You don’t need to be a flower expert to choose the right sympathy flowers. This guide will help you select flowers and understand their meanings.
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Selecting sympathy flowers for someone who has lost a loved one can be hard. What should you choose? Do you want to send bright, cheerful flowers? Or should you send something quiet, like white lilies? Understanding that flower colors hold different meanings is a good start. For example, purple flowers show regret and sympathy. Red flowers symbolize love and respect when someone passes away. Knowing the meanings of colors will help you choose the right flowers.
What Are Sympathy Flowers?
People give sympathy flowers at funerals to show empathy and support. Flowers can convey sentiments like, “I can’t know how you feel, but I hope this small gift helps.”
People often choose mums, carnations, lilies, and fruit tree flowers for sympathy. They put these flowers near the person who died. Even people who don’t have time for big flower arrangements can still show they care by giving these flowers in different colors.
What Colors Mean
Sympathy flowers come in many colors. Each color means something different:
- Black means mourning
- White means purity and innocence
- Yellow means sympathy for sudden death
- Purple means deep respect or regret
- Blue means hope
- Red shows strong feelings like love or anger
Light colors, such as white and cream, signify purity. They also mean peace when people are sad. Red elicits strong emotions.
You’ll see red flowers at many funerals because people who are grieving need support. Most flower shops will help you pick the best colors for what you want to say.
Types of Sympathy Flowers
Many different sympathy flowers exist. They can be traditional funeral flowers or something simple like one rose. Cut flower bouquets are the most popular because they’re beautiful and remind us that life goes on after death.
When you choose sympathy flowers, you may want the most beautiful ones. However, many funeral flowers have special meanings that you should be aware of.
Different Flowers and What They Mean
Lilies: These flowers have white, waxy petals and smell strong. People have used lilies at funerals for a long time. Lilies mean the person’s soul has gone to a peaceful place.
Roses: Roses smell nice and each color means something different. White roses mean purity. Deep red roses mean love and sadness. Pink roses mean thank you. Yellow roses mean friendship. You can mix roses with other flowers.
Orchids: This beautiful flower means “I will always love you.” If you want to send something special to the family’s home, send a whole orchid plant. It will last longer than cut flowers.
Carnations: Many sympathy flowers have pink carnations. Some people believe pink carnations came from Mary’s tears. Carnations are simple flowers with a sweet smell that makes people happy.
Hydrangeas: It’s hard to see these flowers and not smile. Many people think they mean true, deep feelings. Whole plants last longer than cut flowers.
When to Send Sympathy Flowers
People usually send sympathy flowers to the funeral home or church. However, many people now send flowers to the family’s home a week or more after the funeral. This reminds the family that people still think about them.
Typically, friends and family visit shortly after someone has passed away. They give a lot of attention and then return to their regular lives after the funeral. Even if you send flowers to the funeral, consider sending them to the home a month later to remind the family that they are loved.
Show Your Sympathy with Flowers
Sympathy flowers are a thoughtful way to express your care without words. Nothing comforts people more than beautiful flowers. Sending sympathy flowers is a thoughtful way to express care during difficult times.
Flower shops often create sympathy flowers with soft colors, such as pink or purple. Bouquets might have one type of flower mixed with brighter colors like yellow or orange.
It can be hard to know what to say when someone dies. But sympathy flowers give everyone a way to show they care. They let people show support without fear of saying the wrong thing.
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Sunset Funeral Home Cremation Center & Cemetery can help you through every step of the end-of-life process. Contact us for more information about cremation, funeral home, or cemetery services in Evansville, Indiana.