Exploring The Burial Plot Selection Process

Posted on: 20 February 2015

What can sending a floral arrangement or a live plant do to help those who are grieving the loss of a loved one? Turns out, flowers can provide a source of comfort and a tangible reminder that others are thinking about them.

If you've considered not sending flowers for a funeral or memorial service, you might be interested in a study showing that 64 percent of families talk positively about receiving flowers or plants sent by friends and loved ones. If you're still on the fence, here are some frequently asked questions about sending flowers for funerals.

Should You Send Flowers to the Funeral Home or to the Family Members?

This depends on what you want to accomplish. Funeral flowers go to the funeral home for display during the service. Usually, funeral flowers are larger arrangements that are designed to honor the deceased. Examples of funeral flower arrangements include:

• Wreaths. Flowers are arranged in a circle to represent eternal life.
• Sprays. Flowers are arranged to be seen from one side.
• Other arrangements. Can include cut flowers, baskets with flowers and container arrangements.
• Casket sprays. Flowers that sit on top of the casket. These are traditionally organized by family members; likewise with any flowers that might go inside the casket.

Sympathy flowers go to the home of the deceased for family members to enjoy. These arrangements do not need to be so elaborate and are to comfort those who are grieving.

Some people like to send larger arrangements for the service and a small plant or longer-lasting item as a sympathy gift.

Can You Send Flowers from a Group?

Yes, you can send flowers from more than one person or family. Just make sure that the card that accompanies the arrangement has some identification, like, "Sally's Book Club Members," or "Fred's Golf Buddies."

Later, all the members of the group that went together to purchase the flowers can sign a sympathy card and send it to the relatives of the deceased. That way, the family will know the individual identities of the people in a group that honored the deceased.

When Should You Not Send Flowers?

Sometimes, families request a memorial donation or gift instead of a floral arrangement. This is usually done for one of several reasons:

• The person died of an illness or disease, and the family is requesting a gift to an organization that supports related research or care for those suffering from the disease.
• The person was very interested in a specific charity and donated money or time to help in during his or her lifetime.
• The family would prefer to honor the deceased with something other than flowers or they feel that flowers are too temporary.

If you would, however, prefer to send flowers, you may. While many people do follow specific requests for donations or tributes, you never have to do so and can send a card or floral gift instead. Another option is to both send flowers and make a donation.

Your florist or funeral director can help you decide on the best flowers to send for a funeral or memorial service, including what flowers are preferred by a particular religion or what sizes work best for display.