For decades, sending flowers has been an incredibly popular way to show love, admiration, gratitude, and respect. Flowers are associated with many holidays and events, and for good reason – they’re visually beautiful, they smell amazing, and they can liven up almost any space for weeks.
What are the best reasons to send flowers? And how can you make the biggest impact with your gift?
The Best Reasons to Send Flowers
These are some of the most common and most powerful motivators for sending flowers:
1. A holiday. One of the most common reasons for sending flowers is a holiday celebration. Flowers are perhaps most closely associated with Valentine’s Day, but it’s also common to send flowers on Mother’s Day, Grandparents’ Day, and even mainstream holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a way to acknowledge the holiday and let the special people in your life know just how special they are.
2. A birthday. Similarly, it’s common to send flowers to a person on their birthday. This is an opportunity to give individual acknowledgment to a person you care deeply about. It’s also the perfect chance to choose a selection of flowers you know they’re going to love; instead of going with a traditional flower for an occasion, like roses on Valentine’s Day, you can build a unique bouquet full of flowers that individually interest your recipient.
3. A gesture of love/affection. Though anyone can send flowers to anyone else, the most common senders and recipients of flowers are lovers or romantic interests. You can send flowers as a gesture of love and affection to your spouse of 50 years or as an attempt to woo a new crush you only met recently. In this capacity, flowers are timeless and highly useful – and if sent wisely, they could land you a date or help you deepen your bond with your partner.
4. An apology. Some people send flowers as a way of apologizing In fact, some flowers symbolize regret and repentance, making them perfect as an apology bouquet. If you recently screwed things up with your partner, or if you made an egregious mistake, flowers and a sincere apology could make it better.
5. An expression of condolences. It’s common to see flowers at funerals, and it’s common to send flowers to people who are grieving. Flowers are a small, but very powerful expression of condolences that can make these difficult times a bit more palatable.
6. Support for good health. People also like to send flowers as a gesture of support for good health. Flowers themselves don’t typically have strong healing qualities, but they can help someone feel much better – and feel the strength of your support – in a hospital or recovery room.
7. Celebration. If there’s a reason to celebrate, there’s probably a reason to send flowers. Some people like to send bouquets of flowers to people who have recently achieved some kind of success, like winning a competition or accomplishing a personal goal.
8. A random surprise. Of course, sometimes people give flowers for no real reason at all. It’s meant to be a random surprise that shakes up the routine and forms a new memory.
How to Make Your Flowers More Impressive
What steps can you take to make your flowers even more impressive to your recipient?
· Read reviews. Before choosing a florist or a delivery service, make sure you read the reviews. Not all services are worth the money, and not all services prioritize quality.
· Understand etiquette and symbolism. Flower etiquette changes over time, though many principles are timeless. Make sure you understand the potential symbolism of the flowers you send before you send them.
· Work with your florist. Talk to your florist and get some recommendations. Florists are professionals, so they’ll be able to guide you on making the best decision for your specific needs.
· Do something unique. Following tradition can be a good thing, and it’s certainly safe, but you can make a bigger and more memorable impression if you do something unique. Don’t be afraid to break some of the rules.
· Write a custom message. Whenever possible, include a custom message with the flowers you send. Express your sincere thoughts and feelings.
· Order in advance. Always order far in advance when you can; unpunctual orders, especially around busy holidays, could arrive late.
Throughout your life, you’ll have many good reasons to send flowers to the people you care about. You can also send flowers even if you don’t have a good reason, if you just want to make someone smile. In any case, flowers remain one of the best surprise gifts that you can send another person – and there are so many options available, there’s a perfect bouquet for almost any occasion.
