Funeral Flower Etiquette, Messages, and Unique Tribute Ideas 2025

Gloria Sims

Guides

April 17, 2025

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Sending flowers is a meaningful way to express your condolences, and this comes with a specific etiquette. When it comes to sending funeral flowers, you need to know where to send them, the right time, the right place, and much more. That is why today, we’ll cover the key funeral flower etiquette and explain the usual conventions related to sending condolence flowers. We’ll also outline the appropriate messages to include with funeral flowers, as well as some unique tribute ideas to celebrate the life of the departed.

Funeral Flowers Etiquette

There are certain dos and don’ts when it comes to sending flowers for a funeral or another solemn occasion. It is appropriate to express condolences immediately when you learn of someone’s death. When you hear that someone has died, one of the main things you should do is reach out to the grieving family, express your condolences directly, and ask them if they accept flowers and where you can send them. 

Grieving families include all relevant information in the obituary or funeral invitations, so be sure to check the details, as often you’ll find an address where to send flowers and condolence gifts. We must note that many families can post an “in lieu of flowers” notice, meaning you should do something else instead of sending flowers, like a charitable donation to a specific cause in the name of the departed.

Send Flowers to the Appropriate Location

If you decide on sending suitable funeral and sympathy flowers, the next thing is the location where to send them. You can either send flowers to the family’s home or to the funeral home or church where the memorial service will be held. 

As a general rule, immediate family members and close friends send flowers to the home of the family. Distant relatives, coworkers, friends, and acquaintances send flowers for display at the funeral service. You will often find the funeral home information included in the obituary, so you should arrange it with the online funeral flower delivery service. The same goes if the memorial service is held in a church or a crematorium, as local florists usually cooperate with such venues.

Address the flowers at the funeral home, church, or crematorium and include the name of the deceased person so they will know where to place the flowers. You should arrange for the funeral flowers to arrive before the service. Hence, a family member or the funeral director has enough time to accept the flowers and arrange them in their proper place before the service starts.

Include Appropriate Message

While there is no need to attach a long note with funeral flowers, including a short note is a good thing. The family of the departed will probably receive several funeral bouquets, so you should include a note stating who is sending the flowers. 

You can also include a short one-sentence message expressing your condolences; something like “I’m sorry for your loss” or “May (name of deceased) rest in peace” is appropriate. Longer messages are usually not sent with funeral flowers, but you can send such messages with sympathy flowers at a later date.

Send Appropriate Funeral Flowers

When sending flowers for a funeral, there are some critical considerations. Some flowers are more appropriate for funerals, and some flowers are not usually included in funeral and sympathy floral arrangements. 

The most appropriate funeral flowers are white blooms like lilies, carnations, chrysanthemums, roses, gladiolus, etc. Avoid sending cheerful blooms for solemn occasions. We have a detailed guide on the most appropriate funeral flowers, and we discuss all the other relevant aspects of suitable blooms to send for funerals.

Funeral & Sympathy Flowers Based on Relationship

The type of funeral flower arrangements to send depends on your relationship with the deceased. It is also related to your relationship with the departed’s family that organizes the funeral:

Family Members

Immediate family members are usually the ones who plan the funeral and closely work with the funeral director. So, usually, close family members order the casket flower arrangement and the more extensive floral arrangements like standing sprays.

Close family members can also send medium or large floral arrangements, including bouquets, floral baskets, and wreaths. Family members also hand-deliver flowers to the funeral. Extended family members can also send flowers to the family’s home or the funeral service. If you attend the funeral, you can choose to hand-deliver a small bouquet when you arrive at the memorial service. 

Sending funeral flowers is a show of support for the family, and expressing respect for the deceased and estranged family can also send funeral flowers. These can be a funeral basket or arrangement with a simple, heartfelt note.

Close Friends

Sometimes, close friends are more impacted by their friend’s death. In such cases, the etiquette states that you should express your care by showing support to the grieving family. It includes sending appropriate funeral flowers like small or medium floral baskets, bouquets, and funeral wreaths. You should send the funeral floral arrangement to the funeral home or memorial service so there is enough time to arrange the flowers around the casket.

Colleagues & Acquaintances 

Colleagues and acquaintances should send funeral flowers to the funeral home or memorial service. However, these should be smaller in size and include a short message that notes the relationship with the deceased. 

Often, the entire workplace can come together and order a more elaborate funeral arrangement like a standing spray or a large funeral wreath. It may be a better idea to send one arrangement from colleagues, as it can be easier to arrange it during the funeral service. It can include a condolence message from the colleagues who worked with the departed person.

Words of Comfort: Funeral Flower Messages

It is hard to think about appropriate words in a time of loss, so often, people choose not to include messages with funeral flowers. However, these can be short and heartfelt, and you can include them as cards or write them as wreath banners.

Traditional Funeral Messages

Here are some more traditional funeral messages you can include when you send funeral flowers:

• Rest in peace.
• God is with you.
• My condolences.
• In loving memory.
• Loved and remembered.
• Sorry for your loss.
• Final goodbye.
• With love and fond memories.

Short Funeral Messages

Here are some suggestions for short funeral messages to include with your funeral floral arrangements:

• May you rest in peace.
• In loving memory of (name of deceased).
• You will be sorely missed.
• Forever in our thoughts.
• Last farewell from (name of sender).
• Gone but not forgotten.

Long Funeral Messages

Now, we share several suggestions for longer messages to add to your funeral floral arrangements:

• You brought joy and happiness to our lives; you will be sorely missed.
• You made the world a better place. You will be sorely missed.
• Your loss leaves a huge gap in our lives. You will be missed.
• One day, we will remember you with wonder and not grief.
• You will be missed but not forgotten. Rest in peace.
• Condolences to all family and friends of (name of deceased). May God give you comfort.
• Go with the angles to a better place. You will forever live in our hearts.

Sending Flowers After a Funeral

If you’ve learned of someone’s death after the funeral, it is still appropriate to send flowers. The flowers, accompanied by a proper message, show support for the grieving family; it can be a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months after the funeral.

In such cases, you can send more colorful floral arrangements that don’t have to be overly large but are tasteful and reflect the occasion. Send flowers to the home or even arrange and deliver flowers to the gravesite. It is an expression of respect for the departed, and it is never too late to do so.

Unique Funeral Tribute Ideas

Apart from the more traditional funeral flowers that are a part of many funeral traditions, here are several unique tribute ideas you can do to honor the life of the person who passed away:

• Unique floral arrangements – you can express your love towards the departed person with a unique floral arrangement. It can be a flower heart, a flower pillow, a funeral cross, or any other unique floral arrangement that celebrates the life of the departed. 
• Customized candles & flowers – you can send customized candles with the departed person’s name or include these in the funeral service. Have the funeral goers light these candles to honor the life of the deceased person.
• Photo slideshows and songs – play a slideshow with a collage of photos during the memorial service that reflects the highlights of the life of the person who died, and accompany this with a mix of their favorite songs. These can evoke strong feelings and truly celebrate their life.

Keepsake and giveaway items – the immediate family or close friends can do this, but providing small keepsake and giveaway items is a popular way to honor the life of the loved one. Things like pocket charms, printed cards, tree seedlings, and similar items are appreciated by many.

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