Sending flowers to a family, who has recently lost a loved one, is an effective way to express sympathy. Besides expressing sympathy, sympathy flowers can also be used as a means of paying tribute to the one who has died and brightening up the sad atmosphere. These days many flowers are sent for expressing sympathy but there are a few flowers, which are traditionally associated with sympathy, loss, remembrance and funerals. Such flowers are more suitable than others for sending to the bereaved family members as they provide a meaningful gesture. Some of the traditional sympathy flowers are mentioned below.
Lilies
Lilies are commonly associated with funerals and sympathy. According to Christian folklore, the flowers symbolize resurrection. In the language of flowers, lilies symbolize the innocence of the departed soul. Moreover, white stargazer lilies denote sympathy due to which, they are the most suitable choice for someone who has lost a loved one.
Carnations
Carnations are also popular as sympathy flowers. Carnations come in different colors, which have different meanings. For example red carnations stand for admiration, pink carnations denote remembrance and white carnations symbolize purity. Thus, a bouquet consisting of carnations of different colors will be a suitable choice for this occasion. Besides being sent for expressing sympathy, carnations are also used for making wreaths displayed at funerals due to their dense blooms.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are often included in floral arrangements for funeral services in Asian and European countries. White chrysanthemums stand for death, loss and grief. Hence, they are only used for funeral services. They are often combined with roses and carnations in floral arrangements.
Roses
Roses are also included in sympathy flower arrangements. Like carnations, they also have different colors, which have different meanings. They have a formal look and therefore are suitable for sending to families who have experienced the loss of a loved one. A bouquet, which includes roses of different colors, can express the sender's sympathy effectively.
Gladioli
Gladioli are frequently used in sympathy flower arrangements. A fan spray of gladioli is a classic at traditional funeral services. Gladioli denote sincerity, moral integrity and strength of character, due to which, they are suitable as sympathy flowers.
These days, florists have many different sympathy flower bouquets. These bouquets consist of many other flowers besides traditional sympathy flowers. In addition to this, the sender can also order customized bouquets to express their sympathy to the recipient in times of grief and loss.