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Exotic Flowers in Boston

The Trouble With Asking “In Lieu of Flowers”

Posted by Suzie Canale on Mon, Mar 27, 2017

When a loved one passes away, it is a trying time for all family and friends to grieve for their loss.  The ceremonies following the death can be unbearably stressful for those who must make the arrangements such as burial, cremation and funeral services and can result in conflict between relatives regarding how the process should be run.  Since we all come from a multitude of different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions and preferences, appeasing everyone can be extremely difficult when executing a proper memorial.


One issue that seems to be a popular conflict is whether or not to include flowers in the ritual.  Two reasons why a funeral often rejects the acceptance is because some feel gifting a basket of blooms is unnecessary or others believe a small token should be instead given to the charity of the family’s choice.  Supporting the financial administration of non-profit organization in memory of those who have past is a sweet idea but did you know that only 5% of people in attendance actually donate to the cause at all?  It’s human nature to want to do something for those in pain, particularly during a time of mourning but what we’re missing here is the actual event of gathering supporters and comforting one another.  

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Eliminating flowers from the funeral procession can actually work against family and guests as well as substantiate a cold and negative platform- a message that most hosts do not want to encourage.  Allowing visitors to add bright colors of blooms in baskets, vases and other memorial pieces boosts a feeling of soothing and solace instead of the rigidity of simply placing a casket in the middle of the room.  The shock of this can also be alarming to many people who are anxious in this type of situation thus permitting them to send flowers can be a wonderful way to ease discomfort.  Places where funerals occur are generally dark and gloomy places so integrating arrangements that elevate joy and cheerfulness is an excellent strategy to make the occasion easier for all to experience.

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If you’re wondering what appropriate floral pieces might be, look over these beautiful examples of proper blossom etiquette when enduring the loss of a loved one.


Funeral Wreaths are usually covered with varieties such as roses and carnations and are typically placed right next to the casket and moved to the gravesite for the burial.  



Casket Covers are designed to be long and flat and can consist of whatever flowers you prefer although lilies, roses and hydrangea seem to be the most popular.  Customarily, guests will take a single stem from the display and place it over the casket as a sentiment to the deceased.


Memorial arrangements can be similar to everyday bouquets in vases and range from pastel mixtures to bright pops of color.  Pieces are usually sent to the funeral home and displayed in the lobby for the wake and moved later for the actual funeral.  

Tags: Sympathy Flowers, Funeral Florist, Funeral Flowers, Whitney Houston

Flowers, Death and Dying During the Victorian Era

Posted by Suzie Canale on Fri, Dec 30, 2016

Attending a funeral is a trial and tribulation for most because of the task of having to say goodbye to a loved one.  Being from Boston, I’ve attended a wide variety of different events honoring the dead and have learned about hundreds of different ways to celebrate and grieve over the loss of friends and family.  Boston is a melting pot for different traditions and customs, which is why it’s such a wonderful place to live.  You might think it was always this way but in actuality, funeral processions were administered in a very specific way back in Victorian Times.  After researching this topic a bit, I was a little surprised by the rigidness of the occasion and the strict template that grievers were expected to follow.  While we typically choose traditions that exemplify the celebration of one’s life, in other times, this wasn’t always the case.  Take a look at these fascinating rites and rituals associated with Victorian funerals and the rules you were meant to follow.   

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  1. When a person died, people were asked to stop their clocks at the exact time of death and not restart them until after the funeral.  This made attending anything on time in the next 3-4 days nearing impossible!
  2. Wreaths were hung on the outside of doors usually constructed out of laurel leaf and decorated with a black ribbon.  Veils were also hung on mirrors to both block the corpse’s spirit from escaping through the glass and to deny death an entryway into the house.
  3. “Waking” did not start off as the predecessor event for funerals as it does here back in Victorian times.  While we usually hold this occasion for friends and family to view the body in privacy, waking was originally termed to mean the body had to be watched in a home until the actual funeral was held.  It was popular belief that the spirit could escape if not watched twenty-four hours a day before burial.
  4. Flowers and candles are usually thought of as enhancements for funerals but back in the day, they were utilized to block putrid scents of decaying flesh.  The smell of a three-day-old corpse could be so stagnant that flowers and aromatic candles were placed around the body to mask some of the odor.
  5. Kids usually think that “Saved By The Bell” means you’re let off the hook in a due to the distraction of a school bell but really, the term was coined to alert caretakers of a premature guest in a coffin!  Yup, a bell was placed on top of coffins to signal a person who hadn’t really died but was instead sick or in a coma.  It was their luckiest day of their life if they woke up in time and could make enough movement to sound the alarm above.  

