Why are flowers important for todays funeral services?
The phrase "in lieu of flowers" appears in the obituary columns every day in every major city. This phrase is troublesome for the friends of the deceased. Does it mean do not send flowers? Does it mean the family would prefer you money to the charity listed? Can you do both, neither? What should you do when you find yourself in this situation?
Floral tributes are an important part of the funeral service. Imagine a service where there were no flowers to soften and add comfort to the service, it would more difficult, wouldn't it? I have two stories of flowers I created for recent funerals and why they were very important to the family.
The first is about a grandfather who was a very patriotic man, he loved his country and served in the armed service. After his service he came home, married and had a family. He had one son who also served. His son had one child, a granddaughter. This young woman grew up and chose to serve her country. The grandfather felt a special bond with his granddaughter and they were very close. When the grandfather passed away his granddaughter requested leave to attend his funeral, that leave was denied. This was very upsetting to her and her father. The father came to Nunans to have a fitting tribute created. He wanted something patriotic, but not overdone. The family needed the granddaughter included in the service and her flowers where going to have to represent her in her absence. We created a tribute using a square wreath with a flag insert. The flowers were done in red, white blue and deep shades of pink (her favorite color). A script that read "grandpa" was attached.The flowers were made and delivered to the service. Two days later her father came in to say thank you. The piece was perfect, it was just what they wanted. Having the tribute made it easier for everyone to say goodbye, this floral tribute represented the legacy this man has left in the spirit of his granddaughter and her hope for the future.
The second story is about a man who was an athlete, he loved to play sports but, he especially loved baseball.He was an avid supporter of the town leagues, the Boston Red Sox and the local high school team. He was well along in years but he still went to every home game even though he was using a walker and often required help. His family came in with a baseball and wanted it included in an arrangement, they told me his story. I suggested we make a baseball out of flowers that would represent his love of the sport. They agreed and I made the tribute. At the funeral generations of baseball players from town attended the funeral. Fathers and sons who had played games for this man, they wanted to say goodbye but, they weren't sure if they should go, after all they didn't really know him except that he was at every home game they had played. When they got to the service and saw the baseball they knew they belonged there. The service was culminated in the pallbearers being players on the varsity baseball team.
When you hear stories like this, how can you question whether you should send flowers, of course you should. By the way both of these pieces were for the same man. To see the pictures visit our photo gallery on this blog.
For answers to frequently asked questions about sympathy flowers go to www.aboutflowers.com and click on the sympathy tab.
To order flowers go to www.nunantheflorist.com