Sending flowers across the ocean might seem daunting at first, but with the right know-how, you can make sure your heartfelt tribute arrives looking fresh and beautiful. When you can't be at a memorial service in Hawaii, a carefully preserved lei is a meaningful way to share your aloha and honor the memory of a loved one.
Fresh Hawaiian lei need special attention when being shipped. These delicate arrangements feature tropical flowers that thrive on the island’s humid breezes, not the dry air inside a shipping box. Knowing the six ways to ship fresh funeral lei with care helps your thoughtful gesture arrive looking just as vibrant as when it left our shop.
Choose Lei Designed for Longevity
Not all lei hold up equally well during transit. Orchid varieties, particularly dendrobium orchids, maintain their beauty far longer than more delicate blooms. Their sturdy petals resist wilting and bruising, making them ideal candidates for cross-country journeys. The Classic Orchid Lei in Purple exemplifies this resilience, offering both elegance and durability for memorial services.
Certain flowers travel better than others. Plumeria, while gorgeous and fragrant, bruises easily and turns brown at the slightest pressure. Lehua and orchid combinations provide the perfect balance of traditional Hawaiian beauty and shipping reliability, ensuring your tribute looks fresh when it reaches the service.
When choosing lei, consider how long it needs to last and the conditions it will encounter during its journey. Selecting sturdy flowers allows you to relax knowing your thoughtful gesture will arrive in its best form.
Refrigerate Immediately Upon Arrival
Temperature control becomes critical the moment your shipment arrives at its destination. Recipients should place lei in the refrigerator immediately, storing it in a slightly open plastic bag to maintain humidity without trapping excess moisture. This simple step can extend the life of lei by days.
If possible, designate a separate spot in the refrigerator to prevent lei from being crushed or accidentally damaged by other items. Remind recipients to check lei periodically to ensure it stays fresh and beautiful until the service.
Room temperature accelerates the wilting process dramatically. Even a few hours outside refrigeration can compromise the blooms, especially in warm climates. Advise recipients to refrigerate the gift right away to preserve it and maintain its beauty for the memorial service.
Select Proper Packaging Materials
Professional florists understand that packaging makes or breaks a lei shipment. Quality matters enormously here:
- Moisture-retaining materials keep blooms hydrated without drowning them.
- Sturdy boxes prevent crushing during handling.
- Ventilation holes allow air circulation while maintaining humidity.
- Tissue paper cushions individual strands without adding excessive weight.
Package your lei in a way that shows respect for both the flowers and the occasion. Using low-quality materials can result in damaged or wilted lei, but the right supplies help your lei arrive safely. We use special containers made just for tropical flowers, so they travel well and remain beautiful.
Investing in proper packaging demonstrates the care and intention behind your gift, sending a powerful message to the recipient. Thoughtful packing choices help prevent wilted flowers and ensure lei arrive at the memorial service looking vibrant and full of life.
Time Your Shipment Strategically
It's essential to consider shipping times when sending funeral lei. Overnight delivery services guarantee freshness, but timing the order correctly matters just as much as speed. Lei should arrive one to two days before the service, giving recipients time to refrigerate them properly without risking premature wilting.
Strategic planning lets you track your package so you can notify the recipient as soon as it’s delivered. This simple communication gives the recipient enough time to refrigerate the lei, preserving its freshness for the service.
Avoid shipping lei on weekends when recipients might not be home to refrigerate them immediately. Monday deliveries for Tuesday services work beautifully, as do Thursday arrivals for Friday memorials. This buffer period accounts for any unexpected delays while ensuring peak freshness.
Hydrate Before Packing
Hydrating your lei before packing is key to keeping it fresh during shipping. Give the blooms a light mist before boxing them up to ensure they have enough moisture for the journey. Some florists also use water tubes or damp paper towels around the stems to help the flowers stay hydrated while they travel.
If you’re preparing lei at home, take a moment to check for any dry spots or wilted petals and rehydrate as needed. Pack a small spray bottle with your shipment so recipients can refresh any petals or areas that begin to dry out.
Fresh lei absorb water through their stems and petals, so full hydration before sealing the box gives them the best chance of arriving in pristine condition. Taking this extra step turns ordinary shipping into proper care, ensuring your gesture arrives just as you intended.
Communicate Care Instructions Clearly
Even the most carefully shipped lei needs proper handling upon arrival. Including detailed care instructions with your order helps recipients maintain the lei's beauty until the service. Many people outside Hawaii have never handled fresh lei before and genuinely appreciate guidance.
Clear communication prevents common mistakes. Recipients should know to remove lei from the packaging immediately, refrigerate them properly, and mist them lightly if they appear dry.
If this is their first time receiving a fresh lei, simple step-by-step instructions can ease any uncertainty and make the process much less intimidating. Even a short-handwritten note with practical tips can help your gift last throughout the memorial service.
Sending Love Across the Ocean: Your Thoughtful Tribute Delivered
Mastering these six ways to ship fresh funeral lei with care can turn a potentially stressful logistics challenge into a seamless expression of sympathy. Distance no longer prevents you from participating meaningfully in memorial services, and your carefully chosen memorial lei arrives ready to honor the departed with authentic Hawaiian tradition.
Fresh lei are living symbols of aloha, carrying your love and respect across any distance. When you ship them with proper care and attention, you ensure that every petal preserves its beauty, and every strand maintains its significance. Your thoughtful tribute deserves nothing less than perfect execution, from selection through delivery.