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cremation urn wreath

A New Memorial Service Tradition: Urn Wreaths

January 30, 2019 Kim Stacey

A big part of my life involves thinking about the historical roots of our modern funeral practices. Lately, the focus has been on urn wreaths, which is fast becoming a memorial service tradition. Naturally, my mind wandered into the past – to the Victorians first – and then further back to the laurel and olive wreaths of the Greeks and Romans.

natural-floral-wreath

The Symbolism of the Wreath

Venture back a few thousand years and you’ll discover the essence of laurel, myrtle and olive branch wreaths includes the concepts of victory, glory and power. Yet, as Christianity grew, the wreath came to symbolize eternity and the never-ending ‘circle of life.’ In short, during the millennia, the wreath has become deeply symbolic.

What the Victorians Did with Wreaths

When someone died, it was traditional to hang a black mourning wreath were hung on the front door of the family home. Here in the 21st century, there are some folks–like Amy Cunningham, a New York funeral director – who believe this quaint tradition should be revived – and I rather like the idea. Read her “Bring Back the Mourning Wreath” on the Inspired Funeral blog.

white angel feather wreath

We wanted to revive this tradition and now have the black feather mourning wreath and a white angel wing wreath that can be easily hung on the door, wall, or used to adorn a cremation urn. The soft feathers not only symbolize wings of flight, but also help to soften the appearance of a metal urn.

cremation urn wreath

The Victorians took the symbolism of the wreath one step further when they began to create memorial wreaths from the hair of the deceased. Victorian hair art still fascinates us. The author of “Hair Wreaths: a Victorian Mourning Tradition,” a post on the A Grave Interest blog, wrote: “A mourning wreath could be made up of one member’s hair or a composite of an entire family. As family members died, hair was saved…when enough was accumulated; the hair was fashioned into flowers and leaves by twisting and sewing it around shaped wire forms.” The pictures alone–like the one at the left– are well worth a look.

memento moire hair art

But, as I don’t want to wander too far away from our primary subject: cremation urn wreaths, I’ll stop the history chit-chat right here.

What is an Urn Wreath?

At its most basic, an urn wreath is a circlet of flowers and/or greenery, in which the base of the cremation urn rests. Perhaps it’s only task is to be used as part of a larger – eye-catching– display during the memorial service. But with a bit of forethought, a loved one’s cremation urn wreath can be adapted for display in the home or mausoleum niche.

cremation urn wreath

Why Cremation Urn Wreaths are Becoming So Popular

Think back 50 years, when cremation wasn’t as popular as it is today. Most people chose ‘whole body burial,’ which is exactly as it sounds. The deceased would be washed, usually embalmed; dressed and casketed. His or her casket –whether open for viewing the body, or closed – would be the focal point of the funeral.

white feather urn wreath

Things have changed. For many reasons, more and more people are choosing cremation over burial – which leaves a “big, empty space” at the front of any funeral. There’s no longer a casket; just an urn. The questions become “What can we do to draw the eye to the deceased who is, after all, the honored guest at this event?” And, “How can we do that in a way which honors their uniqueness and pays tribute to their memory?” Our long-standing relationship with the symbolism of the wreath, led us to come up with the cremation urn wreath.

Commonly made from greenery and fresh flowers, an urn wreath could be preserved to later adorn the urn when on display in the home or columbarium. There are many online articles regarding the best ways to dry flowers; Check out Popular Science’s online article, “The Best Ways to Preserve Your Flowers” (the link is in Sources section). There are also floral preservation services; an internet search using that phrase can get you to the experts.

How do you obtain a cremation urn wreath? Talk to your funeral director or your favorite local florist. Or, if time permits, and you’re one of those folks who love crafting, get creative. In my mind’s eye, I picture urn wreaths decorated with photos or other small memorabilia. I thought of a wreath made of model trains (for the train enthusiast); or, for the fisherman, an urn wreath decorated with colorful fishing lures. When you stop to think about it – the possibilities are endless!

Filed Under: Featured Products Tagged With: cremation urn wreath, funeral flowers, mourning wreath, urn wreath

Don’t Dismiss the Healing Power of Funeral Flowers

August 25, 2018 urngarden.com

power of flowers at funeral

Sadly, funerals have been on my itinerary more frequently the last couple of years. One disturbing trend that’s clear and often noted in the obituary is the phrase “in lieu of flowers”…. and I must say, I think it’s misguided. There’s nothing wrong with fundraising for the family or a favorite charity in place of the flowers, but when possible it’s a good idea to add floral arrangements to the service and here’s why.

Flowers Can Help Heal the Heart

Lately, the funerals we’ve attended have been for young people whose lives were cut short by the opioid epidemic. Two of the services were stark contrasts to each other. One, was loaded with flowers, the other, very minimal, with a couple of green plants. The mood at the funeral with flowers was actually a little lighter and brighter compared to the one that was barren. There is something about being surrounded by beauty in a very dark hour that helped to ease the pain.

A couple of weeks ago, a family friend committed suicide. He was well connected in our community and we were all shocked by this sudden end. His memorial service was held on a bright beautiful Saturday and was well attended, although, no one wanted to be there. That morning, I woke with a heavy heart, and a feeling of dread hung in the air. I really did not want to go to this sad gathering. The widow is a good friend and I could think of a million things I’d rather do. After jockeying for a place to park, we walked through the doors and were greeted by a familiar face handing out programs and then the stepped over to the guest book on a table that was loaded with beautiful flowers sent by grieving friends. That’s when I felt it. A feeling of calm washed over me. We’ve written about the healing power of flowers, it’s a well documented fact that you can read about all day long, and dates back to the beginning of time, but that Saturday, I actually experienced it myself.

