The use of floral bouquets and arrangements has become ubiquitous around the world – to the extent that some families chose to include disclaimers in public obituaries asking mourners to please omit flowers altogether, or make a donation to the deceased’s favourite charity to limit the number of sympathy offerings received.
Whilst mourners generally appreciate both the beauty and the sentiment of funeral flowers, most people have no idea what to do with these elaborate arrangements after the ceremony. Fortunately, there are several ways that funeral flowers can be meaningfully repurposed instead of simply throwing them away.
1. Brighten Up Someone’s Day
At the conclusion of a funeral or cremation service, members of the immediate family typically choose various floral arrangements to display in their homes, but may still find themselves with more flowers than they realistically have need for. Rather than leaving any unwanted flowers behind at the site of the service, only to have them later discarded by the funeral home, consider giving them to friends, relatives or co-workers, or donating them to a retirement home, hospital or other caregiving facility. This is a guaranteed way to ensure that your loved one’s funeral flowers will be enjoyed for a longer period of time, and the recipients of your choice will always be touched by the gesture.
2. Celebrate Another Life
Another meaningful use for funeral flowers is to use them to help celebrate someone else who is dearly departed. You could speak to your funeral home about donating any leftover flowers to someone else’s funeral or cremation service. Whilst this might seem a unique act, it’s actually quite common and can really make a difference to people in their time of grief – especially if funeral flowers are over-budget, or if the service isn’t likely to receive many sympathy arrangements. Your funeral director should be able to offer you some suggestions on how to achieve this.
3. Create a Memorial Keepsake
If you’ve ever saved a flower from a momentous occasion in your life, or if you enjoy crafting, then this tip will feel like second nature to you. Using the petals, heads or entire bouquets from funeral floral arrangements, create a memorial keepsake to honour your loved one. The easiest way to do this is by simply placing petals or a flower head between two sheets of baking paper before pressing it flat between a stack of books. Once flat and dry, you can frame the flowers – possibly adding your loved one’s name or a favourite quote to the backing – and hang them up or give them to family or friends.
You could also use pressed flowers to make memorial bookmarks, Christmas ornaments, magnets, candles, soap, or as decorations for a scrapbook or journal. Any of these items make wonderful gifts for those who knew and loved the deceased.
Bespoke Funeral Flowers in Wakefield
Funerals are never easy, but there are ways to make it a healing experience for those who have lost a loved one. By creating a bespoke funeral service that truly honours the life of the deceased, guests are encouraged to not only mourn but to also celebrate their life. To begin arranging the perfect
personalised floral tribute, don’t hesitate to
get in touch with Normington & Sons.
