Unusual Funeral Flower Tributes: Creative Ways to Say Goodbye

Unusual funeral flowers typically focus on personalisation, symbolism, colour, form and sustainability rather than the standard white lilies and roses, allowing the tribute to feel more like a portrait of the person than a generic arrangement. They can range from bold colour palettes and exotic blooms to hobby‑shaped designs, planted tributes and keepsake concepts that live on long after the service.

What makes funeral flowers “unusual”

Unusual funeral flowers depart from traditional whites and pastels, common forms (wreaths, sprays, posies) and standard blooms like lilies, chrysanthemums, roses and carnations. Instead, they emphasise individuality through unexpected flowers, colour, structure, containers, and themes that reflect the deceased’s personality, passions or values.

Main Differentiators:

• Personality and Individuality: To honor the deceased’s specific hobbies, favorite colors, career, or unique character.
• Creating a Celebration: To set a lighter, more uplifting, or joyful atmosphere rather than one solely focused on sorrow.
• Cultural and Religious Considerations: Some cultures, like certain Asian and Jewish traditions, have specific requirements or prohibitions (e.g., avoiding red in some Asian cultures or flowers entirely in a Jewish Shiva).
• Sustainability/Eco-Consciousness: A growing desire for biodegradable, foam-free, or lasting tributes.

Examples of Unusual Funeral Flowers and Meanings

Flower	Common Colors Used	Unusual Symbolic Meaning at Funerals
Sunflowers	Yellow, Orange	Happiness, warmth, worship, and longevity; representing a bright and vibrant personality.
Protea	Pink, White, Red	Courage, diversity, strength, and change. Excellent for honoring a brave or adventurous life.
Bird of Paradise	Orange, Blue	Joy, magnificent splendor, and anticipation, often used for those who loved travel or the tropics.
Delphinium	True Blue, Purple	Lightness, “all things heavenly,” and remembrance. The true-blue color is highly valued.
Peonies	Pink, White, Red	Good fortune and prosperity; an especially beautiful choice for a tribute of appreciation.
Sweet Peas	Various Pastels	Departure and a delicate “goodbye.” Appropriate for conveying fond memories.
Wildflowers	Mixed	Nature-loving, freedom, and a return to nature. Often used in rustic or eco-friendly tributes.
Poppies	Red, White, Purple	Consolation and remembrance (especially red poppies for military commemoration).
Forget-Me-Nots	Blue	Remembrance and enduring love; a literal expression of “I will never forget you.”

Types of unusual funeral flowers

Common directions for “unusual” tributes include:

• Bright and Colourful Designs: Using sunflowers, gerberas, tropicals or bold mixed colours to create a celebratory, uplifting feel rather than a purely somber tone.​
• Exotic and Contemporary Blooms: Less-used flowers such as orchids, protea, anthurium, birds of paradise or unusual foliage create a design‑led look.​
• Dried and Preserved Florals: Offer an artistic, textural aesthetic and can be kept or repurposed as long-term keepsakes.​
• Living Plants or Trees: Presented as tributes, offering something that grows on as a living memorial.​​

Symbolism and flower meanings

Even unusual choices still carry or borrow symbolism from wider floral language.

• Orchids are associated with enduring love, beauty, strength and “returning to nature”, making them powerful in modern or exotic tributes.​
• Gladioli suggest integrity, character and sincerity and can be striking in tall, graphic arrangements.​
• Carnations, particularly in less expected colours or mixed into bold designs, add symbolism of lasting love, remembrance and gratitude.​

Playing with colour can also make familiar flowers feel unusual: deep reds for passion and devotion, soft pastels for gentleness and nurturing, or unexpected combinations that match a sports team, favourite outfit or brand palette.​

Design formats and shapes

Unusual funeral work often stands out more for its form than for specific flower types.

