The Meaning Behind Sympathy Flowers…
Have you ever wondered about the meaning behind the flowers you send? Learn about the beautiful symbolism of flowers and how they can bring solace to those mourning the loss of a cherished friend or family member. You don’t need to be a flower expert to choose the right sympathy flowers.
Valteos Flowers and Gifts has created a guide to help you select flowers and understand their meanings. Whether sent to a service or directly to family and friends, floral arrangement, sprays, and bouquets serve as a meaningful expression of sympathy, support, and enduring love.
Looking to send a floral arrangement to a current service? Browse our online flower and gift shop occasions here.
Sympathy & Memorial Collection
During life’s most tender moments, flowers offer a quiet yet powerful way to express what words often cannot. Our Sympathy & Memorial Collection is thoughtfully designed to honor loved ones with grace, beauty, and heartfelt meaning.
Each arrangement in this collection features a timeless palette of soft whites, gentle greens, and calming neutrals—symbolizing peace, remembrance, and eternal love. From elegant casket sprays and standing tributes to refined vase arrangements and urn designs, every piece is handcrafted to provide comfort and a sense of serenity during times of loss.
We offer our arrangements in Standard, Deluxe, and Premium tiers, allowing you to choose the level of fullness and presence that best reflects your sentiment. Whether you are sending a subtle expression of sympathy or a more abundant tribute, each design maintains the same elevated style and attention to detail.
Our florists carefully select fresh blooms such as lilies, roses, snapdragons, stock, and seasonal accents, paired with lush greenery and soft textures. The result is a harmonious composition that conveys dignity, compassion, and remembrance. Designed for funeral services, memorials, and celebrations of life, our arrangements are delivered with care directly to funeral homes, churches, or residences—ensuring a seamless and respectful experience during a difficult time.
At the heart of this collection is a simple purpose: To help you honor a life beautifully, and to offer comfort through nature’s most timeless expression.
What Are Sympathy Flowers?
People give sympathy flowers at funerals to show empathy and support. Flowers can convey sentiments like, “I can’t know how you feel, but I hope this small gift helps.” People often choose mums, carnations, lilies, and fruit tree flowers for sympathy. They put these flowers near the person who died. Even people who don’t have time for big flower arrangements can still show they care by giving these flowers in different colors. Every bloom is carefully selected and arranged to create a sense of peace, balance, and gentle elegance, helping to convey what words often cannot.
A Meaningful Tribute
Appropriate for:
Funeral and memorial services
Sympathy gifts sent to the home
Celebrations of life
Honoring a loved one’s memory
Offering comfort during times of loss
What Colors Mean
Sympathy flowers come in many colors. Each color means something different:
Black means mourning
White means purity and innocence
Yellow means sympathy for sudden death
Purple means deep respect or regret
Blue means hope
Red shows strong feelings like love or anger
Light colors, such as white and cream, signify purity. They also mean peace when people are sad. Red elicits strong emotions. You’ll see red flowers at many funerals because people who are grieving need support. Most flower shops will help you pick the best colors for what you want to say.
Types of Sympathy Flowers and What They Mean
Many different sympathy flowers exist which can be traditional funeral flowers or something simple like one rose. Fresh cut flower bouquets are the most popular because they’re beautiful and remind us that life goes on after death.
Lilies: A lily is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants (Lilium) recognized by their large, often fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers, scaly bulbs, and elegant stems. Primarily native to the Northern Hemisphere, they are popular perennials symbolizing purity, rebirth, and devotion across many cultures.
Roses: A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa within the family Rosaceae, famous for its showy, often fragrant flowers, layered petals, and sharp thorns (properly called prickles). Known as the "queen of the garden," roses are among the most popular and culturally significant plants in the world, symbolizing deep emotions—most famously love, passion, and beauty—across centuries and cultures. White roses mean purity. Deep red roses mean love and sadness. Pink roses mean thank you. Yellow roses mean friendship. You can mix roses with other flowers.
Orchids: This beautiful flower means “I will always love you.” An orchid is a diverse, cosmopolitan plant from the Orchidaceae family, recognized by its highly specialized, often fragrant, and colorful blooms. Symbolizing love, beauty, luxury, and strength
Carnations: A carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is a popular, ruffled herbaceous perennial, often called the "flower of the gods," known for its long-lasting blooms and clove-like scent. Cultivated for centuries, they symbolize deep love, fascination, and distinction, with specific colors representing gratitude (pink), purity (white), and admiration (red).
Hydrangeas: A hydrangea is a popular, moisture-loving shrub known for its large, lush, and clustered flower heads, originally native to Asia and the Americas. Meaning "water vessel" (from Greek hydro and angeion), it symbolizes heartfelt emotion, gratitude, and apology, though its varied colors (pink, blue, white) and histories can represent everything from abundance to vanity.
Size Options
Standard
A refined and elegant presentation featuring a balanced selection of focal blooms and greenery. Ideal for intimate services or as a thoughtful tribute.
Deluxe
A fuller, more lush arrangement with additional blooms and enhanced texture, offering greater visual impact while maintaining classic elegance.
Premium
Our most abundant and luxurious version, featuring extra lilies and roses for a rich, expansive display that creates a truly stunning and memorable tribute.
