How to Make a Large Floral Arrangement for a Casket

Buy a large casket saddle. This is the container that will hold the display. It is shaped to sit on a casket and contains a tray into which the floral foam fits.

Use a sharp knife to cut the floral foam to fit inside of the casket saddle and position it securely in the saddle. Casket saddles have a basin for the foam. Cut the foam so the top stands 1 inch above the saddle. Ensure that you use floral foam designed to hold water for fresh flowers. Dry floral foam is also available for use with silk or dry flowers.

Add water to the floral foam with a watering can. Keep adding water until the foam can't soak up any more.

Select the flowers to be used in your casket spray. White is a common color used in funeral floral arrangements; consider using white roses and lilies. You can also choose to use the favorite flower of the deceased or seasonal blooms. Make sure that the flowers you select have long stems so that they can extend around the casket. Also select small flowers to act as fillers and greenery. Baby's breath is a commonly used filler while ferns and grasses work well as greenery.

Arrange the flowers in the foam. Cut off the tips of the flowers' stems at an angle with a sharp knife and insert a layer of flowers into the bottom edge of the foam, fanning them around the casket saddle. Allow the bottom flowers to angle downward slightly.

Add the next layer of flowers once the first row of flowers has been inserted into the foam. For each layer, cut the stems slightly shorter so that the floral arrangement assumes a rounded look. Hold each flower up to the arrangement before cutting it so that you can judge how long to cut it. The flowers will cover all of the flower foam so it has a rounded shape, like half a dome. The casket saddle will be completely covered and the long flowers on the bottom will hang out over the casket while the shorter ones on the side and top will finish the dome shape. Use large, main flowers to create the body of the arrangement, filling in any gaps with filler flowers.

Accent the display with the filler flowers and greenery. Arrange long grasses around the display's bottom so that they drape gracefully around the casket. Fill in any empty or bare spots with small flowers or add a touch of color with the greenery and colored flowers.

Water the casket saddle to ensure that the flowers remain fresh, and place the arrangement in a cool space until it is needed.