Sending flowers is a common way of expressing condolences to the family of a deceased person. The flowers used to honor the dead in ancient times and nowadays to decorate the coffin or a burial site, seek to console those who lament and serve as a reminder of the spirit of life. Sending flowers is a wonderful way to show respect and convey your condolences. The flowers you send will help celebrate life, give comfort and raise the spirits of relatives of the deceased.
The most appropriate flower arrangements may vary according to the faith, cultural beliefs or religious traditions of the deceased and his family. What is appropriate in one culture may not be appropriate in another, so it is important to consider this before buying flowers for a funeral.
Some suggestions for the most common religious affiliations.
Catholics and Christian Protestants have no specific recommendations or styles to avoid since almost all colors and types of flowers are acceptable. For Mormons most flowers are acceptable, avoid arrangements with crucifixes and crosses. Greek Orthodox don’t have a particular type of flowers so all flowers are welcome, although they often choose white flowers as a preferred option.
Jews usually don’t bring flowers to funeral home or ceremony, however, they do bring flowers to the deceased family member’s home. Bahais accept most floral arrangements since they don’t have specific recommendations you should avoid. Same as the ones mentioned before Buddhists have no specifications of any kind of flowers that you should avoid. Garlands are more common at Hindus funerals, although ask the funeral home about the possibility of sending garland instead of a flower arrangement. The acceptability of flowers in Islamic funerals varies in this religion and therefore, it is important to ask what the wishes of the mourners are before sending flowers, so for this reason you should ask before going to a Muslim funeral.
While there is no strict or quick rule regarding the types of flowers that should be sent to funerals or to the relatives home, there are many flowers that are traditional for funerals, here are some flower suggestions with meanings that might be appropriate for the funeral environment.
Lily: Return of happiness.
Red Roses: Love, respect, courage.
Ivy: Eternal Fidelity.
Apple Blossom: good things to come.
Pink Roses: Thanks, Kindness.
In addition, some flowers can be very appreciated by certain cultures, for example, chrysanthemums are very important in Asian families, so my main advice would be to research first depending on the type of culture and/or funeral you are going to, to make sure you give the correct flowers.