The deceased was a veteran and had been cremated, so the family chose a patriotic themed urn and many of the arrangements were red, white, and blue, including a large flag made from flowers.

Flag floral funeral arrangement easel urn wreath funeral flowers

We are fortunate in that we have several friends that are in the floral business that experienced and super creative. I’ve been able to tap their talents and have beautiful creations that were made with love for my own departed friends and family members. I could see and feel the thought, care and precise placement of every single flower and leaf. One example would be garden statues and stones mixed into an arrangement. We kept it small enough to easily transport and it doubled as a lasting memorial gift. Another time, one of my florist friends did a gorgeous wreath to adorn my grandmother’s urn. The funeral home was right across the street and the florist was able to get the urn ahead of time to build the arrangement around it for a custom fit. She used white gardenias and roses and it was a perfect match and allowed us to have something to place on the grave at the burial. Even though the burial was a couple of days after the celebration of life service, we were able to keep the wreath looking fresh by storing it in a cool environment and lightly misting it.

For the friend that lost her daughter to a heroin overdose last summer, we commissioned an arrangement in her favorite color of purple that was centered around an angel figurine that her mother could keep as a remembrance.

angel funeral flower arrangement
Credit: Rose Among Thorns

My father in law was a baseball nut and huge Cardinal fan. When he passed away, our local florist made a baseball out of white carnations and red roses and placed it a display of baseball memorabilia.

baseball funeral flowers
Credit: Rose Among Thorns

In addition to the standard sympathy sprays, there were smaller vases, green plants, and even a couple of sculpture pieces. The bigger easel, casket sprays, and sculpture arrangements are expensive, and not everyone can afford it, but if you can pool funds and share costs with friends, the impact is huge and healing. Floral pillows and sculpture pieces are kind of old school, but they never disappoint and will even bring a smile at a funeral.

heart shape flower pillow funeral
Credit: Jennifleurs Florist Colchester

Florists can really showcase their talents here and a couple of creative and meaningful examples are the guitars and mushrooms that were created for Gregg Allman’s funeral. Traditional heart shapes, horseshoes, and ribbons are statement pieces that never go out of style.

creative funeral flowers Gregg Allman guitars
Credit: Donna Childs
Mushroom Floral Arrangement Gregg Allman Funeral
Credit: Donna Childs

So when you have several gifts of flowers at the funeral, there’s always the question of what to do with them after it’s all over. If it’s an earth burial, naturally, you can place them on the grave. But, with so many families opting for cremation and either keeping the urn in the home for awhile, or storing in a niche, a decision has to be made. In the earlier examples, the families picked a few favorites and took them home, and then contracted with the funeral home to deliver to nursing homes, hospice care, and churches. This would be a good time to add that if you are plan to send an arrangement, use your local florist! Sympathy arrangements can be costly and internet florists and wire services can result in wilted or crushed results. Out of town? Call the funeral home and get a lead on one of the florists that they are familiar with, some of the funeral homes even have in house floral departments.

Filed Under: Confessions, Memorial Service Ideas, mental health Tagged With: cremation urn wreath, funeral flowers, sympathy arrangements

Floral Wreaths for Cremation Urns

July 30, 2010 urngarden.com

floral wreaths for cremation urns

Several years ago I was at a local florist to check out their selection of wreaths designed for a cremation urn.  There weren’t a lot of options, in fact, they only had two listed in a notebook, and at the time, no choices were listed on their website.  It was sad, and today this particular florist offers more variety. Here’s some ideas for a floral display designed for the urn at the memorial service. You can get ideas for flowers paired with various styles of marble or stone, metal, and wood cremation urns.

My personal favorite is a more wild natural look, with a combination of roses, succulents, and wildflowers. Simple and beautiful and softens the metal vase.

floral ideas for cremation urn

A marble or stone urn is paired with a more traditional style wreath studded with roses, daisies, and greenery.

marble cremation urn floral idea

Lilies are so fragrant, and symbolize friendship.

floral cremation urn memorial idea

This arch over a wood or box shape adds interest. Almost an arbor effect.

flowers for cremation urn

Here’s another box shaped urn, this one is actually made from biodegradable paper. The free standing heart sculpture on the top adds height and interest, and then surrounded by roses and greenery. So pretty.

urn floral arrangments

Speaking of environmentally friendly, if you plan to have an ash scattering ceremony at the lake or ocean, floral wreaths are still a beautiful symbol for a natural burial and gives family and friends a chance to participate in the service by tossing a few petals or setting a wreath into the water along with the ashes.

 ash scattering at sea

 

colorful urns for ashes

This particular arrangement gives you an idea of blending the elements of candles, flowers or urn in the loved one’s favorite color to personalize the memorial service.  The explosion of pink has all the funeral favorites, roses, Gerber daisies, glads, lilies, and carnations.

cremation urn floral idea

Flowers representing the deceased’s birth month might be a good choice. Family’s often overlook the healing power of flowers at funeral or memorial services, and will request that no flowers be delivered. It’s too bad because the tradition of flowers for special occasions is still relevant today and is a proven mood lifter.

urn floral arrangements
Teleflora

If you are planning a funeral or memorial long distance or don’t have a relationship with a local florist, Teleflora has a couple of attractive options, and not just wreaths. This example of two free standing vases flanking the urn make a statement.

floral urn display
Teleflora

 For customers in the Springfield, Missouri area our friends at these fine florists can help you create a memorable memorial arrangement:

Rose Among Thorns

Linda’s Flowers

Filed Under: art, cremation, memorial garden, Memorial Service Ideas Tagged With: cremation urn wreath, funeral flowers for urn, ideas for planning memorial service, sympathy floral arrangements

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