Tags: Sympathy Flowers, Funeral Florist, Funeral Flowers, Victorian Era

Popular Funeral Flowers and Their Meanings

Posted by Suzie Canale on Wed, Nov 30, 2016

Flowers are a customary tradition when planning a funeral and are often one of the happier highlights to the event because of their ability to soothe onlookers with their beauty and aroma.  Quite often, you’ll notice arrangements in baskets given by friends and family, pulpit arrangements and of course, the casket covers designed in a variety of different ways.  Sometimes relatives decide to have flower arrangements reflect a personality trait or a favorite color and other times there is a religious connection to the selected blooms.  Florists also have their favorites, which are often an assortment of chrysanthemums, roses and lilies.  One reason is due to their easy, availability from wholesalers year round and the second relies on the symbolic meaning they reflect when utilized in funeral pieces.

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Certain blossoms hold certain meanings when it comes to funerals and each can represent a particular thought, feeling or sentiment that grievers wish to express.  If you’ve never heard of this practice than you’ll want to learn more about the flowers your sending and the messages they’re conveying!  Here is a list of the most popular varieties of funeral flowers used in the northeast and their meaning when implemented on this occasion.  

 

Roses

Roses are the single most requested variety used in funeral pieces because they’re large enough to take up space, strong enough to last most temperatures for the duration of the occasion, highly fragrant and have a unique meaning according to each shade chosen.  Yellow is typically the sign for friendship while pink pays homage to remembrance and kindness.  Red is probably the most universal for funerals because it symbolizes grief and love and white transcribes as purity, innocence and everlasting bonds.

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Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums (or otherwise known as spider mums and pom poms) are the oldest variety connected with funeral flowers with the exception of roses.  As they are usually relatively inexpensive, they have a substantial head that allows designers to easily create casket covers and other larger pieces for the ceremony or gravesite.  These flowers also hold a strong significance within many religions and emphasize the idea of “rebirth” and “heaven” in many cultures around the world.

 

Lilies

When it comes to funerals, lilies have a bad wrap and it’s mainly due to its pungent smell that can fill an entire room.  Wildly popular with undertakers and funeral directors, these star-like flowers make a grand presence because of their size and shape as well as emit a reflection of “grace” and “angelica”.  The bloom also holds a direct connection to the Christian religion where it is believed that grievers filled the Virgin Mary’s tomb with pure white stems of lilies.  Unfortunately, many people link the flower’s appearance and scent to death and are sometimes rejected by those who become upset by the association.    

Tags: Language of Flowers, Sympathy Flowers, Funeral Florist, Funeral Flowers, Flower Meanings

The Boston Red Sox Show Respect with Funeral Flowers

Posted by Rick Canale on Thu, Sep 27, 2012

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The Boston Red Sox have been playing baseball for more than 100 years. They are a part of the community. The Red Sox are our heroes, our co-workers, our neighbors and our friends. Of course, Dustin Pedroia does not call me over his house to play cribbage, but the team employs hundreds of New Englanders and millions more of us cheer them on even when the season is as bleak as 2012.
As a pillar of our community, the Red Sox also show how important flowers are at a funeral or upon someone's passing. The Red Sox realize how important flowers in easing the grieving process. I have personally handled funeral flowers for the team on many occasions. Recently the public got a first hand look on how much the Red Sox value funeral flowers and what they mean during as a symbol of celebrating one's life.
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On Sunday, September 23rd, 2012 the world witnessed Red Sox players past (Jason Varitek, Pedro Martinez) and present (Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz) et al. on the field at Fenway Park presenting single red roses upon the landscaped '6' on the infield dirt. This ceremony not only shows how much the Red Sox value flowers, but also how much flowers serve as a symbol as a celebration of life.
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Even upon Johnny Pesky's death in August, the Red Sox had a wreath of flowers hung over his retired #6 in Fenway Park by our colleagues at Winston Flowers. What is most important of this gesture is that the Red Sox were not even playing at home during this floral installation. The Red Sox were looking to show their respect with sympathy flowers.

Tags: Baseball, Red Sox Florist, Fenway Park, Flowers as Symbols, Sympathy Flowers, Funeral Florist, Funeral Flowers, Red Sox, David Ortiz

Flowers Help Express Our Grief in Aurora

Posted by Rick Canale on Thu, Jul 26, 2012

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Flowers often say what words cannot. For centuries flowers have played an integral role in the grieving process. In ancient cultures, flowers and herbs were used to annoint the bodies of the deceased while aromatic flowers and greenery were displayed with the body.
The soothing natual effects of fresh flowers have been scientifically proven by Rutgers University to help mourners feel better.
The staff at Exotic Flowers in Boston is deeply saddened by this horrible act. 'A brighter day' will come. The expression of emotions with flower bouquets and the arrival of Batman Actor Christian Bale with his own all white flower bouquet show the world that we are a strong community in a stronger world. 

Tags: Sympathy Flowers, Mourning, Aurora, Batman, Funeral Flowers

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