• Themed and sculpted tributes: florists regularly build footballs, shirts, boxing gloves, dartboards, animals, handbags, beer cans and similar forms entirely from flowers to reflect hobbies, careers or quirks.​
• Custom lettering and symbols: names, nicknames, monograms, hearts, angel wings, stars, butterflies or bespoke emblems can create high‑impact focal pieces.​

Arrangements may also use unconventional mechanics (e.g. shadow‑box frames, mixed‑media bases, reclaimed wood) to create a more artistic or contemporary feel while still reading clearly as floral tributes.​

Creative & Personalized Floral Tributes

The shape and design of the floral arrangement can be the most unusual and meaningful aspect. These are typically chosen by immediate family to represent a deep personal connection:

• Hobby-Themed Shapes: Instead of a traditional wreath, florists can create arrangements shaped like:
  • A guitar, musical note, or vinyl record for a musician.
  • A football, golf club, or cricket bat for a sports fan.
  • A car, garden trowel, or fishing rod.
  • Favorite Pets or animals.
• Custom Color Schemes: Using the colors of a favorite sports team, university, or national flag.
• Natural/Garden-Style: Arrangements that look like they were just picked from a field, featuring eucalyptus, thistles, and greenery for a rustic, modern look.
• Edible Arrangements: Including herbs, fruits, or vegetables—an ideal tribute for a keen gardener or someone who loved to cook.

Personalisation by relationship

Florists often tailor unusual tributes to the relationship between the mourner and the deceased.

• For mothers or grandmothers, designs might lean into soft garden styles, favourite cottage‑garden flowers, or objects like teacups and knitting themes rendered in flowers.​
• For siblings, friends or younger people, more vibrant, playful arrangements with bold colours, stars, butterflies or hobby‑linked motifs can feel more authentic.​

This relationship‑based personalisation bridges traditional funeral expectations with more individual aesthetics, helping designs feel both appropriate and unique.​

Eco, cultural and modern angles

A growing area of “unusual” is value‑driven design:

• Eco‑friendly tributes: biodegradable wreath bases, locally grown or seasonal flowers, minimal plastic, and designs that can compost or be planted after the service.​
• Living plantings or trees that can be placed in a garden, memorial woodland or community space to create ongoing remembrance.​
• Culturally specific or faith‑sensitive designs that adapt colour and form to local customs while still using distinctive flowers and structures.​

These approaches allow families to reflect environmental values or cultural identity without defaulting to the standard “funeral look”.​

Etiquette and boundaries

Even with unusual designs, some considerations remain important:

• Check the family’s wishes, venue rules and cultural expectations, especially regarding colour, religious symbols and size.​
• If sending as a friend or colleague, it is often safer to choose personalised yet respectful designs (e.g. a favourite colour palette or subtle motif) rather than very bold sculpted pieces unless requested by the family.​

A specialist approach balances creativity with respect, ensuring the tribute feels like a warm, accurate reflection of the person, not a distraction in the ceremony context.​

Keepsakes and after‑use

Unusual funeral flowers often consider what happens after the service.

• Dried‑flower keepsakes such as shadow boxes, framed collages, bookmarks, memory jars or potpourri can transform parts of the tribute into long‑term mementos.​
• Flowers from distinctive arrangements can be pressed or preserved and shared among family members as small tokens, extending the emotional value of an already highly personalised tribute.​

Non-Floral Tributes and Donations

Sometimes the family will request “no flowers,” which leads to the most important “unusual” alternatives:

• Charitable Donation: Donating to a cause or charity that was important to the deceased, often requested in the funeral notice.
• Memory Books/Collages: Mourners bring photos or write down shared memories for a collective keepsake.
• Practical Support: Gifting vouchers for meal delivery, cleaning services, or offering time to help the grieving family.
• Personal Items: Placing non-floral personal objects on the coffin or at the service, such as a favorite hat, scarf, book, or small memento.
• Take-Aways: Guests are given something to take home in remembrance, such as wildflower seeds, a small candle, or a packet of their loved one’s favorite sweets.

Unusual funeral flowers are not about being different for difference’s sake. They are a profound form of storytelling. They move away from a standardized language of grief and toward a personalized dialect of love, memory, and honor. 

>The most successful “unusual” arrangement is one that makes guests go through tears and say, “That was so perfect for them.”