How to arrange funeral flowers
When coping with the loss of a loved one, many people find it comforting to do something constructive with their time. Getting creative can help relieve stress and, by creating your own funeral flower designs, you can really give their memorial that special touch. If you are close to the grieving family, you could also offer to arrange the flowers for them so that they aren't burdened by this responsibility.
There are three main designs that have proven most popular over the years. You will find all the supplies you need at your local florist. They have everything from the flowers and floral foam to containers and vases.
Funeral CrossA funeral cross is best suited for display inside the venue of the funeral or memorial service.
- Make a base in the shape of a cross out of shallow plastic containers.
- Use glue to secure the floral foam to the plastic containers.
- Add short-stemmed foliage as a base around all the sides of the cross in order to hide the foam and the containers.
- Use large white flowers (like hydrangeas) to fill the centre of the cross. If you prefer, you could use dahlias instead.
- Add some colourful focal flowers in the centre of the cross where the two lines meet. You can choose how to do this and you can select the colour you prefer. Don't forget to soak the floral foam and keep it nice and moist so that the flowers do not dehydrate.
Round WreathRound wreaths can be displayed in several different ways. They can be placed on the casket itself or the can act as a frame around a photograph of the deceased.
- Find yourself a circular piece of floral foam to use as a base for your wreath (with a hollowed out middle).
- Cover the foam completely with short-stemmed foliage. Cover every part of the wreath including the front facing part, the outer sides and the inner part as well. You don't want any foam to be visible.
- Arrange your focal flowers around the face of the wreath and leave space between each of them for other flowers too.
- Add smaller flowers between the larger focal blooms and top it all off with some very small filler flowers.
- Don't forget to soak your floral foam and keep it moist in order to keep your flowers hydrated.
Casket SprayThis design is specifically designed to be placed on top of the casket.
- Start by finding a rectangular base
- Secure two identical pieces of floral foam together (one on top of the other) using waterproof wire or tape. This is important for adding height to the arrangement.
- Use glue to secure the floral foam to the container.
- Use a broad leaf (like a fern) for the foliage and cover all the edges.
- Add smaller foliage in between if you need to fill in any gaps. You can also use the larger leaves around the lower portion of the base and place the smaller ones above them to create a layered effect.
- Add your focal flowers. Start from the centre and work your way out to the left and right. Use larger flowers as your focal blooms since they will attract attention.
- Add smaller flowers in between the focal flowers and fill in any gaps with filler flowers and additional foliage here and there.
- Remember to make sure that your floral foam is saturated with water and remains moist to keep your flowers hydrated.
You can also add floral preserve to the water before soaking your floral foam and spray fresh water on the arrangements to keep them fresher for longer.