Funeral

Flower

Arrangements

The first question that comes to mind when it comes to funeral flower arrangements is what kind of flowers are the appropriate ones for such occasion. Most people don’t have in dept experience with funerals and being uncertain is perfectly normal. It is not actually complicated and there is very little room for error.

Funeral flower arrnagements with live flowers

Any type of flower in any color can be used in funeral flower arrangement as long the flowers are fresh and beautiful and the colors are well matched together. However if you know the deceased person well, personalizing your flower gift by choosing her favourite flowers or his favourite color for the funeral flower arrangement you order, will be a lovely token of attention to detail.

The live flowers bought for funeral occasions are two major types – funeral flower arrangements and sympathy flowers.

Funeral flower arrangements are the formal ones. They are designed to adorn the casket and its surroundings in the funeral home during the service and later in the cemetery. Funeral flower arrangements are usually left on the grave after the ceremony and have specific shape and design to suit their use. 

Funeral Wreaths

Traditionally circle or oval shaped flower arrangements coming in various sizes. Larger funeral wreaths are build on supportive structure concealed by the base foliage and flowers. The usual base colour is deep green or brown acting as a background to the lighter accenting flowers. Experienced florist will have several suggestions to accommodate your order, however if you choose the colours, avoid using too many types of flowers and colors on a single wreath. White is a nice neutral colour to start with for example and one extra contracting colour is perfectly sufficient. Silk ribbons with messages related to the life and believes of the deceased are sometime arranged on the wreath.

Funeral Sprays

Intended to decorate the area close to the casket they are usually displayed on an easel making them easier to position. As with the wreaths while there are no strict rules it is good to apply some moderation in combining colors and shapes. Using light pastel colors for example have soothing effect on the eye and tend to subconsciously lighten the mood.

Casket Flower Blankets

As the name suggests these funeral flower arrangements are intended to cover the casket. Casket flower blankets are large flower arrangements and are usually ordered by the closest relatives. They are wider than the casket with sides hanging over the edges. The length depends on if the casket is displayed open (half blanket) or closed (full blanket)

Casket Sprays

These are large sprays designed to decorate the casket and they overlap their function with the casket flower blanket. While there is a saying that there couldn't be too much flowers on a funeral, placing large flower spray on top of a flower blanket especially with different color tone, might prove to be aesthetically unsound.

Theme funeral flower arrangements are closest to the funeral sprays with additional commemorative element connected to the personality of the deceased. The most common are the religious ones, (see also artificial funeral flowers) but theme arrangements connected to sport, hobbies and habits are not unusual.

Sympathy flowers are the informal funeral flower arrangements. They are intended to soften the pain of the grieving family members and remind them that people around them still care. The freshness, beauty and vitality of the live flowers take the mind away from the thoughts of briefness of life and bring the message that the life out there still goes on. The people closely affected by the death of a loved one desperately, need confirmation of this message. In short, sympathy flowers are given to live people with the purpose to make them feel better. The sympathy flowers are usually taken home after the funeral and they must be the ones signifying life rather than death. Cut fresh flowers in the form of bouquets and posies are as suitable as potted live plants and even planters that will blossom and please the eye years after the funeral.

Using vivid colours and flower variety in your sympathy flower arrangement is good and helps further with its life promoting purpose. 

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