Thank You Note for Funeral Flowers

What to Write

Funerals are often filled with flowers, given by caring people who want to show sympathy at your time of loss. When writing a thank you note for funeral flowers, keep in mind the following guidelines:

• Your words of appreciation do not have to be long.
• A simple note with a few lines is fine.
• Send the note within two to three weeks after the gift was received.

In your message, you can include:

• Gratitude for attending the funeral
• Thankfulness for the lovely flowers
• Meaningful words about the deceased

No Perfect Note

Keep in mind that while you may want to write the perfect thank you note, you may never lift a pen to write anything if your expectations are too high. Don't aim for perfection. You are grieving the loss of a loved one, and people don't expect you to come up with the most well-versed lines. Remember that it is better to write a few lines than to write nothing at all.

The Type of Note Card

If you are using the services of a funeral home, the funeral director will provide you with some thank you cards. These will be on card stock, and will hold a formal look. You can make the decision whether or not these cards suit you for sending. If not, you can always purchase some blank note cards. These can have a picture or floral drawing on the front and space to write a note on the inside.

Examples of Notes

Your relationship with the giver of the flowers will determine how formal or informal your salutation in your message will be:

"Dear Sally,

Thank you so much for coming to Bill's funeral.

The flowers you sent were beautiful and meant a lot

to me. I have them on my mantle and whenever I

view them, I think of our friendship.

I miss Bill immensely and am glad I can count on

you to help me through this difficult time.

Thanks for being such a good friend.

With appreciation,

Jennifer"

Or, for a more formal relationship, the following will be acceptable:

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson,

Thank you for your kindness in sending flowers to the

funeral home for my mother's funeral. The arrangement

was beautiful and held so many of the flowers mother

enjoyed.

Gratefully,

Clare"

Addressing the Note

Now you have written the thank you note for funeral flowers and you are ready to send it. Place the card in a matching envelope. If the card was from a family, address it accordingly. For an example, if Mr. and Mrs. Smith signed your card and included the names of their three children, be sure to address all names that were listed on the card. For a family, you can write Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Family on the envelope. If five people's names are on the card that came with the flowers, thank each of them, mentioning them by name. These might be colleagues who have joined together to purchase an arrangement of flowers. Make sure you include all of their names on both the inside of the card and when addressing the envelope.

Take Care of Yourself

Don't let the note writing take too much of your time. If you have a number of cards to write, plan to send two or three a day. Give yourself plenty of breaks. You have just lost a special person in your life, and no doubt, your emotions will be raw. Surround yourself with friends and family who will support you as you take care of the many tasks in front of you.