individual requirements as we always supply a quotation.
Can you be cremated without a coffin?
Yes, the UK law states that a body must be covered up when in public. As coffins are not a legal requirement for cremations, a shroud can be used to cover the deceased who is placed on a 'charging board'.
However, many crematoriums insist of having coffins. There are of course a variety of materials for coffins these days, from wood, to wood products, to wicker and cardboard too.
Are you clothed when you are cremated?
That’s up to you. You can be cremated with or without clothing. The majority of direct cremations, the deceased is cremated in whatever clothing they are wearing when they died, however for more traditional support the funeral director can help the family redress the person who has died into something chosen by the family.
Will Prosthetics or Implants be Cremated too?
This will vary. Prosthetics will depend, for example pacemakers and internal defibrillators will need to be removed before cremation, as they will explode. Many implants such as silicone breast implants will likely remain with the deceased and will form part of the cremated ashes. Whereas metal implants do not burn, and these are separated after the body has been burned.
Here at Amanda-Louise Funeral Directors, we carry out the procedure to remove pacemakers
Will the crematorium provide a ceremony leader to conduct the funeral service?
No that’s not their role. We can help you find someone that is suitable for you, unless you have someone else in mind.
We don’t want to have the funeral service held in the church, chapel or crematorium, where can we have it instead?
The choices are limitless. Many halls, sports clubs, hotels, galleries, zoos, castles, outdoor areas can be suitable to host a funeral ceremony. You can have the coffin present if you wish. Best advice is to book somewhere that is enthusiastic to your needs.
Our beautiful funeral home in Minehead is available for exclusive use to hold a service; with or without catering facilities.
Sarah and Family
Kathryn Powell
Paul Leat-Andrews
Sally Priddy
Kerry and Zarah Williams
Dudley P
Carol Coutts
Adrian Naude
Donna W
Abi Wong
Isabel Wood
Liz, Nigel and Sarah Birchenough
Mark Jacobs
Pat
Stumpy Northerner
Georgie B
Rachelle Coggins
Dawn
Rob Whitehouse
Naomi Dawes
Gil Nurse
Chris Daven-Thomas
Jan Adams
Claire W
Nicholas Gill - August 2026
Iris Larbey
Alex, Beth & Sadie
Calley Owen
Sue Babey
Julie
Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors
Lesley W
Paris Shovelar
Pippa B
Mrs P Potts
Anna Lienka
Amanda M
Adam Rouse
Les Fiander
Lynn M
Heather H
Caroline Bassil
Linda Baker
June Harwood
Harriet Gibbs
Sarah Pitman
Sharon Hilleard
Ian Mitcham
Dean W
Erica and Peter
Sue Burton
Steve Hawkins
Name Surname
Position, Company name
"Dedicated to giving you the funeral you deserve & want"
"With my vision on providing wrap-around-care from start to finish. Our team are here to help you with every aspect of planning and organising your funeral needs from the preparation of the body to events and memorial services, I will be with you every step of the way"
