What Flowers Are Popularly Used For Funerals?

When someone loses a loved one, you want to be able to show them your sympathies and condolences while also respectfully commemorating the life of the departed. And flowers have been the traditional way to express such sentiments.

Funeral flowers are tokens that embody a person's heartfelt feelings. Their delicate and serene nature makes them the perfect memory souvenirs to honor a departed soul. 

Whether you're taking care of a funeral arrangement or attending one, knowing what flowers to send is crucial. Let's help you figure out the most popular funeral flowers and what each of them means. 

Of the many varieties of funeral flowers, few are widely accepted as most befitting a final farewell. These are lilies, chrysanthemums, roses, and orchids. They each have profound messages attached to them and are effective bearers of a person's deepest sympathies to those mourning a loss.

Lilies for Funeral

White lilies are perhaps one of the most popular funeral flowers. They symbolize the renewal and restoration of the departed soul back to purity and innocence. 

This belief may have stemmed from the Christian tradition of lilies representing the Virgin Mary, the epitome of purity, peace, and innocence.

Whether or not associated with the Christian faith, white is generally considered an apt color for funeral flowers. You can get white lilies styled as standing or casket sprays, wreaths, or floral baskets. 

White lilies as a funeral flower are soothing to the eyes and have a delicate scent to them. They are an excellent choice for a serene and calming effect and a peaceful and dignified passing marker. 

If you're looking for funeral flower arrangements that beautifully commemorate a well-lived life, white lilies are a superb option. 

Chrysanthemums for Funerals

Chrysanthemums are almost exclusively considered funeral flowers in numerous European cultures. This is contrary to most Asian cultures, where these flowers symbolize rebirth and new life. They're more likely to be given during baby showers than at a funeral.  

What's excellent about chrysanthemums or "mums" is that they're used to create vibrant funeral flower arrangements. This can be the perfect way to celebrate the person's life and achievements and the joy they had brought to their loved ones. 

Also, the different colors of the flower can mean other things. For instance, white chrysanthemums would symbolize innocence, red, love, and so on. 

In the US, chrysanthemums are believed to represent truth, honor, and vivacity and are the ideal choice to bid a final farewell to a beautiful soul. 

Visit any funeral home, and you'll most likely find them using either lilies or chrysanthemums for their funeral arrangements.

Roses for Funerals 

Now, roses are perhaps the most widely used flowers, irrespective of the occasion. However, they're also a popular choice for funerals. 

The grand blossoms are also attributed with different meanings depending on their colors and are great for expressing the giver's emotions towards the departed. 

Red roses are meant to express love, courage, and deep respect; crimson roses convey immense grief; white roses represent youth and innocence; yellow roses stand for admiration and friendship; pink roses denote gracefulness, and so on. 

Roses as a funeral flower allow for the expression of a very versatile range of emotions indeed. You can present these stunning blossoms at the funeral service or wake and send them home to the family to show solidarity in grief.

Orchids for Funerals

Orchids are among the most treasured funeral flowers because of their beauty, rarity, and endurance. These are especially great if you're considering sending flowers to the family of the departed. 

The two varieties of orchids traditionally sent to the bereaved during funerals or a period of grieving are dendrobium and Phalaenopsis orchids. You can get them either in pink or white. 

These flowers, along with their colors, express enduring love and deep sympathy and can be a very comforting gesture for those facing loss. 

Unlike other funeral flower arrangements, orchids are better sent in a vase or bouquet to the home of the grieving. These flowers can bloom for months if tended in the right conditions.

If there's one flower to show your depth and sincerity of emotions, orchids flowers is a right choice.

Some of the other flowers used in funeral arrangements or sent to near and dear ones mourning a loss include carnations, hydrangeas, gladioli, and daisies. Sending flowers like these is a great way to show people you care and are with them in their grief. 

Funeral Flower Arrangements 

Funerals are a tough but necessary experience people have to go through in life. It helps bring closure to people by allowing them a setting to grieve and pour out all their emotions while saying a final goodbye. And with such an intent in mind, flowers at a funeral certainly help with such a process. 

Just like a life that is brief and beautiful, so are flowers. And there isn't a more befitting symbol than a flower to convey such a sentiment.  

So, what are the ways we can have flowers arranged for funerals? Well, there are a couple, and we'll list them out here for you.

Casket Sprays

One of the most popular arrangements a funeral flower can put into is casket sprays. These are prepared mainly by the family members or very close acquaintances of the deceased.  

As their name suggests, they are placed on top of a casket. They adorn it and give it a look of serenity, peace, and beauty. It is indeed a suitable way to honor someone's passing. 

This kind of flower arrangement can be done in different styles and sizes, depending on the type of casket. Fully closed caskets can have full-sized arrangements, while half-closed caskets can have something smaller.

Standing Sprays

Standing sprays are just like casket sprays, except they're propped up on easels. These are great if you want to have them displayed at an open-casket funeral. 

At a reputable funeral home, you'll notice a couple of these set up alongside caskets to create an atmosphere of serenity. 

Standing sprays are great because you don't have to worry about their size. If you're a bosom friend or family of the deceased, you can have an elaborate one made, which isn't limited by the size of the coffin or the space available on it.

Wreaths, Hearts & Crosses 

Wreaths are another style of arranging a funeral flower, and it's essentially styled as an open circle adorned with flowers and a ribbon. 

You can place them on the top or along the sides of caskets. They can also be propped up on an easel as a standing wreath alongside the coffin.  

This type of flower arrangement can be made in various sizes and with a wide range of flowers. 

Then there are flowers styled in the shape of an open heart or a broken heart and crosses. You can also have your funeral flower arranged in a rosary style.  

The arrangement you go for ultimately depends on the kind of sentiments you'd like to display and what you think is appropriate and respectful to both the deceased and near and dear ones.

Floral/ Funeral Baskets 

These are basically baskets in which you have your flowers arranged. You can either send these to the family's place or to the funeral home where the wake or service is to occur. 

Funeral baskets provide a sturdy setting for flowers to sit in and are easy to transport. They can also be put together in a variety of styles and sizes. All these factors put together to make it another great option among flowers to be sent to funerals.

Funeral Planter Baskets/ Dishes

These are another basket-style flower arrangement for funerals. The one crucial difference is that the flowers or plants in these baskets or dishes still have their roots and are planted in a layer of soil.

Planter baskets/ dishes are great because they can be kept for a long while, unlike other flower arrangement types. They're not going to last just a couple of weeks but years or even decades depending on how well they are cared for—indeed, an enduring memento of sympathy.

Flowers are one of nature's most delicate and gorgeous creations. Nothing quite displays life's beauty, fragility, and transience as flowers do. 

If you want to get flowers to commemorate the passing of a loved one or show your sympathies to someone mourning, we hope that we've given you an idea or two about what makes flowers the ideal token.

Final Tip Before Getting Funeral Flowers 

Before getting flowers, make it a point to contact family members or the funeral home. It will ensure that you don't end up buying the wrong kind of flowers or flower arrangements that may give off a bad impression. 

Different cultures and religions have different requirements and practices for funerals. And it's important to be as respectful as possible when it comes to such events.  

Here's hoping you find the most suitable option for you and your sincere sentiments.

 Blog Author: Tim