When a friend, family member, or acquaintance passes away, you may feel overwhelmed by the desire to show your sympathy. Attending wakes, funerals, and celebrations of life are great ways to pay your respect, but sending a floral arrangement is also a nice gesture. While a common task, sending a floral or greenery arrangement to pay your respects can be overwhelming due to the various styles, flowers, and plants. Using this guide, you will understand the meaning behind some of the most common plants used in sympathy arrangements.

Lilies

The lily is the most commonly used sympathy and funeral arrangements. Due to its meaning, it is easy to see why it is a favorite among florists who want to create a classic, beautiful, and symbolic arrangement.

Lilies represent many things including purity, fertility, royalty, passion, and youthfulness, making it an appealing option for many people. However, the lily is also a symbol for renewal and rebirth, which is why it is used so predominantly in funeral wreaths, sprays, and arrangements.

There are many color options to choose from when using lilies in your funeral arrangements. White, cream, lavender, and yellow are popular options due to their soft and romantic appeal. Brighter shades of pink, red, and orange are good for showing sympathy or remembering friends and close family members.

Roses

Roses are mostly associated with Valentine's day and anniversaries, but they are also suitable options to place in funeral arrangements. If you prefer to use this classic option in your sympathy gift, opt for the white variety, which signifies youthfulness, humility, and reverence.

To show love and grace, consider pink roses. To pay your respects to a close friend, add yellow roses to the arrangement. Adding one rose to a bouquet containing other flowers and greenery will make a massive statement, as well. The single rose in the arrangement will represent enduring love for the deceased.

Orchids

Orchids are another great flower to consider when designing a sympathy arrangement. Once you choose orchids, you must also place emphasis on the flower's color.

For sympathy purposes, opt for pink or white orchids. The sensual look of orchids offers an attractive, streamlined design that is suitable for viewings and funerals, but the flower's symbolic representation of peace will make it a perfect flower for showing sympathy to a friend, lover, or family member.

Gladioli

The Gladioli has a stem that can grow up to 4 feet, making it a great statement piece to use in funeral homes. However, the meaning behind this elegant flower ensures you are displaying sympathy in a truly sincere way.

The flower represents sincerity and integrity, but it can also symbolize character strength and friendship. Create a spray using gladioli in a multitude of colors including purple, white, red, pink, yellow, green, or orange.

Carnations

Carnations date back thousands of years ago, but these elegant flowers are still popular choices to use in arrangements. Not only do they have a long lifespan, but carnations also have a pleasant aroma. Due to these benefits, many people use the carnation in a variety of bouquets. From wedding bouquets and centerpieces to sympathy gifts and funeral wreaths, the versatility of this flower is easy to see.

Carnations represent love and distinction; certain colors of this flower have other symbolic meanings. For love and luck, opt for white carnations in your arrangement. For deep love and affection, choose carnations in dark pink or red shades. A lighter pink is a great option to use in a funeral spray because it signifies the strong manner in which you plan to remember the deceased.

When designing a sympathy or funeral arrangement, use flowers that hold a great deal of meaning. With this guide, you will understand the look and meaning behind many of the common floral options.