If you have been wondering if it is possible to create a DIY funeral flower arrangement, the answer is yes, and we will tell you exactly how you can do it. Ditto if you want to create a funeral wreath from scratch.
Table of Contents
Types of Funeral Flower ArrangementsĀ
While people generally do not nitpick what kinds of flowers are placed in funerals, it is important to know the difference between various arrangements so you will have an idea as to what you will be created via the DIY route. The following are the most common types of funeral floral arrangements.
- Standing flower spraysĀ ā This is the most common type of arrangement for funerals. Standing flower sprays are usually massive and overflowing, and they are displayed prominently with the help of easels. In terms of proximity, standing flower sprays are also placed the closest to the casket, save for funeral baskets that are sometimes displayed below the casket (depending on the culture of the bereaved).
- Flower wreaths and smaller arrangementsĀ ā Flower wreaths, as well as flower crosses and sometimes flower hearts, are also seen in funerals. These are smaller than standing flower sprays but are also displayed on easels and are placed alongside standing flower sprays. Culturally, they can mean a lot of things, from simply extending condolences or telling the story of a personās life.
- Casket spraysĀ ā As the name suggests, these are flowers that are positioned on top of the casket. There are two varieties based on the scale of the arrangement: half-casket arrangements and full-casket arrangements. Full-casket arrangements cover most of the top of the cast, especially when the viewing window has been closed.
- Dish arrangementsĀ ā These are usually placed around the casket and they can be of any size or scale. The flowers used for such arrangements can also be fresh or dry, depending on the preferences of the bereaved.
Can you give dish arrangements as a sign of sympathy to the ones left behind? Yes, you may. All flower arrangements can carry that message, so whatever your selection might be, as long as you can complete it for the required intention, youāre on the right track.
Steps in Creating Funeral Flower Arrangements
As you already know, you have a lot of choices when it comes to creating DIY arrangements for the purpose of extending your sympathy to the bereaved.
The simplest arrangement you can do at home is the sympathy bouquet, which is a medium-sized arrangement that will be displayed on an easel.
For this arrangement, you will need some white secateurs, white flowers (mixed), two types of foliage with rounded and elongated leaves, and ribbon. For foliage, you are free to select from plants like sloe and eucalyptus.
- Using a stem stripper or scissors, remove the leaves from all your flowers and cut the stems down to the length that you want them. Funeral arrangements tend to be larger in dimension than other bouquets mainly because they are meant to be displayed prominently near the casket.
- Create the base of a sympathy bouquet with three flowers. Itās up to you what the emphasis will be on the bouquet. The base of flowers should fit comfortably when you round up your index finger and thumb.
- Begin adding more focal flowers, with the central point or base as your reference or guide point. There are actually no hard and fast rules when it comes to creating sympathy bouquets but in the beginning, it might be a good idea to work slowly in adding more flowers to make sure that the final product is nice and even.
- Use florist tape and florist wire to keep everything firm and secure. When the bouquet is finally in the desired size or scale, itās time to cut all of the excess lengths of the stems.
Add some greenery underneath to create a nice, soothing canvas for everything you have arranged thus far. You can add cellophane or any other wrapping material if you wish to conceal the stems.
Use pins to decorate the bouquet. When adding ribbons, make sure that the color of the ribbons is appropriate for the intention of the bouquet.
Light pinks, whites, and violets are fine, but also take into consideration any cultural differences if the bereaved come from another country. Some colors are a big no-no in funerals in non-western cultures.
If you are interested in creating a DIY standing spray arrangement, here are the steps:
- Standing sprays require bigger and broader foliage underneath as a canvas for the rest of the arrangement. Ruscus leaves are ideal, but you can also use other evergreen foliage. You will also need a foam cage for your arrangement.
- The arrangement will be spraying color from top to bottom, but the northern and southern parts of the arrangement will be denser.
- Create the core bunch by combining long-stemmed flowers like orchids. These will serve as the center of your arrangement. Now that you have a foam cage you can just stick them to the foam for added support.
- Build the second layer with different kinds of flowers and make sure that there are no obvious spaces in between. We will need lots of density here.
- Continue building the standing spray from top to bottom until it begins growing toward you, signaling that you have used a good amount of foliage and flowers. Feel free to use as many flowers as you like. The important thing here is how the flowers are presented in the final product. Funeral wreaths can be created in the same way ā by using florist foam and creating a spray of flowers in the desired shape and directions. You will need a wreath frame for a funeral wreath arrangement. You will also need a frame stand and the materials we have outlined above in the two previous types of funeral flower arrangements.
