Let’s say the most important thing up front: there is no one right way to do funeral flowers. While we can certainly argue over the wrong way to do funeral flowers, the priority is that the family is happy. If you want to pick your flowers from a stock selection–that’s perfect. If you want us to customize your piece to be completely unique, that’s an excellent option as well. You may opt to skip flowers all together. It’s all about what you think is best for your family and your budget.
But you’re reading this blog because you want to understand the ways that you can personalize funeral flowers to your specific loved one. We’re here to give you a quick primer on the different types of funeral flower pieces and your options for customizing those pieces.
Please note that the pictures in this blog are the work of Colonial Gardens and are not photographed at funerals. Urns and boxes are representative and backgrounds with caskets are artificially generated.
Classic Funeral Pieces:
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Casket Spray: This is the piece that lays on top of a casket at the funeral. It is typically the largest piece at the funeral for a person who is not cremated. This piece is usually purchased by the closest family members.
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Urn Surround: For those folks who are cremated, the urn or box is often presented within a wreath of flowers at the funeral. This is purchased by the closest family members.
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Standing Spray: Also known as an easel spray, this is an upright piece that is placed at the head and/or foot of the casket. It often complements the casket spray, but can also have its own color scheme. Standing sprays are often purchased by family members, but may be purchased by other close loved ones.
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Wreaths: These pieces are presented upright and are constructed of foam and fresh flowers. They can be circular or heart-shaped.
Here are a few ways to customize your funeral pieces:
Colors:
The easiest thing you can do is to ask for a certain color scheme for your funeral pieces. The great thing about this option is that it is budget neutral. We can make any color combination work, no matter the budget, so long as you aren’t too picky about flower choices.
Color options can be as simple as reds, or whites, or a feminine mix. Families of veterans will often opt for a patriotic color scheme. Alternatively you can get more personal and more specific. One family had a loved one who loved Harley Davidson, so we created a piece in bright orange. Another family’s loved one was a watercolor artist. They wanted a color palette that reflected the pastels that she preferred to paint in.
Ribbon:
Ribbons are always optional on funeral pieces, but they can add some personal detail about the person and their relationships. Many families will opt to put titles like “Beloved Mother,” “Uncle,” or “Pop-pop” on ribbons across the piece. This not only indicates the many roles that that person had in their family’s lives, but it can also denote who is purchasing the piece.
Ribbons are often customized for large pieces, but sometimes a personal note is added to a smaller piece. In a large family, a widow asked for her husband’s nickname to be printed across a small piece that was specifically from her.
Ribbons can also be used to add in colors that are harder to represent with flowers. For example, a family requested that a woman’s Italian heritage was represented within her piece. We used red roses, white carnations, and slips of green ribbon to bring that color scheme to realization.
Flower Choice:
Most people do not come into funeral planning with a good understanding of their choices of cut flowers. That’s what your florist is for! However, some folks have specific flowers in mind to best honor their loved one.
For example, a family requested a single red rose to represent their loved one’s military service. When that rose ended up not fitting into a color scheme of the rest of their piece, it was incorporated into a separate arrangement.
In another case, a family was honoring a deceased florist who loved pink lilies. We were able to incorporate those flowers into her pieces, knowing that they were special to her and her family.
Always remember that your florist will prioritize your budget and flower availability. If we are unable to find the exact flower for your piece, or if those flowers fall outside of your budget, we will often pick a substitution that evokes the same feel and style as the requested flower.
Trinkets:
The most unique way that we deck out funeral arrangements is with personal trinkets, either from the deceased person or as representations of their interests.
One family wanted to pay tribute to their father’s love of music, incorporating a microphone that he used when DJing in his retirement. Another family wanted to honor her mother’s interests. We ended up incorporating a deck of cards and gun keychains to represent her interests in visiting the casino and collecting her guns. We’ve added fishing lures, music notes, religious icons, and more to pieces.
Conclusion:
Your florist is here to make your journey through the funeral flower process as easy as possible so that you can focus on your family and yourself. If personalizing your pieces to your loved one makes you feel like your funeral tribute fits your loved one best, we want to help you make that happen.
Colonial Gardens is an independent garden center with a full-service florist located in Phoenixville, PA. We work with many of the area’s funeral homes and service the Phoenixville, Royersford, Pottstown, Oaks, Collegeville, Spring City, and Limerick area. You can order custom pieces for your loved one’s funeral by calling 610-948-9755 or you can find many sympathy pieces ready for ordering on our website: https://shopcolonialgardenspa.com/phoenixville-florist-flower-delivery/sympathy-and-funeral-flowers/
We also make fresh-flower arrangements and pieces for all occasions.
Please note that all photos in this piece are representations of work done by Colonial Gardens. The photos are the property of Colonial Gardens and should not be reproduced for other uses.
