Funerals are probably one of the most somber occasions that you would attend in your lifetime. These are also the times when flowers are used to express sympathy and condolences. There are many types of funeral flowers arrangement that are available and if you are someone who is thinking about making one, perhaps to make the arrangement more personal or to limit costs, then you should know where and how to begin.
The common types of funeral flower arrangement that you can find are the standing spray, casket spray, hanging spray, standing cross and even the hand-tied sympathy bouquets, which are one of the simplest types you can do yourself. There are no rules to the colors of the flowers used in funerals, but it is best to avoid brilliant and bright colored ones especially flowers that are known to represent cheer. The most common color used in funeral flower arrangements by most experienced florists is creams and whites. This is because they are simple and can easily be mixed in with other colors.
Here are some funeral flower arrangements that you can try to do on your own:
1. Standing Spray
This is one of the common types of funeral flower arrangements you can have at funerals. Although at a glace the arrangement might look a little fragile and hard to do, it is actually one of the easiest flower arrangements.
Materials you would need
- Floral foam
- Bind Wire and Clippers
- Tape
- Easel or frame
- Foliage and greenery
- Flowers
Steps you need to follow
- The first thing you should do is securely place the floral foam, with or without a cage, to the easel. The cage would help with the stability if you want that. Make sure to wrap wires around it and around the easel for added security. You can also place tape to make sure that the foam stands and stays still against the easel. Although this would make it a lot harder to transfer because you would not be able to separate the easel and the foam as easily.
- First, you should add the broad and big foliage to the sides. Samples of these are palm leaves. This would serve as the frame of the whole spray and you could have a clean and neat working space in the middle of it all.
- Then you place the flowers. Make sure to layer it properly and cut stems if needed. When you are satisfied with the flowers you have placed it is time to add more foliage to make sure you do not have any bald spots on your arrangement.
- For the finishing touch, you can place a ribbon or a picture of the deceased for a personal touch. The ribbon is usually where you place the message of condolences you want to convey.
2. Hand-Tied Sympathy Bouquets
One of the simplest funeral flower arrangements you can do yourself. It is so simple that it would only seem like putting two types of flowers in a nice arrangement. You can change the size and even how it would look if you want a simple or an extravagant one.
Materials you would need
- Mix of flowers
- Foliage
- Ribbon or Burlap
- Secateurs
Steps you need to follow
- First, you need to prepare your flowers. Trim the leaves at the bottom part of the stem and make sure you remove thorns if you are using roses. You would be only using one hand to arrange the other would be needed to hold the flowers in place.
- The next thing you should put is the foliage. A technique that most florists use, especially with funeral flowers, is to make a ring with your thumb and index finger and fit three stems of foliage. Then you should let them fall naturally on the arrangement but you have to make sure that the stems criss-cross.
- Then you add the main flowers. Make sure you use the right flowers that convey sympathy or sorrow. If you use few flowers, make sure you choose ones that have big blooms.
- Continue to do this slowly and surely as you add more greenery in between to balance everything at. This would also make sure that your bouquet would have depth and texture.
- Once you are happy with your arrangement, you secure them with tape. Make sure you securely fasten it but not too much that they would still look fluffy or big.
- When you are done securing the flowers in that arrangement, it is time to cut off the excess stems. When you are done with that you should wrap the bottom of the stems with the ribbon or burlap. This is to make sure your bouquet looks neat and that the tape would be hidden.
- You can now wrap your bouquet with cellophane paper to complete the look and to protect the flowers and stems at the same time.
There are actually a lot of DIY funeral flower arrangements you can easily find in YouTube or workshops around your locality. It is always a nice sentiment to do something for someone who has lost somebody. Make sure you research on the flowers you are going to use and ask around your local flower shops for advice and tips regarding funeral flower arrangements and how you can softly convey your feelings for the ones you care about.
