Tips for Sending Your Condolences with Sympathy Flowers

Losing a loved one is a very tough time for anyone to go through, but something most people experience at one point in life or another. If you have a loved one going through it, you might be at a loss for what you can do to show your support. Things like supportive words and kind, caring gestures can make all the difference, and perhaps one of the most widely known ones is giving the grieving person or family some sympathy flowers. 

Not only will you be conveying your support for them, but you don’t need to exchange too many words with them in order to do it – the last thing a grieving person needs is to feel compelled to entertain guests during their hard times. 

But for someone who needs to give sympathy flowers for the first time, it can be confusing to choose. The confusion mainly comes from the fact that different flowers are used very often for both happy and sad events – and you don’t want to accidentally disrespect the person at the receiving end of your gesture. 

Kinds of Sympathy Flowers 

Different flowers and colors have significant meaning when used as funeral flowers. While that meaning can change depending on the type of country you’re in and the culture of the receivers, some flowers are universally considered symbols of mourning and sympathy. Let’s talk about some of them. 

Additionally, different types of flowers represent different sentiments, so choosing the right flowers is important when trying to convey a certain message.

Lilies 

If you’re sending someone thoughtful sympathy flowers, a safe choice would be to go for white lilies – the most common sympathy flower out there. They stand for the soul of the departed, and innocence in Christianity, and are usually also linked to new beginnings. 

Chrysanthemums 

This is one flower that will have a very different meaning depending on where you are. For example – while the flower is a very common funeral flower in Europe, and are seen as a symbol of grief across Asia, they’re associated with more positive meanings in America – mainly the celebration of a loved one’s life.  

Roses 

One of the most commonly used flowers on all sorts of occasions are roses, and the same applies for funerals. White roses represent youthfulness and respect, light pink roses stand for love, and many other colors can be added to the bouquet to give it special meaning. 

Forget-Me-Nots 

The name is obvious for this flower, but forget-me-nots stand for a loved ones memory, and signify that no matter how much time passes, they will forever be remembered. This is the ideal sympathy bouquet for the family of someone who has had a lasting impact on many lives, and whose life made a difference in the world. 

Carnations 

While pink carnations stand for remembrance, white ones stand for innocence, and red carnations stand for love. Either together in all the colors or in a bouquet of a single color, they make a meaningful gesture to any family going through a tough time. 

Who To Send the Flowers To 

Who you send sympathy flowers to depends on your relationship with the deceased or their loved ones. If you knew their best friend the most, for example, then that is who you send the flowers to. In most cases where you’re close with the deceased, you will send sympathy flowers to the immediate family of the deceased person. 

This can mean their wife and kids, their siblings, or their parents depending on your relationship with them. 

Other ways you can be there for the family is to ask if there is anything about the funeral arrangements that needs to be taken care of, to ask if the family has eaten, and to take some of the burden of taking care of stuff off their shoulders. This is because making these kinds of arrangements is always a hard and overwhelming task, but especially at a time like this. 

When to Send Sympathy Flowers 

While funeral flowers need to arrive and be ready the day of the funeral, you can send sympathy flowers days or weeks after the funeral if you want. This is because while the funeral might be over, you know very well that the grief the family faces is here to stay – at least for a very long time. 

Along with the flowers, you can send other things depending on how well you know the family. This can include things of the deceased that you feel the grieving family would appreciate – like the things from their locker at work if you’re the deceased person’s collegue, or old photos and other personal belongings. You can also include a small card with kind words on it, or anything that you feel would bring the receiver of the bouquet some comfort. 

Depending on your relationship with the family or the person the bouquet is for, it can be anything from a warm and comfortable blanket to a small self-care box full of things that they love, like soothing tea, face masks, and a subscription to a video streaming platform. 

When Not to Send Sympathy Flowers 

While sympathy flowers are usually appreciated as a symbol of love and care for the grieving family, there are some instances where sending sympathy flowers isn’t the smartest thing to do. 

These situations include when the deceased has left instructions for funeral goers to donate to a charity of their choice instead, or to for something else for their family. In these cases, you should opt to respect the deceased person’s wishes first. If you still want to do something nice for the family after that, consider a tasteful bouquet sent to their residence after the funeral is over.