Guide to Choosing Flowers for Any Occasion

Thinking about gifting flowers for a significant occasion coming up? If you’re unsure about what to choose, here is an extensive guide to help you.

Best Flowers for Events

Flowers are extremely versatile and are well-known for improving someone’s mood, so there’s nothing better than giving and receiving them, no matter what the event.

Celebratory Events

One of the best ways to celebrate and congratulate is with a bouquet of flowers. Sometimes the recipient’s preferences and the time of year will influence your choice, but here is a guide to some of the most common celebrations and what flowers to pick.

Anniversaries

There are a couple of rules to follow when it comes to relationship anniversaries. You should always avoid yellow flowers during this romantic celebration as this colour represents friendship. Opt for pink or red roses instead which are a failsafe way to express love and passion.

There are specific flowers for specific milestones which are:

• 1 year – Carnations
• 5 years – Daisy
• 10 years – Daffodil
• 15 years – Rose
• 20 years – Aster
• 25 years – Iris
• 30 years – Lily
• 40 years – Gladiola
• 50 years – Yellow Roses & Violets

If you are interested in why these flowers are significant for each anniversary, read our blog article on it here.

Birthdays

In addition to specific anniversary flowers, there are also specific flowers for each birthday month of the year which you can use as a foundation for your choice of gift.

• January – Carnation
• February – Iris
• March – Daffodil
• April – Daisy
• May – Lily
• June – Rose
• July – Delphinium
• August – Gladioli
• September – Aster
• October – Marigold
• November – Chrysanthemum
• December – Poinsettia

In contrast to the anniversary rule, yellow is definitely a good choice is you are celebrating a friend’s birthday as it symbolises friendship, optimism and joy. If you are interested in why these flowers are significant for each month, read our blog article on it here.

New Baby

Flowers are a great gift to celebrate new life and for welcoming a new baby into the world as they represent new life itself. When it comes to choosing the colour of the bouquet, it is a good idea to stick to the stereotypical gender colours.

So, blues, purples and greens for a boy, and pinks, reds and creams for a girl. If you are sending flowers to the hospital, you should choose a species that has little-to-no scent. Otherwise, large roses are one of the best blooms to choose along with other smaller buds to complement them.

Engagement

An engagement is definitely time for a celebration which means that flowers are the ideal gift for the special couple. One of the best ways to decide which blooms to choose is to picks ones that match the couple’s personality or to follow the theme of a white wedding.

If they’re quite flamboyant and a pair of extroverts, choose a big, bright bouquet full of lilies or large roses. If they’re quieter and maybe a bit shy, choose more delicate buds in paler shades.

Seasonal Events

If you’re struggling to decide what to gift for seasonal events, there is no better gift than a bunch of flowers. There are certain species and colours that are better suited to different occasions, such as the following: 

Christmas

Although you wouldn’t necessarily call flowers festive, this is the seasons where flowers are given as gifts the most. You probably know that the festive colours are red, green and metallics so these are the tones you should opt for. To go along with this, the three most popular Christmas flowers are poinsettia, amaryllis and paperwhites; they symbolise good cheer and success.

Mother’s Day

A safe bet for a Mother’s Day gift is a big bunch of flowers, you can’t go wrong! Make sure she feels loved and cherished by choosing pink and red carnations, along with similar coloured roses and chrysanthemums. Keep note of her favourite flowers and ensure these are included in your bouquet too.

Valentine’s Day

This is probably a no-brainer for most people out there, especially the old romantics, but the best choice for Valentine’s Day are obviously classic red roses. This could be a singular stem or a big bunch of them and you could also incorporate some pink ones in there as well. Similar to anniversaries, avoid yellow roses at all costs because they represent friendship and disappointment, the opposite to love and passion.

Easter

Springtime is best known for introducing new life and Easter is part of this season. So, what’s better than celebrating this time of year with beautiful blooms? Daffodils are the most obvious choice as they bloom during spring and hold the colours of yellow and white which represent life and purity.

Sombre Events

Unfortunately, sombre events are inevitable for everyone. These occasions are very likely to appreciate the gift of blooms; flowers aren’t only suited for celebrating, but to also express emotion and sentiment.

Funerals

Usually sent straight to the funeral home, a bouquet of flowers can mean a lot to the deceased’s family. Large and formal arrangements filled with flowers such as lilies and roses are the best choice for this type of occasion.

The colours you choose can have an impact on the meaning too; peace, humility and calmness can be expressed through cool shades of blue, white and green. If you are celebrating a life, orange and red are the best choice as they symbolise energy and passion.

Get Well Soon

If you know someone that is unwell, flowers are a great gesture to cheer them up and help them feel better. Depending on whether they are at home or they are in the hospital, the choice of flowers will be different.

You should choose flowers that are not highly fragrant if they are in the hospital which means sunflowers, tulips, irises and gladioli are your best options. All of these come in a wide range of colours so will lift their spirits with their vibrant tones. If the recipient is at home, house plants that are luscious and green will encourage health and well-being,

Sorry

An apology goes a long way, especially if it is accompanied with a bunch of flowers. If you can’t think of the recipient’s favourite colour or flowers, your best bet is to go for white or yellow blooms. Yellow is well known for representing friendship and white symbolises peace and forgiveness. Here's an article that goes into more depth.

Long-lasting Flowers at the Magic Flower Company

If you want a celebration to last longer or you want your recipient to be reminded of your gesture for months to come, choose from our long-lasting flowers and arrangements that will last up to a year!