Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences in life—as someone close to the grieving family, you want to express your sympathy and condolences to them while also honoring the life of the departed soul. Sending flowers has traditionally been the best way to convey these sincere feelings.
Funeral flowers are sentimental gifts representing a person’s deepest feelings for a deceased person and their family. Owing to the beauty and calmness they bring to us, flowers are a wonderful way to show sympathy to the grieving family and say goodbye to the deceased person.
However, not all flower types are appropriate to bring to a funeral, and not all of them express the same feelings. You have to be more than careful when picking the flower type to avoid offending the family or sending the wrong message.
We’ve got you covered. This article covers everything you need to know about funeral flowers, their colors, types, the different messages they send, and more.
The Meaning Behind Flower Colors in Funerals
Before getting into the most beautiful types of flowers for a funeral, it’s better to have a general idea about the meaning of each flower color first. This way, you’ll be able to choose the kind and the color of flowers that best describes your feelings.
1. White Flowers
As you might know, white is the most commonly used color in funerals. The color best symbolizes purity, peace, innocence, sympathy, reverence, and eternal life after death. People usually opt for different white flowers at funerals, including lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, and carnations.
2. Red Flowers
Another flower color that many people opt for in funerals is red. Red flowers are the best option to convey deep emotions like love, beauty, admiration, devotion, strength, and respect. Additionally, red flowers are a wonderful option owing to their brightness and can bring some life to a funeral. The most common funeral red flowers are roses, but you can also opt for other beautiful red flowers like carnations and chrysanthemums.
3. Blue Flowers
One of the most appropriate flower colors for sad events like funerals is blue. It truthfully conveys the feelings of sorrow, sympathy, and mourning. However, blue can also be used to convey feelings of hope, peace, and goodwill.
4. Pink Flowers
Pink is often used in funeral flower arrangements because it evokes memories—it’s a color that best symbolizes remembrance, innocence, tenderness, and compassion.
5. Purple Flowers
Purple flowers are the way to go if you want to convey feelings of respect, dignity, humility, admiration, and sorrow. Although it may seem a little gloomy for a funeral, this color can directly express your deep emotions for the deceased. Lavender flowers are usually mixed with other colors to balance the intensity of the color, such as red and pink.
6. Orange Flowers
Orange flowers are one of the brightest and warmest flowers you can bring to a funeral. They symbolize many happy and warm emotions, such as joy, excitement, and enthusiasm. This bright, bold color can bring some hope and warmth to sad events, especially when used with other happy colors like yellow.
7. Yellow Flowers
Yellow is naturally a happy and bright color that reminds you of the beauty of life. Yellow flowers are perfect for expressing feelings of joy, happiness, hope, warmth, and friendship. They are equally vivid and dazzling as orange flowers, which help in bringing brightness and hope to a sad funeral. So, don’t think that this color is not appropriate for funerals. It can improve the day of the grieving family, even just a little bit.
8. Green Flowers
While green flowers are not frequently used in funerals, green flowers are a wonderful way to add extra color to your bouquet. The color green in funerals symbolizes nature, renewal, rebirth, and wellness.
7 Most Beautiful Flowers for Funerals
Now that you know what each flower color means, you can accurately express your emotions at a funeral by choosing the appropriate color and type of flowers. Here are the most beautiful flowers that are suitable to bring to a funeral:
1. Lilies
One of the most well-liked funeral flowers is the white lilies—for a good reason. White lilies are naturally beautiful and enjoy a delicate scent everyone loves, making them ideal funeral flowers.
These flowers represent peace, dignity, and grace. It’s one of the best flowers symbolizing the soul’s restoration and renewal. It also means that the departed soul can finally enjoy the full state of purity and innocence.
This thinking may have originated from the Christian notion that lilies are associated with the Virgin Mary, which is the picture of purity and peace. But overall, white is one of the most common colors in funerals because it’s typically regarded as an appropriate color for funeral flowers, regardless of its connection to Christianity.
Without a doubt, white lilies are a wonderful choice if you look for beautiful funeral flower arrangements that elegantly honor the well-lived life of the departed person.
2. Chrysanthemums (Mums)
You’ll almost certainly find either chrysanthemums or lilies used in funeral arrangements if you visit funeral homes. In several European cultures, chrysanthemums are always used as funeral flowers. This is, however, not the case in most Asian cultures, where chrysanthemums are usually given during baby showers as they symbolize the coming of a new life to the world.
Chrysanthemums are the perfect choice to say goodbye to the most beautiful souls in the US because they are thought to stand for vivacity, honor, and truth. They are wonderful, colorful flowers perfect for honoring the person’s life, accomplishments, and the happiness they offer to those close to them.
Additionally, mums’ various colors have different meanings—red chrysanthemums symbolize love and white chrysanthemums symbolize purity and innocence.
