Losing someone close to you is a tough thing to get through, and often we count on our friends and family to help us through these tragedies. So, when a friend or a relative loses someone dear to him or her, you know that it is your turn to offer support. Flowers are a beautiful way of expressing your sympathies and giving voice to your own grief while also celebrating the life and beauty of the person you’ve both lost.
Buying flowers to take along to a funeral or to have delivered at a funeral service is a thoughtful way of showing the person how much you care and how you are there with them in their time of grief. It is also one of the most popular universally accepted gestures that are deemed appropriate for sombre occasions.
Here are some useful and sensitive tips that will help you make sure that you express your feelings and support in the most appropriate manner possible.
Most people have flowers delivered to the funeral home where the service is being conducted, as this is usually the most fitting choice. However, if you are unable to make it in time for the service or you are going to be visiting the person or the family later and would like to personalize the gesture further, you can take flowers to the home as well. You may also have flowers delivered to the house, as it is a perfectly acceptable way of expressing your sympathies.
If you’re ordering flowers as a group and a large number of you are getting the flowers together, signing on the note or card can be quite a challenge. Sending flowers together as one large group is a beautiful way of showing solidarity while also highlighting a special connection you may have shared with the person. Instead of signing the card as individuals, you can simply refer to the team or group you were all a part of. So, for instance, if you all worked together in your company, refer to your department or if you were in college together, refer to your batch. Sometimes, a shared memory of a person means even more than individual memories.
If you are new to a place and you are not sure about the etiquette for choosing sympathy flowers, talk to a reputable florist. Even though flowers are an acceptable gesture in almost every part of the world, small details may very from place to place. Speaking to those in the business will ensure you don’t commit any faux pas.
No matter how close you were to the deceased, never order flowers to be placed on the casket or close to it without checking with the family first. This is usually a place of very great significance and thus is almost always reserved for immediate family or for extremely dear friends. Ordering for something to be arranged around or on the casket is presumptuous. You mean well but the family might not appreciate it. Check with them first or ask the funeral parlour staff for advice on whether the family has clarified any rules or requests.
If you want to step away from tradition, consider sending a plant instead of flowers. Plants are a thoughtful and touching way of remembering someone and also representing the cycle of life and time. Ask a florist for advice on what kind of plants will be best suited for the occasion. Choose thoughtfully and you may just bring a lot of peace and strength to someone.
