Featured Flowers

Let flowers wipe off the tears brought by the melancholy of losing someone. Lily’s Florist’s sympathy flowers are designed to honour the departed and offer hope and give comfort to the bereaved. Our collection of wreaths, sheaths, and flower arrangements are available for same day delivery to funeral homes, chapels, and cemeteries. For same day delivery service, order by 2 PM cut-off time on a weekday and before 10 AM on a Saturday. Our florists directly coordinate with cemeteries and funeral homes; we also deliver to the family home upon your request. If you would like to learn more about what to send, read our Blog post titled Funeral Service Flower Etiquette.

Lily’s Florist delivers both funeral and sympathy flowers. To help you pick the right flower arrangement that best represents your intentions, read on and heed the advice from this short guideline.

You can also learn about the symbolic meaning of certain flowers here.

What is the difference of sympathy flowers and funeral flowers?

Flowers which are sent directly to the family of the deceased are called sympathy flowers. Sympathy flowers are floral arrangements sent to give the bereaved family a sense of hope and optimism. These flowers are meant to provide comfort to the grieving.

Funeral flowers, on the other hand, are arrangements designed to honour the deceased. These are wreaths and sheaths and casket sprays sent directly to the funeral home or cemetery.

Funeral flowers are appropriate for funeral services while sympathy flowers are more appropriate for memorial services. Note that for funeral services, the body of the deceased is present. Memorial services are ceremonies held to commemorate the life of the departed, usually when the deceased’s body is no longer present.

Sympathy flowers tend to be smaller than funeral flower arrangements. The former can be bolder and more stylish in design while the latter usually come in modest, sombre floral designs.

When should I send sympathy flowers?

It’s best to offer your condolences as soon as you hear the news about someone’s passing. The grieving process will take some time though so you can still send sympathy flowers even if you found out about a death months later. It’s never too late to send sympathy flowers and there is no actual deadline on when to express your heartfelt sympathies for someone’s loss.

A message of comfort through fresh flowers delivered to the bereaved’s home is commonly given a week after the burial to remind them of your love, concern and support.

For funeral wreaths and sheaths, Lily’s Florist guarantees timely delivery.

Which flowers are appropriate for expressing sympathies?

Tradition tells us that white blossoms are the best when sending our condolences. White is a symbol of rebirth, peace, and eternal life. White flowers are said to also signify purity and love. The most common white cut flowers used in sympathy and funeral flower arrangements are white roses, white lilies, white orchids, white carnations, and white irises.

The white lily flower is the most common sympathy and funeral cut flower because it stands for innocence that has been restored. A tall, white lily is also an elegant bloom that reminds us of hope for the future.

Red roses are also very common especially among funeral flowers given by the immediate family of the deceased. Red roses in casket sprays stand for love and grief.

You can also choose a more colourful sympathy or funeral flower arrangement to depict your relationship with the deceased or the bereaved. If you personally know the deceased, celebrate the colourful life she lived through an arrangement of yellow lilies or mixed purple and red flowers. Colourful sympathy flowers for a very close friend who has lost a loved one may be more appropriate as it can inspire optimism and remind your friend that you’re always there to cheer her up.

Is it okay to send colourful flowers despite this moment of sorrow?

As mentioned, you can still send colourful flowers as long as you give consideration first to how the recipient will understand your intention. For business associates, colleagues, and casual acquaintances, it’s best to stick with sympathy flower arrangements in neutral tones.

Remember, your sympathy flower gift is more than just a beautiful, tangible present. It’s a thoughtful messenger of your concern, support, prayers, sympathy and love. It can tell the story of your relationship with the deceased and while it cannot really lessen the pain, it can make the pain a little more bearable as the bereaved is reminded that she is never really alone.

During a sad and difficult time in someone’s life, the colour of your flower gift won’t really matter. What’s more important and what will make an impact is your intention and thoughtfulness.

Can I send other items aside from flowers?

Aside from flowers, the bereaved family will surely appreciate gifts that can help them cope with the loss. Memorial prayer cards or mass cards are appropriate. There are also sympathy gift baskets that you can send together with a flower gift. A basket of fruits is recommended to let the bereaved know that you are thinking of them.

What should I write in the sympathy card message?

Writing a message of sympathy should be done with full sensitivity. The family who lost a loved one is still in recovery and may easily get upset with the wrong words. Here are some examples of what to properly write in a sympathy card message:

• With sincerest condolences
• With my heartfelt sympathies
• Thinking of you in this challenging time
• With love from us to you and your family
• Please know you are always in our thoughts
• You have our love and prayers
• Our heartfelt condolences in this time of loss
• You are always in our thoughts and prayers. We are sorry for your loss.
• Our deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your (indicate relationship)
• In memory of (name), (he/she) will always be in our hearts
• Our sincerest sympathies to you and your family

If you would like more tips on card writing click here or if you like, you can try our free card simulator too.

Let your thoughts of hope and comfort reach those who need it most. Express your sincerest condolences through flowers. You can check our selection of Sympathy Flowers from our website and order online or by phone. You can make your payment online after ordering through your PayPal account or any VISA, MasterCard, American Express credit cards.