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'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'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'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'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's casket, and then one of the daughters arranged them. She got a puffy fabric pain marker, and wrote "Grandma" 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're made, they ALWAYS look like silk flowers. Besides, after you'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'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