Sending Sympathy Flowers in New Orleans: A Gentle Guide

When someone you love is grieving, flowers say what is hard to put into words: I’m thinking of you, and I’m here. If you’ve never sent sympathy flowers before — or it’s been a while — here is what we’d tell a friend.

Where to send them

Most sympathy flowers go to one of two places. Flowers sent to the funeral home are part of the service — they surround the family and guests during the visitation and funeral. Flowers sent to the family’s home are more personal, and they’re there in the quiet days after, when the house has emptied out.

If you’re not sure which is right, the funeral home is always appropriate while the service is still ahead. After the service, send to the home.

What to send

There’s no wrong choice when it comes from the heart, but a few guidelines help:

• For the service: a full arrangement in soft, seasonal tones — whites, greens, and gentle color read as peaceful in a chapel or parlor.
• For the home: a smaller arrangement or a living plant the family can keep long after the cut flowers have faded.
• From a group — coworkers, a congregation, a team: a larger arrangement sent together says a great deal.

When they should arrive

For a service, flowers should arrive before visitation begins — so tell us the date and time of the service when you order, and we’ll plan the delivery around it. We go to market for every order, so sympathy flowers are designed fresh for the next day; orders placed by 2 PM can be delivered tomorrow.

And don’t forget the weeks after. Flowers that arrive a month later, when the cards have stopped coming, are often the ones a family remembers most.

What to write on the card

Keep it short and sincere. Use their loved one’s name if you knew them. A memory, even a small one, is a gift. We’ve written a few examples in What to Write on a Sympathy Card.

Ordering with us

On our sympathy page, choose the arrangement, then pick the funeral home from our list — we fill in the address for you. Add the name of the person who passed and the service time, and we’ll take it from there. We deliver Monday through Saturday across New Orleans and nearby parishes, and you’re always welcome to call us at (504) 777-0585 if you’d rather talk it through.