Sympathy flowers are often sent after hearing of someone’s death. Usually, the flowers that make up a sympathy bouquet are fresh cut and, more times than not, are some form of white flower because white symbolizes purity, peace, and love.
Common Sympathy Flowers
Sympathy bouquets are often made up of a few different kinds of white flowers – however, there’s no limitation to what flowers can be included. You can preserve funeral flowers in a beautiful way as a sweet memory for lifelong. There are a multitude of different websites and companies that specialize in funeral flowers, but here are some examples of common flowers that are included in sympathy bouquets:
- Lillies: symbolize the soul departing and the hope for a renewal process.
- Carnations: both fragrant and long lasting, carnations make great sympathy flowers as they will survive several days beyond the service. They represent purity and innocence.
- Orchids: are the best way to show someone you will always love them.
- Roses: have a universal expression of love and respect. Pink signify appreciation and grace, yellow represents the loss of a close friend, and white roses represent innocence and youth.
- Daffodils and tulips: spread encouragement and hope during times of struggle. These two flowers are ideal for providing a sense of uplifting to the family.
- Hydrangeas: are an example on non-cut funeral flowers. Potted hydrangeas provide continued support as they can be replanted outside when the family is ready and will continue to bloom for years.
Preserved Funeral Flowers
Different Kinds of Sympathy Bouquets
Not only can a sympathy flower bouquet be delivered in the traditional vase form, but they can be turned into wreaths or sent as potted plants as well. Wreaths would be used to stand alongside either larger floor baskets, or the pictures on display at a funeral. These wreath arrangements will often have a banner that sends sentiments of the relationship – uncle, father, or brother, for example.
Delivering potted plants to a person’s home is another common way to express sympathies after a death. These plants can be set on the ground near other flower arrangements or wreaths at the funeral and then can be carried home by the family. Potted sympathy plants will often contain large, green leaves that highlight the white flower which is usually an azalea bush, gardenia, or orchid.
Sympathy Cards
As an additional, personal touch, you can attach a sympathy card to any form of bouquet. While these can be purchased at the store or created by hand at home, there are also many templates available online now that can be printed in your home and customized to your liking. A sympathy card can contain a wide variety of personalized messages, here are a few examples:
- “We are so sorry for your loss.”
- “With deepest sympathy we remember…”
- “Thinking of you.”
- “You’re in our thoughts and prayers.”
These are some general ideas; however, your sympathy card should be personalized and heartfelt.
History of Sympathy Bouquets
Flowers are given to loved ones for many different reasons, and funeral bouquets specifically have been around for many years. When sympathy flowers were first used in ancient times, they were used for a much different reason than they are today. In the past, these flowers were used in different quantities to help weaken or cover up the smell of the deceased for those who would visit the grave to pay their respects.
Now, funeral flowers are used mainly as an expression of feelings of love, comfort, respect, and sympathy. Flowers today can serve to bring beauty to an otherwise dark and heavy time in an individual’s, or family’s life.
Symbolism of Sympathy Bouquets
Sympathy bouquets symbolize spiritual significance as they represent our life cycles from birth to death. While they do symbolize love and sympathy, as many would say, they also represent eternity and immortality because human life can be compared to the fragility of flowers – we need proper conditions to blossom and grow, just as flowers do.
After hearing of a loved one’s loss, it can be hard to put into words your sympathies for that person which is why sympathy bouquets have become so popular.
Etiquette
When it comes to sympathy bouquets, the direct family members are often the ones to arrange the flowers that will be at the funeral. If you are a friend of the bereaved, or a more distant relative, it’s likely more appropriate to send flowers to the home.
Additionally, if a family asks for donations instead of flowers, it’s not poor etiquette to do both.
Conclusion
While losing a love one can be hard, knowing how to provide comfort to those who have experienced that loss can be a daunting task. If the right words are hard to come by, sending a sympathy bouquet can be a great way to show someone that you care about them and are thinking of them during a difficult time.
