Sending flowers to a funeral home is simpler than it feels, but it does depend on getting a few details right. The arrangement needs to reach the right venue, before the right time, in a form that suits a service. Here is how to do it, step by step.

Step 1: Confirm the funeral home name and address

This is the detail people most often get wrong. Funeral homes in New York City can have similar names and multiple locations. Get the exact name and street address — usually from the obituary, the funeral home's website, or the family. If you are sending to a church for a Funeral Mass instead, confirm the church name and address the same way.

Step 2: Get the date and time of the service

Flowers should arrive before the family and guests do. You need the date of the wake or service and, ideally, the time it begins. A florist will use this to schedule delivery so the arrangement is in place beforehand. If a viewing runs across two days, the first session is the time that matters.

Step 3: Decide what to send

Funeral homes display formal pieces. The main options are:

Standing sprays — large one-sided arrangements on an easel, designed to be seen from across a room. Sent by extended family, friends, and colleagues.

Wreaths — circular arrangements, a traditional symbol of eternal life.

Casket sprays — the arrangement that rests on the casket, traditionally chosen by the immediate family.

If you are not immediate family, a standing spray or wreath is the usual choice. Browse options in our funeral service flowers collection. White arrangements are always appropriate — see white sympathy flowers.

Step 4: Write the card message

The card should be short and sincere, and it should identify who the flowers are from — the family will want to know, and they may be reading many cards. "With deepest sympathy, the Bennett family" is enough. For more wording, see our sympathy card message library.

Step 5: Place the order and confirm timing

When you order, give the florist the funeral home name and address, the service date and time, and your card message. A good florist will confirm the arrangement can arrive before the service. If the service is the same day, check the cutoff — at Alaric Sympathy, same-day delivery across Manhattan is available when you order by 2pm ET.

A note on common mistakes

Two errors are worth avoiding. The first is sending flowers to the family's home when you meant the funeral home, or the reverse — confirm which you intend. The second is leaving it too late: if the service is tomorrow morning, order today. When in doubt, call.

How Alaric Sympathy handles funeral home delivery

We hand-design every arrangement in Manhattan and deliver to funeral homes and churches across the city, timed to arrive before the service. We know many NYC funeral homes by name — our funeral homes we serve page lists venues we deliver to regularly. If you have the venue and service time, call us at (212) 308-3794 and we will take care of the timing.

Frequently asked questions

What information do I need to send flowers to a funeral home?

The exact funeral home name and address, the date and time of the service, your choice of arrangement, and a card message that says who the flowers are from.

When should funeral flowers arrive?

Before the wake or service begins, so they are in place when family and guests arrive. A florist schedules delivery against the service time.

What should I send if I am not immediate family?

A standing spray or a wreath. Casket sprays — the arrangement on the casket — are traditionally chosen by the immediate family.

Can I send funeral flowers the same day in NYC?

Yes, across Manhattan when you order by 2pm ET. Call (212) 308-3794 with the funeral home and service time so delivery is timed correctly.