Is it taboo to have silk flowers for a funeral?

We are thinking of making our own arrangement with silks for the casket spray. Just wondering if we risk seeming tacky.

Is it taboo to have silk flowers for a funeral?
I am so sorry to hear that you have to be thinking about this.





I have seen silks used for the casket spray, but I am sorry to report that when I have seen them, I have heard nothing but negative comments, and the general consensus seems to be that they are in very poor taste. I think part of that perception in people comes from the fact that silks are meant to be reused, and people think it%26#039;s disrespectful to reuse the flowers meant to show a final tribute to a loved one.





The casket spray is traditionally, at least where I am from, buried with the casket. Many times, mourners in the immediate family will take flowers from it as they are leaving, as most don%26#039;t stay to see the actual burial.





May I offer a suggestion? To get very good silks that look real, you are going to have to spend at least $2-3 dollars each. You can get real flowers for less than that. I know that casket sprays cost a ridiculous amount of money--I recently found out that the flower shop my family frequents for all funeral flowers charges between $250 and $300 for a funeral spray, which usually has 3-4 dozen flowers, plus greenery and a ribbon. You can probably get long stemmed roses, or some other kind of flower, if roses aren%26#039;t what you want, for less than you would pay for silks. For example, the Costco near us has beautiful roses for $10-$15 a dozen, depending on stem length and country of origin. You don%26#039;t need all long stems to make a spray. You need about half long stems, and half shorter. If you go to a florist, you can buy the greenery, or you can buy a potted plant, such as a really lush fern, and get the greenery there. A fabric store will have the ribbon, and you can write on the ribbon the way they used to do it in the old days, with a fabric marker. As I am sitting here totalling up numbers in my head, I am guessing you can make a really beautiful spray for well under $80.





I have been to several funerals where the family did the flowers themselves. One spray was an very large bunch of wildflowers. The grandchildren picked them for their grandma%26#039;s casket, and then one of the daughters arranged them. She got a puffy fabric pain marker, and wrote %26quot;Grandma%26quot; on the ribbon, and it was really beautiful.





Ultimately, the decision is up to you and your family. I have told you what I have seen and heard, but I can honestly tell you as well that I would not think silks are tacky, and I would actually find it beautiful to think that a family made the spray themselves.





I wish you the best in whatever you decide, and again, I am very sorry for your loss.
Reply:i used to work in a floral shop,,,,lots of people use silk flowers for a funeral, sorry this is something you need to do. best wishes to you
Reply:Tacky!
Reply:id say tacky, real ones will be prettier
Reply:It would be very tacky. No matter how well they%26#039;re made, they ALWAYS look like silk flowers. Besides, after you%26#039;re done what are you going to do with them? Save them to go cheap on the next funeral? Most cemeteries do not allow silk flower placements.
Reply:You can do whatever you want.
Reply:i%26#039;d say yes. people usually dont want to keep such things around. go with either real ones or send a basket of fruit or something. i never send flowers anymore because they are usually a waste of money IMHO
Reply:Yes. The casket spray is representative of the family and is buried with the casket.
Reply:Silk flowers would definitely be in poor taste. There are just no instances where silk flowers are an acceptable substitute for the real thing. Sorry.



White Teeth