Choosing flowers for a funeral can be confusing at such a sad and difficult time. In order to help you to choose your floral tribute we have prepared the following guide to explain what things are called and who might send them.
This is often dictated by the relationship one has to the deceased or the bereaved, this guide should help you to decide which is the right one for you to choose.
Funeral Sprays - These are the most popular tributes to be sent to funerals and are often placed on the actual casket, so are also known as casket sprays. These are double or single ended arrangements ranging in sizes up to the coverage of the entire casket top. Double ended means an oval arrangement that is seen evenly from all angles. Single ended means that they are more like traditional bouquet shapes with a definate top and bottom view. Many people send the smaller versions of the double and single ended sprays whereas the large double ended spray is usually from very close family. Very large single ended sprays that are tied with twines and ribbons are very popular with woodland and green funerals.
Posies and Posy Pads - these are round arrangements ranging in size from quite small to fairly large and allow the flowers to viewed evenly from all angles. These are often given by children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and small children, but can also be given by friends and relatives. These arrangements may additionally be sent as a sympathy tribute to the bereaved after the funeral, they are also sometimes given away after the funeral to hospitals.
The laying of a wreath has been around for thousands of years. In ancient Greece they were used to represent the circle of eternal life. The christian tradition of laying evergreen wreaths was and still is a representation of the victory of the eternal spirit over death. In pre christian, Pagan times, the wreath was made in 4 quarters to represent the cycle of life, the young buds, the blooming of flowers, the yellowing or fading of the flowers and finally the dead flowers, each part running into the next to show the cycle of life. No one really likes the idea of using dead flowers nowadays, but instead can section the wreath to represent the stages of life.