Five Ways to Repurpose Funeral Flowers into Meaningful Keepsakes

Posted by: Erin Ward in Grief and Guidance, Memorialization | July 8, 2021

Not sure what to do with your loved one’s funeral flowers? Repurpose them into a meaningful memorial keepsake! This way, you can enjoy the flowers long after the funeral service is over.

There are several ways to dry flowers to make a memento. However, the method you choose may depend on what keepsake you want to make, so pick your keepsake first. Then, choose an appropriate flower preservation method to go with it.

We’ll go over five keepsake ideas below!

1. Framed-Pressed Funeral Flowers

Framed-pressed flowers are super easy to create and make for beautiful displays in your home! My family made these with individual flower petals, which meant we could give them to multiple family members. We simply placed the flattened petal in the frame along with a decorative piece of paper for the background. You also could add your loved one’s name or anything else to personalize it.

There are several ways that you can flatten your flowers. Of course, some flower types may flatten better than others depending on their shape and size. For my family’s keepsakes, we flattened individual rose petals in between wax paper in a book for about one week.

2. Dried Flower Shadowbox

A dried flower shadowbox allows for a lot of creativity on your part! Along with the dried flowers, you can add any other memorabilia that reminds you of your loved one. A few ideas are photos, a poem or quote, small trinkets, and anything else that represents your loved one. You can make it even more customized by adding their name and favorite colors or patterns.

There are many ways that you can dry your flowers, from hanging them upside down or leaving them in a vase to using a drying agent like silica gel or cat litter. Check out this wikiHow article to see the steps.

3. Dried Flower Ornament

Another keepsake that you can make with your dried flowers is an ornament. You can hang it in a prime spot on the tree every year, or you could display it year-round. To make one, simply place your dried flowers in a clear ornament with a removable lid. You could add other things to it as well, such as glitter or ribbon. There’s no right or wrong way to decorate it, so don’t be afraid to make it your own!

4. Memorial Candle

When your day feels dark and gray, you can light a candle to bring you some warmth and comfort. The act of lighting a candle can help you feel closer to your loved one. And by using your loved one’s funeral flowers, you can make it a truly personalized memento.

There are many instructions out there on how to press dried flowers onto a candle. Depending on how much time and supplies you want to invest in it, some are easier and less time-consuming than others. These steps from Instructables say that the process only takes 10 minutes.

5. Dried Flower Potpourri

When grieving the loss of a loved one, don’t underestimate the power of the five senses. For example, certain smells can affect your overall mood. By smelling a scent that brings you comfort or reminds you of your loved one, it can help you grieve your loss.

One way to appeal to smell is to create dried flower potpourri. To give the flowers a meaningful scent, you could use your loved one’s favorite fruits, spices, herbs, or an essential oil with one of their favorite smells. Check out this Pop Sugar article for steps on how to make potpourri.

How have you repurposed funeral flowers? Share your memorial keepsake suggestions in the comments!