Although I've never done it myself, I've seen flowers ordered from both 1-800-flowers and proflowers.com

I'd be tempted to call or visit my local florist though - with Telaflora wire services, etc. all you need is the address for delivery and the date of the funeral... as well as the kind of flowers you'd like in the arrangement, how much you wish to spend, and what to sign on the card.

I've received flowers from both sites duluth mentions. The online photos are much prettier than what has actually arrived. Waste of money because the recipient gets fewer flowers and some have been about ready to croak.

I, too, recommend selecting a local florist, calling them directly, and ordering what you want. That's the only way I send out of town flowers.

Yes, select a local florist. I suggest calling the funeral home to see who they would recommend.

I sent flowers to my niece after the birth of her son using an online florist. A couple days later I went to her home to meet the new baby and saw the flowers. They were horrible. Half dead and did not look like the online picture. I was so embarrassed. I also recommend using a local florist near the funeral home.

That's disappointing to hear. How does that work if I order flowers locally when the funeral is in another state? Who actually makes the money, the local florist or the one that puts the arrangement together which I'm assuming would be near the funeral location?

Mt son sends me flowers every year for my birthday, DH sends his mother flowers frequenfly (both long distance); never been disappointed. Have used the major online sites.

Msrose, I think people are saying to order from a florist local to the funeral home. I have done this. Just call them and ask who they would recommend and have them give you a phone number. They see flowers from a lot of different places and can tell you who they recommend.

Make sure you look for a brick and mortar address for a florist local to the funeral home when ordering online. Many floral websites are set up to look like they're local when they are strictly online. Many yellow page ads do this as well.

I either read or saw an exposé on this problem several years ago.

I usually use 1-800-flowers, including for a funeral last year. The arrangement neve came, and when I got home a day later I called 1-800. They said it had been cancelled. Well what happened was that it turned out they didn't have a florist in the locale of the funeral home, tried to call me but of course I was at the wake and funeral etc., so when they couldn't get me they just cancelled the order (but hadn't refunded the credit card yet!) So I asked them to send it to one of the family. They sent it to the funeral home (why couldn't they do it in the first place), and bless that director's heart, he drove it over to their house.

I've never had a problem before, but when it really mattered, it didn't work.

So yes, call the funeral home and ask for a recommendation.

We always call the funeral home directly and ask them which local florist consistently delivers quality flowers or arrangements. Then when we call the florist to order the flowers we tell them that we would be at the funeral home and would be able to inspect the arrangement.

We've done this for years - even if we can't attend the funeral. We've usually been satisfied doing it this way. You can also avoid all the extra fees that FTD and other online florists add.

I've ordered cut orchids for DM from ProFlowers several times. The first time, they were as others have noted, half-dead. I called ProFlowers and explained my disappointment. They sent more that were great and lasted longer than expected.

Nevertheless, for a funeral, I'd do as others suggested and find a local brick and mortar florist.

But even if you're out of state, making a call to a funeral home, etc. in another state strikes me as unnecessary.

When my Mother passed away, we got arrangements from relatives far and wide - ordered from the sender's locale, put together and delivered by local florists or greenhouses. Flower arrangements were sent to the funeral home and delivered to the chapel in the hearse with the casket. The flowers were quietly arranged on the altar, etc. by the funeral directors before the viewing and it was all very seamless. This is a big part of a florist's business and they know how to deliver in a timely fashion.

If you called your local brick & mortar, they'd be glad to explain how they accomplish getting your tribute to the right place at the right time and in good condition. It's what they do and they have the wherewithal to coordinate out of state orders/deliveries.

Flowers are lovely - but lately for the last couple of deaths, we've gotten word that a donation to hospice or a favorite charity was preferred in lieu of flowers. That made things easy.

Wow, I'm surprised at everyone's experiene. I order online flowers all the time and have never been disappointed. I use proflowers, 1-800 flowers, teleflora, and one or two others. I usually check a few sites to see which selections I like the best for the occasion. One thing to note is that they show the bouquet and there is usually a "small, medium, or large" pick to select. The pictures usually shows the middle one. Some of them change the picture depending on what you select and some don't. When my Mom receives flowers from me, she always takes a picture so I can see how it came out.

I've had great luck with Calyx Flowers. I now get their catalog, so I have a good idea of their selection, which comes in handy when the need arises.

Here is a link that might be useful: Calyx Flowers

I just got a nice arrangement from 1-800-flowers. I'm not sure if it's what was ordered but I sent a picture to the sender with a thank you so she can see what I received. I have also gotten nice flowers from Pro-flowers, but I do think it's better to go local.

I will Yelp florists in the city I'm sending flowers to, read the reviews, pick one and call them directly......I do think you get better value for your $ going local.

I have never ordered online either. I just use the same florist I always use - in my town - and they use something they call their wire service. Its an extra $5 or $10 and I assume both they and the florist in the city where the funeral takes place BOTH make money. Never had problems.

I always call the funeral home to ask for a recommendation. They are used to it and have the info immediately available. It's like a 30 second call.

I like to speak directly with the florists to find out what they have in stock that is the freshest (flowers are seasonal), price range and to give a basic idea of what kind of arrangement I would like.

+1 Calyx

Thanks, everyone! She was a little nervous about ordering online since some of you have had a not-so-good-experience, so she went to a local (to us) florist.