A Complete Guide to Selecting the Right Flowers for Each Special Occasion

flowers for all occasions

You’ve just received a heartfelt card or a box of chocolates. Sweet. But did you know that receiving flowers can make you feel beautiful, cared for, and loved on a whole new level? Research shows that flowers have more power to trigger happy emotions and heighten a person’s feelings of satisfaction compared with other gifts, like candles or fruit baskets. This is partly because flowers are natural stress relievers.

The question is, how do you say what you need to say using the right flowers for every occasion?

Here’s a rundown on how to choose flowers for all occasions so that you never buy the wrong bouquet again.

Let’s jump in!

Valentine’s Day

Giving a significant other flowers on Valentine’s Day is a traditional way to express your love and affection toward them, and red roses have long taken center stage.

Why? Because red roses express pure love and passion on a day when all things are painted red in restaurants and on the street.

But not all Valentine’s Day roses have to be red. White, yellow, and pink roses can also be the perfect complement to red hearts on Valentine’s Day.

White roses symbolize chaste love, while yellow roses express friendship. Pink roses are a great way to show your beau or another important person in your life how much you admire them.

Coral roses are another wonderful Valentine’s Day choice, as they symbolize desire. You can also fill the heart of your new significant other with love by gifting them primroses, which symbolize new love or new beginnings.

Birthday Flowers

Looking to make someone feel special on the day they celebrate just once a year? Give their birthday a personal emotional touch with the right bouquet.

The most ideal flowers for birthdays include geraniums, which are a sign of comfort and true friendship. Your friend or loved one may also appreciate receiving pink carnations, which symbolize gratitude.

Forget-me-not flowers are another thoughtful floral option, as they’ll relay the message that you’ll never forget the birthday girl or birthday boy. In turn, you can expect your gift recipient to never forget you, either.

Jasmine can also make a great birthday flower choice due to representing grace and elegance.

Finally, consider gifting your loved one red chrysanthemums to show them that you love them.

Sympathy Flowers

Has a friend or co-worker recently lost a loved one? Consider sending a heartwarming floral arrangement to them that they can use in their funeral arrangements.

You can set up these types of flower arrangements in various ways, ranging from funeral baskets to standing sprays. The recipient could even use your flower arrangement in a shape like a wreath, cross, or heart.

A wide range of flowers can suit a sympathy and funeral occasion, including orchids, which symbolize eternal love. You can also give a friend pink carnations in remembrance of their deceased loved one.

Lilies are another smart sympathy flower choice, as they express the idea of restoring innocence to a deceased person’s departed soul.

Want to show respect, love, and admiration for a deceased person? Send their surviving loved ones red roses or red carnations.

White roses and crimson roses can also be a beautiful addition to a funeral. They demonstrate reverence and grief, respectively.

Alternatively, feel free to send chrysanthemums to honor the deceased person’s life. Gladioli flowers are another excellent choice for showing how much you respect the deceased person’s moral integrity, strength of character, and sincerity.

Newborn Flowers

If you have a newborn baby in your life, celebrate this new bundle of joy by giving the new mom and dad a beautiful floral bouquet.

Flowers are a great way to make new parents’ chaotic atmosphere more soothing and beautiful. For this reason, the best flower choices are those that aren’t too flashy. Instead, stick with yellow, pink, blue, or white pastel shades.

You may also want to choose the floral color that best matches the newborn baby’s gender. For instance, consider selecting flowers that are pink for girls or blue for boys.

Pink flowers like gerbera, carnations, and lilies are generally great selections. Meanwhile, blue flowers may range from roses to hydrangeas.

Got twins? Try creating a mixed bouquet.

Alternatively, you can create a completely white bouquet if you’re searching for a gender-neutral floral option. Some of the most popular white flower options for newborn babies include hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and daisies.

You can also choose sunflowers if you’re looking for a beautiful floral option for either a boy or a girl.

Engagement Flowers

Planning to pop the question? There’s no question that flowers will make your engagement venue that much more impressive and romantic.

When choosing flowers for an engagement event, consider gerberas, sunflowers, pink or red roses, or orchids. Other top options for beautifying the venue and showing your future spouse how much you adore them include chrysanthemums and tulips.

Let’s say you’re interested in congratulating a loved one on their engagement. Sending white roses is generally the best move. However, white carnations, Asiatic lilies, or daisies can also show the future newlywed couple how happy you are for them.

Flowers for Wishing a Sick Person Well

Perhaps someone close to you is sick or recovering from surgery. Vibrant and fresh flowers are a welcome way to wish someone well when they’re going through these types of troubled times.

A flower bouquet is especially handy for lifting a sick person’s spirits when they’re in the hospital, as the bouquet will brighten up the hospital’s mundane environment.

The best flower bouquets will feature flowers that will remain fresh for the longest time The flowers should also require minimal maintenance and care.

The flowers that tick both boxes include hydrangeas, lilies, chrysanthemums, orchids, and sunflowers. Just make certain that the recipient of your flowers isn’t allergic to the variety you plan to send them first.

Prom Night Flowers

Getting ready for your junior or senior prom? You’ve likely already gotten your makeup, shoes, and dress lined up for the big night. Add the finishing touch to your wardrobe for this significant milestone event with the right corsage or boutonniere.

Because you’ll be wearing these flowers for an extended, try to choose sturdy flowers versus delicate ones. For a boutonniere, roses are ideal. Meanwhile, gerberas, lilies, orchids, and roses of all colors can work well for a corsage.

Wedding Flowers

Planning for the big day? Your floral choice is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as you prepare to walk down the aisle.

Your flowers will need to match your wedding venue decor, style, and theme. However, in general, some of the most beautiful floral arrangements for a wedding include peonies, which represent good fortune, prosperity, and a happy marriage. They also include hydrangeas, which symbolize perseverance and heartfelt emotion.

Other popular wedding flower arrangements include gardenias and amaryllis, which represent joy and love, respectively. If you’re looking to add an elegant and regal touch to your wedding venue, consider decking the halls with calla lilies instead.

Christmas Flowers

Speaking of decking the halls, consider adorning your halls with boughs of holly if you’re decorating for the Christmas season. Holly is a symbol of everlasting life.

Another excellent floral option for your home decor or a gift for family members and friends is narcissus, which symbolizes rebirth and renewal.

Interested in showing your adoration for Jesus Christ this Christmas? Choose the red poinsettia, which represents his blood. The shape of the poinsettia also pays homage to the famous Bethlehem star that took the wise men to the newborn king.

You can also display the ideals of modesty and purity with a winter jasmine floral bouquet.

Mother’s Day Flowers

Finally, show Mom how special she is by surprising her with some daylilies or dwarf sunflowers. You can also show her how much you appreciate her motherly care with some white lilacs, which represent childhood joy and innocence.

Red tulips are another way to declare to your mom your love for her. Gerbera daisies or yellow tulips will also instantly add some cheer and sunshine to her day.

How We Can Help with Choosing Flowers for All Occasions

If you’re interested in impressing your partner on Valentine’s Day, you can’t go wrong with red or even pink roses. Meanwhile, daylilies are perfect for showing Mom love on Mother’s Day. And winter jasmine couldn’t be more fitting to celebrate Christmas.

At Flower Marketplace, we’re a proud provider of flowers for all occasions. Whether you’re interested in buying flowers for a wedding or to show sympathy to a co-worker, we have you covered.

Get in touch with us to learn more about our flowers for special occasions, and order today!