Published on November 12th, 2020
Sending condolences to someone who has lost a loved one is never easy. It requires a combination of frank and open communication and a delicate and empathetic discretion so as to avoid pouring salt into the wounds of the bereaved.
The shared sadness in loss in particular makes the whole process even more difficult. We have put together some etiquette tips for when you send sympathy flowers to help you with the process of expressing your condolences.
1. Be Mindful Of Your Gesture
Being mindful of your gesture regarding sending condolences means objectively analysing your expressions and words to see whether the receiver will appreciate this or would find int insensitive.
One of the ways to be mindful is to find out what the receiver would appreciate during the time of grieving. If you have a close relationship with the bereaved, you may find expressing condolences a bit easier in that context.
Another way of being mindful of your condolences gesture is to send a safe sympathy gift. A gist such as sympathy flowers, is one that is appreciated across the board and aren’t offensive.
This is not to say that one deliberately sends offensive gifts, this can be done unknowingly because of different belief systems and values. Flowers, on the other hand, are a universal expression of compassion and love.
2. Personalise The Flowers
When you purchase sympathy flowers, you should attach a personalised note to the bouquet. Finding the words to comfort the bereaved is not an easy process. If you can’t quite express yourself in a note, you can have someone assist you in the messaging.
You can also get inspiration from websites that specialise in forming messages for different occasions. Personalising sympathy gifts shows that you would have put thought and effort into the gift which makes it authentic.
3. Go The Extra Mile
When it comes to comfort those that are grieving, you can go the extra mile by arranging to brighten their home.
For example, you can organise with one of the flower delivery websites, to have these delivered to the home and you can decorate the home with these.
The gesture of having flowers delivered to the home is a gesture that will never be forgotten. Such gestures express care, concern, and genuine sympathy.
4. Offer Your Time
Having sent beautiful flowers, you can then reach out and ask if the receiver needs any help from you. You may notice that they require assistance and just didn’t know how to go about asking people to help.
Your flowers and your willingness to go out of your way to make sure that they are catered to shows that your intentions are genuine.
5. Do A Gift Follow-Up
After some time passes, you can do a follow-up on the loved ones remaining. This can be in the form of a visit, a letter or a phone call.
A gift follow-up assures the receiver that you still care about the grieving process and genuinely are concerned about how they have managed to adjust to living with the loss.
Simply sending flowers and not following up may make one feel as if the gift was out of necessity rather than concern and care.
6. Send A Gift Long After The Effect
The freshness of the wound that is left after one passes away may seemingly throb less after some time.
This however doesn’t mean that the wound is no longer there, as this can live with one for eternity. You can always send flowers long after the initial grieving process has passed.
There are different stages of grieving and the flowers you send will be reassuring and a pleasant surprise. You don’t have to re-hash the death, however—a simple thinking of you note is a heartfelt gesture.
Conclusion
When you send flowers to a person or people who have lost a loved one, remember to be mindful, personalise the flowers with a heartfelt message, go the extra mile by having the flowers delivered and you arrange them in their homes, offer your time, check up on them after having sent the gift, and to also send a gift when they least expect it long after the passing on of the loved one.
You can send another sympathy gift together with flowers such as chocolate and photo collages—however, keep in mind to check if these gifts would be appreciated by the receivers. Flowers are a safe universal gift and will be an appreciated gesture.
