When It’s Time to Bring Flowers to a Memorial

How to Honor Deceased Loved Ones With Flowers

Nothing is more difficult in life than losing a loved one. If someone you know and care for is grieving, it is a beautiful and natural response to be helpful, compassionate, and available. Condolences may feel insufficient – but they can bring a great deal of hope and support to people who are deep in grief. Flowers are a cherished expression of sympathy. Flowers can tell stories, convey emotion, and transmit meaning in a time when nothing makes sense, and the world feels overwhelming. Knowing how to support a grieving friend or loved one with flowers is not always as obvious as it seems. What is the right flower to send, and what meaning does it convey? Or, for those planning a funeral ceremony, there are bound to be questions and details to sort out. Will the memorial include a casket? Will it take place indoors, outdoors, or both? Cultural relevance, flower etiquette, and how to present your flowers are all essential considerations for funeral flowers.

The Special Meaning of Sympathy Flowers

Express youthful hope with lilies. Giant, white peace lilies are a celebrated favorite and a traditional choice for funeral services in any arrangement. Not only are lilies an elegant choice, but they also carry a powerful meaning – that the deceased person's soul has entered a state of innocence. Consider our Mountaintop spray for a heartwarming blend of leafy palms, red roses, and tender lilies. 

• Tell every story in a loved one’s life with roses. Roses look and smell beautiful and are a stunning choice for funeral arrangements. White roses convey youthfulness and innocence, while red roses tell a story of respect and courage. Pink roses express love and grace, and yellow roses communicate trustworthiness and friendship. Our Red Rose Spray is a poignant choice available in three sizes, depending on your setting.
  
• Orchids convey everlasting memory. The enduring quality of the orchid carries a message of endless love and a promise of remembrance. Orchids add softness and dimension to many of our sympathy arrangements at Allen’s Flower Market, such as our Lillywhite Lillith, a tall combination meant for an altar with dancing white blooms, soft green foliage, and willow twigs.
  
• Memorialize love with carnations. Bright, fragrant, and long-lasting, there are many benefits to including carnations in a funeral arrangement. Red carnations evoke love, passion, and devotion – whereas pink carnations symbolize thoughtful remembrance. A white carnation denotes purity or a state of being cleansed. Our Heartfelt Sympathy Basket is a feminine take on the beloved carnation, featuring purple and pink petals in a freestanding basket.
  
• Embrace fortitude with Gladiolas. These tall-stemmed flowers convey sincerity, dignity, and moral integrity. Their tall spikes of blooms evoke the inner strength of the bereaved. Gladiolas punctuate many of our arrangements, such as our Sympathy Garden Basket, an uplifting choice that blends the prominent gladiolas with daisies, roses, and hydrangeas.

Making a selection can feel overwhelming as both flowers and their colors are filled with special meanings. If you knew the deceased well, consider choosing flowers in their favorite color. Allen’s Flower Market will work with you to customize the arrangement to ensure it conveys the feeling that matters most to you. If you are unsure, we recommend selecting white flowers as they are timeless, elegant, and appropriate in most funerary traditions.

Allen’s Flower Market offers a complete selection of fresh-cut, carefully arranged flowers. When it comes to life’s significant moments and periods of high emotion, we are here to help meet your floral needs as seamlessly as possible. We are proud to offer same-day delivery of fresh flowers locally across Southern California and nationwide.