For the service itself, standing sprays, wreaths and casket arrangements are traditional and are sent to the funeral home. For the family, a vase arrangement or a plant sent to the house is easier to receive and lasts past the service. Both are appropriate.
The first question is not which flowers. It is where they need to arrive, because that decides the shape of what you send.
Flowers going to the funeral home for the service are usually larger display pieces. Standing sprays on an easel, wreaths and casket arrangements are meant to be seen from a distance in a room full of people. They arrive before the service and they belong to the occasion rather than to any one person.
Flowers going to the family's home are a different gesture. A vase arrangement someone can set on a kitchen counter, or a green plant that keeps going for months, says the same thing in a quieter way. It also arrives when the house is at its emptiest, which is often the week after the service rather than the day of it.
If you are not sure which is wanted, both is never wrong. Send something to the service and something to the house.
For a service, flowers need to be at the funeral home before the family arrives, which usually means the morning of or the day before. Call us as early as you can with the name of the funeral home and the date and time of the service. We deliver to funeral homes across Fredericksburg and Gillespie County and we know most of them.
For the family's home, later is often kinder. The days right after a death bring a rush of food and flowers and then, abruptly, nothing. An arrangement that arrives two weeks on, when the visitors have gone home, lands differently. There is no expiry date on this. Flowers sent a month later still say what you meant.
Our same-day cutoff is 1 PM. Orders placed after that go out the next available day, so if the service is tomorrow morning, call today.
White is the traditional choice and it is always appropriate. Lilies, roses, chrysanthemums and orchids in white read as calm and formal, and they photograph well in a service setting.
Softer palettes are equally appropriate and increasingly common. Blush, cream, pale peach and gentle lavender feel warm rather than solemn, which suits a celebration of a long life.
Colour is worth considering when you knew the person well. If she gardened sunflowers, sunflowers are a better tribute than white lilies. If he wore Aggie maroon every Saturday, we can work with that. A florist who knows the family will usually welcome the direction rather than steer you back to convention.
You can look through our sympathy gallery to see the styles we build most often. Every arrangement is made by hand, so treat what you see as a starting point rather than a fixed catalogue item.
This is the part people agonise over, and it is the part that matters least in the way they fear. Nobody has ever been criticised for a short card.
Simple works. "Thinking of you and your family." "With love and deep sympathy." "He was a good man and we will miss him." Sign it with your full name if there is any chance the family will not place a first name, and add how you knew the person if you were not close to the household. "Margaret, from the Tuesday quilting group" tells them something they will be glad to know.
Avoid anything that instructs the grieving how to feel. Skip "everything happens for a reason" and "at least." Naming the person is almost always better than talking around them.
We write the card by hand and include it with the arrangement. Tell us the message when you call and we will read it back to you.
Every arrangement we make is built by hand for the person it is going to, so the prices on our flower and price list are starting points and the real number comes from a short conversation.
Call us at (830) 733-7856 and we will talk it through: who it is for, where it is going, when it needs to arrive, and roughly what you would like to spend. If you would rather write it down, use the Custom Order form and we will call you back. Payment comes afterwards by invoice.
We deliver to funeral homes, churches, hospitals and private homes throughout Fredericksburg and the surrounding Gillespie County area. See our delivery information for times and coverage, or read about our shop.
No. Flowers sent after the service are often the most appreciated, because that is when the house goes quiet and the visitors stop coming. There is no window that closes.
Send display pieces such as standing sprays and wreaths to the funeral home before the service. Send vase arrangements and plants to the house, where they are easier to receive and to keep.
Honour that for the service itself. A small arrangement sent to the home afterwards is still usually welcome, and many families mean the request to apply to the large display pieces rather than to every gesture.
Often yes, depending on the distance. Call us with the funeral home name and the service time and we will tell you straight away whether we can reach it.
There is no expected amount. Tell us your budget when you call and we will build the best arrangement we can within it. A thoughtfully made small piece is better than a large one chosen without care.
Every arrangement is made by hand, so the best place to start is a quick call.
Call (830) 733-7856