No funeral setting is complete without an ensemble of beautiful flowers on display. Flowers have the capacity to encourage compassion among guests and help to ease anxieties that result from the occasion. There are a myriad of colorful flower types to consider incorporating into the funeral décor – the following are four popular options to consider:

Carnations

With lush petals and vibrant color, carnations make for lovely funeral arrangements. These bountiful flowers have different meanings associated with them depending on their color:

• Dark red denotes love and admiration.

• White invokes pure love and good luck.

• Pink represents a mother's undying love.

Try using different color arrangements throughout the funeral home for optimal depth and meaning.

Roses

Roses are a favorite flower type for many occasions, including funerals. Their sophisticated stature stands out in crowds, and their elegant buds produce invigorating fragrance. Notable color options for funerals include the following:

• Red offers love, courage, and respect.

• Pink stands for appreciation, grace, and gentleness.

• White encourages silence and purity.

Consider using white roses in areas reserved for quiet prayer or reflection, and incorporate the pink and red roses into guest seating areas.

Chrysanthemums

Because they symbolize death, chrysanthemums are an obvious choice for funerals. They have a graceful look that helps brightens moods, and a subtle sweet smell that won't overpower the room. Chrysanthemums come in a variety of color options, but white is most commonly used in funerals. If you're looking to create color variety, consider one of the following options:

• White

• Pink

• Burgundy

These flowers have small petals, so a lot of them can be packed into each bouquet which can get pretty pricey. Try mixing your chrysanthemums with one or two other varieties of larger flowers to help keep costs manageable.

Calla Lilies

Calla Lilies are traditional funeral flowers because they symbolize death in many different cultures throughout the world. They don't come in a lot of vibrant colors, but the white, cream, and pink options available should complement any other décor you've decided to incorporate into the funeral setting. Because calla lilies are large, it doesn't take very many to make a big impact in a space – you may only need to implement four or five in each bouquet to make them look lush and full.

It may be tempting to fill the funeral with all of the flower types mentioned here, but too many bouquets can clutter the space and make things feel disorganized. Get the dimensions of the rooms you'll be decorating for the funeral, like those at the Taylor Funeral Home, and plan a bouquet for every 50 square feet or so of space that you're working with. This should add plenty of color and depth to the funeral without overwhelming the guests' senses.