Colors of a Sunset

We always say that we send flowers for every occasion from birth to death, and sympathy flowers are one of the occasions that require the most care. It used to be that a funeral was a time for mourning the loss of a loved one but times have changed and now people want to celebrate the life of the departed. This is evident in every facet of a funeral, from the increase in cremations so that ashes can be spread over a memorable site, to the little touches our customers like to add to sympathy bouquets.

In early June, I (Marisa) had the opportunity to travel to Amarillo to present a four hour workshop on sympathy design to members of the West Texas New Mexico Florist Association. This was a wonderful experience for me since I have always wanted to present these types of educational programs, and I couldn't have asked for a more supportive group of floral industry professionals to present my first big show in front of. Check out some pictures from the show below.

That's me, showing a garden style design made to sit on the floor in front of a casket. The wholesaler who sponsored the show, J & E Wholesale had these wonderful, rustic, handmade, wooden crosses that they wanted to feature and this was the perfect way to show off the largest size. The flowers and foliage in a garden style design are grouped together which also makes each flower type stand out from the crowd.

This design above, is on the opposite end of the spectrum in regards to size. Prayer cards could be placed on this miniature arrangement designed to look like a tiny landscape. There is so much interest in the textures and little elements that make this unique and personal.



So often, we see funeral arrangements designed in a very traditional fan shape but there are so many beautiful ways to create an outstanding design. The phoenix style bouquet groups each flower in concentric circles at descending heights. This style requires lots of flowers but the lush effect is worth the cost.

I talked about the growing popularity of cremations. Last time I read an article on it, they said about 42% of people are cremated, not sure if we see that many in our area but we do see them often. The arrangement above is two pieces, the bottom is a basket full of blooms that the urn can be placed into, but there is also a floral adornment for the urn itself. The urn (I had to use a vase) is often left without flowers but a lovely "corsage" adds so much to a humble container, it's like a tiny casket spray.

Next time you order sympathy flowers, bring in a special memento from your loved one's life or let us create a unique arrangement that stands out from the crowd, not because it's big but because it is beautiful.