Guide: Purchasing Funeral Flowers

Traditional funeral flower arrangements include:

• Casket sprays, which cover a casket
• Standing sprays, which are displayed on an easel and shaped in the form of bouquets, wreaths, hearts, crosses, and other designs
• Bouquets in baskets or vases

What You Need To Know

If you are purchasing flowers for a funeral service you're planning, the funeral home you are working with will offer to handle the flower arrangements for you, in the form of a cash advance to the funeral home. You may also purchase flowers yourself through a local florist or an online vendor with local members. The funeral home should not charge you a fee for bringing in your own flowers.

If you are purchasing flowers for a family that has experienced a loss, you can send the flowers to the family's home or to the venue where the funeral will be held. If you're not sure where to send the flowers, be in touch with the person coordinating funeral arrangements for the family or the funeral home the family is working with to determine where you should send the flowers.

Teleflora

Teleflora works with 18,000 florists across the country and provides a large selection of arrangements, though some are only available in one size. The website is easy to navigate and offers the ability to sort arrangements by price, style (casket spray, easel spray, wreath, basket, etc.), color, and where the flowers will be sent (funeral home, family home, etc.). For same-day delivery, orders must be placed by 3:00 pm.

FTD

Working with 12,000 florists across the country, FTD offers affordable arrangements in multiple sizes and prices. Arrangements can be sorted by type (flowers, plants, sprays and wreaths) and by purpose (flowers for the service, for the home, for the cemetery). For same-day delivery, orders must be placed by 2:00 pm.

1-800-Flowers.com

1-800-Flowers.com offers help in selecting the most appropriate arrangement based on where the flowers are being sent (funeral home or family home) and your relationship to the deceased (immediate family member, relative, friend/colleague). Though most arrangements come in multiple sizes and prices, the arrangements are tend to be more expensive. For same-day delivery, Monday through Friday, orders must be placed by 2:00 pm; for Saturday delivery, orders must be placed by 1:00 pm; for Sunday delivery, orders must be placed by noon.