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Floral Arrangements and Funerals: The Hidden Meanings of Flower Types

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Floral Arrangements and Funerals: The Hidden Meanings of Flower Types

For my mother's funeral, my sister and I spent a lot of time thinking about flowers for her funeral. We wanted beautiful, colorful flowers that reflected upon her energetic spirit and her love of bright, bold color. However, when we began to plan out her funeral with the funeral director, we were surprised to learn that different types of flowers had different meanings. Based on their meanings, some were appropriate for a funeral, and others were not. We had no idea about this, but I instantly became fascinated with the topic. I created this website to help educate others about the meanings of flowers and which are appropriate for funerals.

Pay Your Respects: Clever Ways To Memorialize Loved Ones At Their Resting Place

8 April 2016
 Categories: , Blog

If you want to do something special to pay tribute to someone who has passed, flowers may not be the most appropriate memorial. Think of something that has an underlying significance and meaning for the deceased person, and that will last longer than cut flowers. There are some intriguing alternatives that might be better ways to commemorate a loved one's life.

Some ways to pay tribute at someone's gravesite include:

Build a cairn.

In Scottish culture, people create towers from stones called cairns to point out something important, give directions, or memorialize something lost. These typically are made with smooth river stones or beach rocks and are wider at the base than at the top to help with stabilization. Create your own cairn on the gravesite of someone dear to you, and see how long it lasts without toppling over due to wind or weather.

Leave some coins.

If you ever walk through a cemetery, you may notice that some headstones have coins left on them. This has varying significance, including historical beliefs that the coins pay the fee for the spirit to move on and be freed from roaming the earth. Another reason relates to military graves; different coins symbolize different relationships between the person leaving the coin and the deceased:

A penny represents that the person leaving it behind on the headstone was familiar with the person buried there.

A nickel signifies that the person trained or was in military boot camp with the deceased soldier.

Members of the same company, squadron, or troupe may leave a dime on the grave.

Leaving a quarter behind indicates that the person placing the coin was with the deceased soldier when they passed.

Plant something significant.

Take time to plant something special at the grave of your loved one. There are many plants and flowers that have underlying meanings which bring some significance to your memorial for the deceased. Plant a pot of the following flora to fondly commemorate the person that has passed:

Jasmine represents heaven and the afterlife.

Daffodils symbolize beauty.

Red carnations signify eternal love and never-ending beauty.

Daisies symbolize youth.

Grapes represent Christianity and a belief in Christ.

Do something different to memorialize the life of a loved one. Try one of these ideas to not only commemorate the life lived, but also to show some respect and significance for the deceased. Be sure that you are aware of the guidelines and regulations of the cemetery before planting or leaving items behind on any site.