Funeral Flowers: The not so sexy side of event floristry.

The biggest buzz word(s) in an event florists vocabulary is WEDDING FLOWERS. While I agree, wedding flowers are sexy, dazzling and romantic, there is another facet of event florals that often gets overlooked but is no less important: funeral flowers.

Recently we lost a very important family member suddenly, the pillar in my husband's family, his father. It was sudden and very shocking for us all. One minute he was there and the next he wasn’t. I’m sure many of you reading this have had similar experiences. This was my first loss so close to home.

The very same day we lost him we began receiving flowers and plants from commercial flower shops, as is customary. When someone experiences a loss the village starts sending food and flowers. I knew this but have never been on the end of answering the door time after time. The response was overwhelming.

Soon the kitchen table was groaning with platters of cookies, casseroles, tin foil pans of mac and cheese, stew, sandwich fixings, fruit platters, vases stuffed with lilies, roses, stock, snaps, carnations, baskets with houseplants…you get the picture. It gave us something to do, shuffle around the next delivery, heat up the next meal for the visitors.

Within the fog of grief I started to think about something Jennie Love of Love ‘n Fresh Flowers said in one of her classes I took with her; she spoke about funeral flowers and how important they are to the family. At the time she was saying this I had no real context to measure this statement against but now I get what she was saying. Flowers bring joy to people. Whether they are carried down the aisle for a wedding or layed lovingly on a funeral coffin, they provide some color and lift the spirits for a time which is so important when a family is walking through this unique darkness.

It truly is an underserved area in our local farmer florist community.

We opted not to have any flowers at my father in laws viewing. He was a simple man and the flowers we could choose from were gaudy, over the top ostentatious, and if i’m being honest, down right hideous. Nothing that was fitting for this wonderful man.

As a flower person myself it was a punch in the gut. Is there nothing else? No other option for people who didn’t want an over the top display of funeral flowers? Seriously?

Flowers are my love language!

I had to do something so I chose to honor him by doing some simple bouquets for him that would sit on the table we set up to hold pictures and memories of him. I contacted a few local growers that I follow in IG to see if anyone had tunnels with flowers in them. Thankfully in the small town my in-laws live in, there was one grower who came to my rescue and I was able to order some spring flowers, pair them with some twiggery pokery from my yard and his, and channeled some of my grief into honoring my FIL through design.

All of this is a very roundabout way of saying this: funeral flowers need love too. They are important.

If you are a farmer florist or event designer, consider adding funeral flowers to your line up. Visit your local funeral home and see if you can partner with them so they have more options instead of the big box importers.

If you are a customer reading this, seek out local farmer florists and ask them if they provide this service.

Many will say yes even if it’s not listed on their website. I know I will.

(Getting off the soapbox now.)

If you are in the Lancaster, PA area and looking for funeral flowers click here.