A funeral is a difficult time for everyone involved. They are all about remembering our loved ones, but are certainly hard as we mourn the departed. If you want to show your support for the individual or family who lost a loved one, sending a sympathy bouquet can be a kind gesture. It shows them you care, and can help the funeral be as beautiful as possible.

However, you want to ensure you are sending the right flowers, and that they are even appropriate to send in the first place. In an effort to help you out, this blog post is going to go over some tips to assist you in choosing and sending sympathy flowers to a funeral.

Know the Meanings Behind Flowers

First and foremost, you need to think about the types of flowers to send to a funeral. There are a ton of different flower varieties out there, and choosing which to send can be challenging. They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and scents, and choosing just one or a couple is a big job.

However, not all are appropriate to send to a funeral. You want the flowers to signify your sympathy and while bright and cheerful flowers can lift spirits, more neutral and dark tones are generally preferred for these types of events. While essentially any flower can be given for any occasion, it’s a good idea to consult the meaning behind flowers before sending them.

You want flowers that signify things like sympathy, remembrance, rebirth, purity, innocence and things like that. These often make the best for sympathetic events, as your meaning and intention with these flowers will never be misconstrued.

Know How to Identify Fresh Flowers

When you are sending flowers at any time, whether that be to a funeral or for a birthday, you want to ensure the flowers are fresh. Fresh flowers look better and last much longer. If you send flowers that are already on their last legs, they won’t last for more than a couple of days.

In person, fresh flowers should have firm and colorful petals that are free from browning, and have a green stem that is stiff and not showing signs of deterioration. The flower should not be wilting, either.

If buying the flowers online, only buy from a reputable and quality provider. This will ensure the flowers are as fresh as possible when they arrive, and were cared for well before and during their delivery.

Also, once purchased it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with how to keep cut flowers fresh, too. How you treat the flowers between when you get them and when you send them is crucial to keeping them fresh and looking good for as long as possible.

Consider Adding a Kind Note or Message

While flowers themselves are a great gift, sometimes, they can lack a bit of a personal touch. If many people are sending flowers to a funeral, the family may not be aware of who each of them are from. 

As a result, it is generally a good idea to add a small handwritten note or card along with your gift of flowers. If you add a note, make sure it is full of kind words, and ensure you offer your sympathies and show your support. This note can be as short or as long as you want, and your choice will often be dictated by how close you are to the family or the individual who unfortunately passed away. 

It can help people remember which gift was yours, and ensure they think of you every time they look at the flowers. Feel free to fill the note with memories you had with the individual, as their family would likely love to read about them.

Ensure Flowers are Appropriate to Send

In most cases, sending flowers is an appropriate and appreciated gesture. It shows you care and are thinking about the family of the departed. Many people love to get flowers, which is why they are such a common gift in many cases.

However, not all funerals or similar celebrations of life will want flowers. The last thing you want to do if the family has explicitly asked for no flowers, is to send some. As a result, consider reaching out to someone involved in the planning of the funeral to learn where they stand on flowers. If they don’t want flowers, find out what other sort of gift or gesture you can send their way to show your support and pay your respects.

Also, make sure to find out if sending the flowers directly to the funeral location is fine, or if they should be sent elsewhere. You never want to assume in these situations, so be sure to ask.

Keep it Small and Simple

When sending flowers to a funeral, it is often a good idea to keep the bouquets or arrangements small. Even if it is only a single bouquet, it will still be appreciated and have just as much meaning as a larger one. If you send a massive arrangement, it might take up too much space and/or might get in the way.

This is a good tip to keep in mind when sending sympathy flowers in general, not only at funerals. For example, if a family friend is in the hospital, it is almost always more appropriate to send a small arrangement or bouquet instead of something large.

Hospital rooms are small, and you don’t want your flowers to take up half the space of the room, as they can not only get in the way, but also leave much less room for the gifts and flowers that other people may give.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can ensure that you can choose and send flowers to a funeral that will be both appreciated and appropriate. It is worth taking the time to choose correctly, to make sure you aren’t sending mixed messages with the flowers you send.