3. Orchids
If you could only pick one flower to convey your deep emotions, orchids are undoubtedly the way. Orchids boast a unique beauty and charm that make them one of the most valuable funeral flowers. These charming, durable flowers are a wonderful option if you’re thinking about giving flowers to the deceased person’s family.
Unlike other funeral flower arrangements, orchids should be sent to the bereaved home in a bouquet or vase. When properly cared for, orchids can bloom for several months, making the bereaved feel better when they see a beautiful, living thing blooming in their house and erasing their sadness.
Hydrangeas, carnations, daisies, and gladioli, are a few additional flowers used in funeral bouquets or sent to those trying to cope with grief and loss. It’s a wonderful, beautiful way to let someone know you care and support them through difficult times.
All orchids are suitable as funeral flowers, but the best types for such sad occasions are Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium, which you can get in both white and pink. These flowers can be a consoling gift for people to help them through grief because of the way they represent enduring affection and sincere sorrow.
4. Roses
Roses are a flower used the most on all occasions, and funerals are no exception. Roses come in different colors, giving you more room to express your feelings for the deceased. For example, Crimson roses symbolize extreme grief, red roses symbolize love and respect, pink roses symbolize loveliness, yellow roses symbolize friendship and admiration, and white roses symbolize purity and innocence.
These beautiful flowers can be brought to the funeral or wake and given to the family as an act of support during difficult times.
5. Hyacinths
Most often, hyacinths are included in a bouquet of different flowers. These are great options to convey your sincere feelings of affection and sorrow. However, hyacinths are associated with rashness, games, and sports, so if you decide to use them as funeral flowers, do this with extreme caution because the last thing you want to do is to offend someone who just lost a loved one.
6. Carnations
You’ll find that funeral wreaths and standing sprays frequently feature these beautiful flowers: carnations. Every color in carnations, like other flowers, has a specific meaning— white typically denotes innocence, while red symbolizes deep love and affection.
As for pink carnations, they are used to honor a beautiful soul that has lived a good life; they are thought to have been made from the Virgin Mary’s tears.
- Pro tip: You can ask a skilled florist to make personalized tributes from carnations, such as the deceased person’s favorite activities and sports.
7. Hydrangeas
While the meaning of hydrangeas is not as clear as that of the other flowers, many people think these charming flowers can perfectly represent genuine emotions. It can be found in various stunning colors, including white, pink, and blue, all of which symbolize different feelings you have for the deceased.
Different Types of Floral Arrangements For Funerals
Flowers honor the deceased’s life and simultaneously offer consolation to the grieving family. When it comes to choosing the style of funeral arrangement that best conveys your actual feelings, you have several options:
1. Standing Sprays
Standing sprays are floral arrangements that stand upright (typically on tripods) and are usually displayed on the easel. Standing sprays can be in a variety of shapes, including the shape of a bouquet, wreath, and cross. Standing sprays may be at the venue’s entrance or around the casket.
While sending standing sprays to funeral homes is the custom, they can also be given to churches for a service or a graveside burial ceremony.
2. Casket Sprays
Casket sprays (also known as casket covers) and standing sprays have many things in common, but the main difference between the two is that the first lie on top of the casket, while the latter is usually displayed on the easel.
These are designed to fit on the casket lid full-length for closed casket services or half-length for open casket services. The deceased’s family usually orders the casket spray and selects their preferred style and color.
3. Wreaths
Wreaths are more noticeable flower arrangements placed on the easel next to the casket and are suitable for family members and close friends. They are frequently brought to a funeral home and sometimes taken to a gravesite.
Flowers can be arranged into a wreath shape and hung up during the funeral by the family. You’ll find that standing sprays frequently include wreaths. As a funeral guest, it’s not appropriate to send wreaths or gifts; instead, they should be ordered by the family.
4. Funeral Baskets (Floral Baskets)
Funeral baskets can be sent to the family’s home or a church for a service. They come in baskets or big plastic containers that sit on the floor and typically contain simple cut flowers in various sizes.
Funeral baskets are a wonderful option if you want to give flowers to a funeral and convey your sincere emotions to the family and the deceased. Additionally, they are OK to be sent by almost anyone.
5. Floor Bouquets
As the name implies, floor bouquets are floral arrangements that sit on the floor around the casket. Floor bouquets typically consist of beautiful flowers and greenery; guests can send them to the family at the funeral.
6. Other Floral Shapes
The family may also purchase floral arts as funeral flower arrangements. Funeral flowers can be shaped into religious symbols like crosses or objects like hearts. Floral arts can either be placed off to the side or take center stage as a casket spray or standing spray.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know everything about funeral flowers— their colors, types, meanings, and arrangements—you can employ this knowledge and choose the right type and color of flowers that can best express the feelings you want to convey to the grieving family and the departed soul. Remember, the time and energy you invest in choosing the funeral flowers are always worth it—they will never forget your act of kindness.