Believe it or not, there are rules of etiquette as to when it’s acceptable to send flowers. You might think that any special occasion is a good time to send flowers, but this is not always the case. Also, when you send flowers, you want to make sure that the flowers you’ve purchased are appropriate for the situation.
In truth, it is perfectly fine to send flowers for most holidays. Valentine’s Day instantly comes to mind, but don’t forget that there are plenty of other great opportunities. Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and birthdays are all great times to send flowers. Some florists offer patriotic arrangements if you wanted to send flowers on Memorial Day or Independence Day. Birthdays, weddings and funerals can all be appropriate times to send flowers. Just keep in mind that there’s never a time that you’re required to send flowers as opposed to other gifts. Flowers can also augment other gifts if you’d like to send flowers with a card, or another present.
If you do plan to send flowers, make sure they’re appropriate for the occasion. Generally speaking, exclusively red flowers are only appropriate to send to romantic interests. This is especially the case for roses. You can certainly give the wrong impression if you decide to send flowers to your boss to suck up for a promotion and you give her a dozen red roses. If you want to send flowers to your mom for Mother’s Day, or to your grandma for Grandparents’ Day, white flowers are always a great choice. Also, if you want to send flowers to someone who has recently lost a loved one, you’ll want to avoid bouquets. Most florists have arrangements that are specifically tailored for all sorts of special occasions.
There are other cultural factors to be aware of if you want to send flowers. In many Asian countries, the color white often symbolizes death. For that reason, an all-white flower assortment, even for a funeral, can be considered offensive. Likewise, if you send flowers to a Western funeral, it is considered bad taste to select black flowers. In general, Muslims do not send flowers for funerals, so you are not obligated to do so if a Muslim friend has a death in the family. Given gender roles, it is usually customary to send flowers to females instead of males. This is not always the case, but it can be a good rule to follow.